Number of illegal immigrants in US drops to 11.1 million, first decline in 20 years

WASHINGTON The number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. has dropped for the first time in 20 years as substantially fewer undocumented workers from Mexico, Latin America and elsewhere are crossing the border in search of jobs, an independent research group says.The analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center suggests the nation’s economic downturn and increased border enforcement have reduced the number of illegal immigrants, who make up roughly 4 percent of the U.S. population.The findings come amid bitter debate over Arizona’s strict new immigration law – now being challenged in federal court after lawmakers passed it earlier this year.

The Obama administration contends the state law usurps federal authority and promotes racial profiling, while Arizona says states are justified to step in if federal enforcement falls substantially short.The study released Wednesday estimates that 11.1 million illegal immigrants lived in the U.S. in 2009. That represents a decrease of roughly 1 million, or 8 percent, from a peak of 12 million in 2007, before Arizona intervened with its new enforcement measures.The study, based on an analysis of 2009 census data, puts the number of illegal immigrants about where it was in 2005.

The 11.1 million is slightly higher than the Homeland Security Department’s own estimate of 10.8 million. The government uses a different census survey that makes some year-to-year comparisons difficult.Much of the recent decrease comes from a sharp drop-off in illegal immigrants attempting to cross the border into the U.S., particularly those from the Caribbean, Central America and South America. An increase in unauthorized immigrants leaving the U.S., by deportation or for economic reasons, also may have played a factor.States in the Southeast and Southwest saw some of the biggest declines in the number of illegal immigrants from 2008 to 2009, including Florida, Nevada and Virginia. Arizona saw a decrease, but it was too small to be statistically significant.It’s hard to figure out how much of the decline to attribute to the bad economy and how much to immigration enforcement, said Jeffrey Passel, a senior demographer at Pew who co-wrote the analysis.

“They’re certainly acting together,” he said. Passel said illegal immigrants now find it more expensive and dangerous to cross into the U.S. and also have less incentive to do given the languishing job market in construction and other low-wage industries.”While people are arguing the government is not stopping illegal immigration, our data suggests the flow of undocumented immigrants sneaking into the country has dropped dramatically,” Passel said.He declined to predict how long the decline in illegal immigration may last, other than to say it could take a while before unemployment in the U.S. substantially improves.The estimates by Pew will add to the political back-and-forth on immigration reform.Boosted by immigration and high fertility among Latinos, minorities now make up roughly half the children born in the U.S., part of a historic trend in which they are projected to become the new U.S. majority by mid-century. Roughly one in four counties currently have more minority children than white children or are nearing that point.

Still, the Census Bureau has made clear that projected minority growth – particularly among Hispanics – could change substantially depending on immigration policies and the economy. President Barack Obama, who is challenging the Arizona law, has pledged to push an overhaul of federal immigration law but has declined to set a timeline.Following the passage of Arizona’s immigration law – which is now largely on hold as it’s reviewed by the courts – more than a dozen states were considering similar legislation or issued legal opinions aimed at strengthening immigration enforcement. They include Florida, Virginia, South Carolina and Utah.

Other Pew findings:- The states with the highest percentage of illegal immigrants were California (6.9 percent), Nevada (6.8 percent), Texas (6.5 percent) and Arizona (5.8 percent). The numbers are expected to play an important factor in whether those states lose or gain fewer U.S. House seats than expected after the 2010 census.-Illegal immigrants make up about 28 percent of the foreign-born population in the U.S., down from 31 percent in 2007.-The unemployment rate for illegal immigrants in March 2009 was 10.4 percent – higher than that of U.S.-born workers or legal immigrants, who had unemployment of 9.2 percent and 9.1 percent, respectively.The Pew analysis is based on census data through March 2009. Because the Census Bureau does not ask people about their immigration status, the estimate on illegal immigrants is derived largely by subtracting the estimated legal immigrant population from the total foreign-born population. It is a method that has been used by the government and Pew for many years and is generally accepted.(AP)

Brazilian police arrested 10 heavily armed men and rescued 35 people who had been held hostage for almost two hours at a five-star hotel in one of Rio de Janeiro's

Brazilian police on Saturday arrested 10 heavily armed men and rescued 35 people who had been held hostage for almost two hours at a five-star hotel in one of Rio de Janeiro’s richest neighborhoods.The gunmen, armed with automatic weapons and grenades, were driving in several cars on a scenic road along the ocean when they met with police patrols.

A shootout followed in Rio’s Sao Conrado neighborhood and the hooded suspects escaped into the Intercontinental Hotel, which last year hosted the World Economic Forum on Latin America. A woman bystander was killed and two police officers were hurt in the exchange of gunfire, police said.”I have never seen so many criminals together. All of them were wearing the same outfit, like uniforms, and were on the streets shooting into the open air,” a resident who witnessed the event and asked not to be named told Reuters. “It was a war zone.”TV images showed suspects wearing black bullet-proof vests and hiding behind a garbage truck during the shootout with police, before running into the hotel.

Colonel Lima Castro, a spokesman for Rio’s military police, said the 35 hostages were freed without harm. Police swept the entire hotel and arrested 10 people.Violent crime is a major concern in Rio, where heavily armed drug gangs control its many slums. The sprawling city is Brazil’s biggest tourist destination and will host the 2016 Olympic games, as well as be a venue for the 2014 World Cup.(Reuters)

Mexico is looking to break South African hearts on Friday when the World Cup spectacular kicks-off

Mexico is looking to break South African hearts on Friday when the World Cup spectacular kicks-off with the much-awaited match between Bafana Bafana and the South American giants. Fresh from a victory over Italy, the Mexicans arrived in South Africa this past weekend.

Mexico is one of Latin America’s strongest teams, ranked 17th in the world. This is their 13th World Cup appearance. They have never advanced past the quarter-final stage – they reached the last eight in 1970 and again in 1986 – both on Mexican soil.Now they have introduced a new breed of players for the 2010 tournament such as striker Carlos Vela who plays for Arsenal, while Barcelona’s Rafael Marquez will be key to “El Tri’s” campaign.

“It is the first time Mexico has so many players playing outside of Mexico in Europe. So that is very good, so they expect that this will and should be Mexico’s best ever showing at the World Cup finals because of the depth they have with the international players,” says Mexico’s left wing, Andrés Guardado.Star defender Rafael Marquez and striker Guillermo Franco’s have been declared fit for the opener against Bafana Bafana. News that no doubt will boost team morale.

Tungurahua volcano erupts, Ecuadorean villagers evacuate

the second volcanic eruption in Latin America on Friday, loud explosions shook the ground and rattled windows near the volcano known as Tungurahua in the indigenous Quechua language, 130 km (81 miles) southeast of Quito, officials said.Residents close to the 5,020-meter (16,500 feet) volcano were evacuated from Cusua and Juive Grande villages, the president’s office said in a statement.

Officials in the area said hundreds of families had been moved, while Ecuador’s aviation authorities closed the airport in coastal Guayaquil and altered the routes of some flights to avoid the ash cloud.”The eruptive column is some 10 km (33,000 feet) high,” Hugo Yepes, director of Ecuador’s Geophysical Institute, told reporters.

Tungurahua has been classed as active since 1999 and had a strong eruption in 2008. It is one of eight active volcanoes in the country.Yepes said ash plumes could “easily” reach the 35,000 to 40,000 feet at which long distance flights operate. “As such there should be at least a diversion for international routes,” he said.Ash particles can cause serious damage if sucked into airplane engines. An Icelandic volcano caused widespread disruption and major losses for airlines after flights were grounded for days in Europe in mid-April.The authorities temporarily closed the airport in Guayaquil, where the runway was covered in ash, and diverted planes heading there to Quito and Manta.

Officials also altered some flight routes to avoid the plume, including Lima-Quito and domestic routes between the capital and Guayaquil and the Andean city of Cuenca.The national director of civil aviation, Fernando Guerrero, told Reuters that the Guayaquil airport would reopen later once the runway had been cleared.

The authorities have moved to safety about 500 families in five communities close to Tungurahua, officials said, while an unknown number of people left the area of their own accord.”At the moment we are keeping a yellow alert in effect for the area,” said Fausto Chunata, mayor of the nearby town of Penipe, adding that they might order more evacuations later.

Banos, a town popular with foreign and local tourists, was among the places evacuated voluntarily, officials said.In Guatemala, another geologically volatile Latin American country, villagers fled and the international airport was closed after the Pacaya volcano erupted close to its capital.

Venezuela Authorities temporarily halted the trading of government bonds

CARACAS, Venezuela  Authorities temporarily halted the trading of government bonds on Tuesday and said they would seek to control Venezuela’s currency exchange rates by setting a range of permitted prices in the bond market.National Securities Commission President Tomas Sanchez said that bond trading is being suspended while new regulations are established following the approval last week of legislation increasing the Central Bank’s control over currency trading.

The government also plans to seize control of brokerage firms suspected of conducting “speculative operations,” Sanchez said.

Central Bank President Nelson Merentes, meanwhile, announced a plan to establish a band with maximum and minimum prices in bond trading, which until last week had been an important outlet for Venezuelans to obtain U.S. dollars.

President Hugo Chavez is seeking to crack down on currency speculation that he blames for soaring inflation and the decline of Venezuela’s bolivar currency on the unregulated market. The embattled bolivar reached 8.30 bolivars to the dollar on the so-called parallel market on Tuesday – almost twice the official exchange rate of 4.30 applied to nonessential goods.

The government is worried because the rising price of dollars on the parallel market increases the cost of consumer goods in Venezuela, which imports more than half the products it consumes despite Chavez’s efforts to boost domestic production.Roughly 30 percent of imports and 70 percent of capital repatriation traditionally occurs through the government bond market, according to the Caracas-based Ecoanalitica think tank.

Consumer prices jumped 5.2 percent in April alone, driving the annual inflation rate to 30.4 percent – the highest in Latin America – according to the Central Bank and National Statistics Institute.

Planning Minister Jorge Giordani accused brokerge firms and Venezuela’s media of trying to drive up the cost of the bolivar on the parallel market, and he warned they could face criminal charges “if they continue this perverse game of creating expectations” within the market.”The Attorney General’s Office will have to take action,” Giordani said.It remains unclear how local brokerages will continue turning a profit.

Maria Fernandez, a local banking analyst, predicted the new regulations would lead some brokerage firms to bankruptcy.Many brokerages will be forced to impose “a significant reduction of employees” in order to survive, but others probably will close because the business “is no longer viable” for them, Fernandez said in a telephone interview.(AP)

Shakira visited Phoenix to learn more about how the law will be implemented if it goes into effect this summer and to meet with Phoenix's Latino community

PHOENIX Colombian singer Shakira visited Phoenix on Thursday, meeting with the city’s police chief and mayor over concerns that a sweeping new state law cracking down on illegal immigration will lead to racial profiling.The Grammy winner said she wanted to learn more about how the law will be implemented if it goes into effect this summer and to meet with Phoenix’s Latino community.”I heard about it on the news and I thought, ‘Wow,'” Shakira told The Associated Press after meeting with city officials. “It is unjust and it’s inhuman, and it violates the civil and human rights of the Latino community … It goes against all human dignity, against the principles of most Americans I know.”

The law, signed Friday by Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, is viewed as the toughest on illegal immigration in the nation and has drawn criticism from President Barack Obama, who questioned its legality. The law makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally and directs police to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they’re illegal immigrants.”I’m not an expert on the Constitution but I know the Constitution exists for a reason,” Shakira told reporters after meeting with city officials. “It exists to protect human beings, to protect the rights of people living in a nation with or without documents. We’re talking about human beings here.”

Shakira also made a stop at the state Capitol in downtown Phoenix, telling a group of a few hundred community members that if the law were in effect, she could be arrested since she didn’t bring her driver’s license to Arizona.”I’m here pretty much undocumented,” she told the crowd, who screamed her name and took photos of her with cameras and cell phones.She called on the U.S. Congress to work on immigration reform. “No person should be detained because of the color of their skin,” she said.

The new law thrust Arizona into the international spotlight last week, with civil rights leaders and others demanding a boycott of the state, and the Mexican government warning its citizens about an “adverse political atmosphere” in Arizona. At least three Arizona cities are considering lawsuits to block the law, and there are two efforts to put a referendum on Arizona’s November ballot to repeal it.Supporters of the law say it takes the handcuffs off police and is necessary to protect Arizonans, while opponents say it will lead to rampant racial profiling.

Shakira also sought to meet with Brewer during her visit to Phoenix but was told the governor’s schedule was booked, said Trevor Nielson, the singer’s political and philanthropic adviser.Shakira is perhaps best known for her nimble dance moves and songs including “Hips Don’t Lie” and “She-Wolf,” but recently she has become more active in political and social issues.

She visited earthquake-ravaged Haiti earlier this month, expressed her support for Cuban dissident group Ladies in White and has worked as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. Her Barefoot foundation provides nutrition to more than 6,000 children in Colombia, and she is a member of the ALAS foundation that advocates for children across Latin America.Last month, the U.N. labor agency gave the singer a medal for her work to help impoverished children.

Mexico condemns Anti-Immigration Law

Mexico has warned its citizens to visit Arizona, responding to one anti-immigration legislation that cause anger strict in Mexico and throughout America. The law, signed in January Brewr, U.S. state governors, the southern part of it, from Republicans, allows police to inspect and arrest anyone who they suspect may be illegal immigrants, although they are not suspected of criminal acts.

Action caused resentment on both sides of the border, with MPs California, on Tuesday called for economic boycott against Arizona and one Mexican airline warned it may cancel more flights to the southern U.S. states that. Mexico’s foreign ministry suggested its citizens carry identity documents and to respect the laws of Arizona, warned that an adverse political situation for the migrant community and all visitors of Mexico.

“With this legislation is estimated to every citizen can be disrupted and examined for reasons that are not important at all times,” the statement said. President Felipe Calderon criticized the law as racial discrimination and said the government would use all means available to defend its citizens.

He said the law threatens the relationship of friendship, business, tourism and culture between Mexico and Arizona. Many Mexican migrants and the opposition party called for a boycott of businesses on the southern U.S. states, while the businessmen concerned about the negative reaction.

“Without doubt it will have an impact on traffic and the pelacong between Mexico and the state’s (Arizona),” Leader said Andres Conesa Aeroméxico airline told reporters at a tourism conference in Acupulco, Tuesday. “Aeroméxico’ve closed the routes between the cities of Mexico City and Guadalajara and Phoenix in Arizona in recent months,” he said.

In Sonora, the Mexican state bordering Arizona government symbolically membatalan one annual meeting with officials of Arizona, said its Internet pages, but said that trying to maintain good relations. North of the border, the legislation sparked a wave of criticism, including from U.S. President Barack Obama, and create legal and political fights while the Democratic party would consider filing a change in the law immigration wide.

Members of Congress in San Francisco and Los Angeles, Tuesday called for a boycott, including tightening up contracts with companies in Arizona and encourage private companies to reduce business with the state.

U.S. Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano says U.S. justice officials very worried about the law and the Justice Department is considering whether the law meets constitutional requirements. Mexico, which have a 3.200km long border with the United States, estimated to have approximately 12 million citizens in the U.S., half of them do not have documents or illegal. Arizona estimates in its territory there are 460 000 illegal immigrants, mostly from Latin America.

Four Spanish soldiers seconded to the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti, was reported killed

PORT AU PRINCE, Four Spanish soldiers seconded to the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti, was reported killed.”Four people have us confirm the Spanish army were killed in a helicopter crash on the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic,” said George Ola Davies, spokesman for the UN, Saturday (17/4/2010).Spanish military helicopter crashed in the area’s steep cliffs in Haiti on Friday in a steep cliff 50 miles southeast of the capital of Haiti.

According to George Ola-Davies, seconded Chilean helicopter for the UN peacekeeping mission, the crew finally managed menindetifikasi who died.”Location of the accident about 50 miles southeast of the capital of Haiti. Terrain is very heavy, very steep cliff,” he said.

Global airlines are undergoing a surprisingly strong recovery with Asian and Latin American carriers leading the way

GENEVA Global airlines are undergoing a surprisingly strong recovery with Asian and Latin American carriers leading the way, the leading industry group said Thursday as it halved its loss forecast for 2010 to $2.8 billion.The International Air Transport Association said carriers began bouncing back late last year, and have continued to see stronger demand after posting record losses during the global economic crisis. The group also lowered its 2009 loss estimate to $9.4 billion from $11 billion because of the year-end rally.”We are starting to see some blue skies ahead of us,” said IATA chief executive Giovanni Bisignani.The group, which represents 240 airline companies worldwide, had predicted in December that 2010 losses would total $5.6 billion because of the “extraordinarily low” yields airlines are generating – the average price someone pays to fly one mile.

Yields are now expected to improve 2 percent for passenger planes, and 3.1 percent for cargo traffic this year, despite a glut of planes on the market and lower corporate travel budgets. Both key statistics dived 14 percent in 2009.Passenger demand should grow 5.6 percent for the year, while cargo demand could jump 12 percent, IATA added. It said strong growth in Asia and Latin America was offsetting lagging demand in Europe and the United States.”We are seeing a definite two-speed industry,” Bisignani told reporters. He noted that American and European travelers may take a longer time to return to higher-priced business class seats for short-haul flights, and said markets in their regions continued to contract.

European carriers are expected to post a $2.2 billion loss, the largest in the world, while North American airlines could lose $1.8 billion because of a jobless recovery and poor consumer confidence, the group said. By contrast, Asian-Pacific companies could make $2.7 billion and Latin American carriers another $800 million.Bisignani said 2010 represents the halfway point in a recovery effort that could take three years – even if that still doesn’t mean profits. Airlines should generate $44 billion in revenues more than last year, but that is still be $43 billion below the industry’s 2008 peak, he said.IATA warned, however, that higher fuel costs would hamper any industrywide rebound. It is now gauging an average oil price of $79 a barrel for the year, meaning $132 billion in costs for carriers. That’s over a quarter of all operating costs.

“Oil is a wild card,” Bisignani conceded.Speaking on industry developments, he noted over 30 airlines were knocked out of business since the crisis began and that carriers have lost nearly $50 billion in the last decade. They now hold over $200 billion in debts.”This is not the time for increases in salaries or prices for services,” Bisignani said, without mentioning specifically Lufthansa’s strike last month or similar action threatened at British Airways.”It’s certainly not the time for strikes,” he said. “All the partners need to work together to get out of these red numbers.”(AP)

Hillary Rodham Clinton is heading to Latin America on a weeklong, five-nation tour expected to be dominated by the earthquake in Chile

WASHINGTON Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is heading to Latin America on a weeklong, five-nation tour expected to be dominated by the earthquake in Chile and building support for fresh penalties against Iran.Clinton plans to leave Washington on Sunday evening to attend the inauguration of Uruguay’s new president, ex-guerrilla Jose Mujica (MOO’-hee-kah).Unless the earthquake alters her itinerary, Clinton is due late Monday in Chile, where she will offer support for disaster rescue and recovery efforts.In Brazil, Clinton will seek support for more penalties on Iran over its nuclear program. Brazil is a voting member of the U.N. Security Council and has been reluctant to impose additional penalties.Clinton wraps up the trip with stops in Costa Rica and Guatemala.(AP)