Report: 3.6 Million DREAMers Are in the U.S.



Update on April 25, 2018: A federal judge orders the U.S. government to continue Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and accept new applicants, according to the Washington Post. Immigration is a politically divisive issue. It can be hard to keep in mind that real people are affected, no matter what your political views. People's livelihoods began to hang in the balance in September 2017 when U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump administration would be rescinding the DACA. DACA is an Obama administration program begun in 2012 that allows undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children to apply to defer deportation and legally reside in the country for two years. They can apply for reinstatement after. How many ...

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Trump’s Controversial Citizenship Plans for DREAMers


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The White House has proposed changing immigration policy to allow citizenship for up to 1.8 million young people brought into the U.S. as children—in addition to a $25 billion border wall and other security measures, USA Today reports. The proposed bill would blaze a path to citizenship for DREAMers, undocument immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. DREAMers have been in limbo since the Trump Administration rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which was created by the Obama Administration to allow undocumented children brought to the U.S. to remain here. The bill, which will be introduced to the House and Senate in the coming weeks, would for the first time provide a clear path to citizenship for 1.8 million undocumented immigrants that ...

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Study: 1 in 4 Latino Kids Have an Undocumented Immigrant Parent



Nearly 94% of the 18 million Latino kids living in the United States today were born here. Their moms and dads are a different story. About half of Latino kids have at least one parent who was born outside of the U.S., and about four million of these also have at least one parent who is not authorized to be in the country, according to new data from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families. The new data have big implications for the wellness of these children. Immigration, Kids, and Mental Health Living with the threat of deportation and the separation from a parent can harm a child. It may cause “fear or anxiety that can affect children's physical and mental health, as well as their development,” the new data shows. One in four Latino kids are ...

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Tick Tock: The Impact of DACA on Latinos


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President Donald Trump's administration recently rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an American immigration policy signed by President Barack Obama five years ago. DACA allows unauthorized immigrants who arrived in the United States as children to work, go to school, and get a driver’s license without fear of deportation. The clock is now ticking for a Congressional fix for people who qualify for DACA. If not, recipients could lose their status starting March 5, 2018. Who are DACA recipients? Since the program started in June 2012, most DACA recipients are in Latino-centric states: California (222,795) followed by Texas (124,000) and Illinois (42,376). Unauthorized immigrants from Mexico make up more than three-quarters of all DACA ...

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Latino Immigrant Families Often Forego Health Care Services



For many immigrant families, the current political climate adds a great deal of stress to their lives. Many Latinos already face inequities in health care; they are still the largest uninsured population in the U.S. In South Carolina (5.2% Latino population), this stress is now manifesting in even harsher ways. According to a report in The Post and Courier, many immigrant families in the state are not only foregoing health care services for the adult family members, but also their children. “We’ve gotten calls from the health department of mothers not coming to ... appointments, not showing up for immunizations,” said Julie Smithwick, executive director of the Latino assistance group PASOs. The statewide group connects Latino patients to health care resources across South ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 3/22/16: How YOU Can Be a “Salud Leader” for Kids


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Kids need your HELP! Many children are overweight or obese in the U.S., and many have poor access to fresh fruits and vegetables and face rising diabetes rates. Let’s tweet about what you can do to become a Salud Leader for kids! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: How YOU Can Be a “Salud Leader” for Kids” TIME/DATE: Noon CST (1 p.m. EST) Tuesday, March 22, 2016 WHERE: On Twitter #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: Community Commons (@CommunityCommon) & Moms Rising (@MomsRising) Be sure to use the hashtag #SaludTues to follow the conversation on Twitter/X and share your stories and resources. #SaludTues is a Tweetchat on Twitter/X that focuses on a variety of different health issues. From September 2014 to March 2021, #SaludTues occurred weekly at ...

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Agency’s Legal Aids Brings Hope, Stress Relief for People in Florida



Many people arrive from other countries to Broward County, Fla., with no community ties, no possessions, no (or little) money, and no prospects for employment. Aside from the everyday challenges of this scenario, they also often face legal questions or citizenship matters. That’s why Hispanic Unity of Florida (HUF) was founded to offer free legal aid to low-income families in their most troubling times, to relieve stress and, in turn, improve people’s health and quality of life. Magaly Alvarado, a program manager with HUF, knew that she and her organization could and should do more to help their community. People from other countries and toxic stress Broward County, Fla. (27% Latino), is a hub for many Latin American and Caribbean transplants. Many members of this ...

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Salud America! Gets $1.3M to Fuel Healthy Changes that Reduce Latino Childhood Obesity


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Salud America!, a national childhood obesity prevention and communication program, has received a one-year, $1.3 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop new, tailored educational content that helps people to work toward healthy changes for children and families. Established in 2007, Salud America!, has recruited a national online network of 50,000 parents, school personnel, health professionals, and community leaders who support its mission. Childhood obesity continues to rise in America. The new funding will allow Salud America! to expand its network and engage members with enhanced educational content, including multimedia role model stories, social media events (like the #SaludTues weekly tweetchat), online resources, digital action campaigns, and ...

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Dia de Salud Increases Health in Oregon Community


Dia de Salud

Sarah Cantril started the Huerto de la Familia program to focus on boosting health by helping local families live healthier lives in Eugene, Ore. In trying a new approach to bring health information to families, Julia Ridgeway-Diaz and other officials with Huerto de la Familia decided to start an annual health fair, called Dia de Salud (Health Day). This free, tailored annual health fair brings families together to receive free eye exams, blood tests, and other health services that would normally be unavailable to their community. What Role Do People Play in Their Health?  Huerto de la Familia has been assisting families in Eugene, Ore. (7.8% Latino), since 1999, when Sarah Cantril formed the organization from a grassroots project, to a fully developed non-profit. But Julia ...

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