New Americans welcomed to Iowa, Arkansas

The U.S. Department of Labor has recently given $850,000 grants to at least two states to establish "immigrant centers".

From this:
(The office of AR Gov. Mike Huckabee) was informed of the grant by U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao... The centers will provide job placement assistance, translation assistance, resettlement assistance and legal assistance for immigrants, according to the release... "With our growing immigrant population, we're delighted to receive this grant," the governor said. "These immigrants are adding much to the culture and the economy of Arkansas. We want to do everything we can to make the transition easy for them."
And, from this:
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced an $850,000 demonstration grant to Iowa Workforce Development to establish three New Iowans Centers to help immigrants transition into their new communities and the workforce... "One of the biggest and most immediate hurdles that many immigrants face when they arrive in our country is not being able to speak English... The centers will provide assistance with language and occupational training, resettlement, community service referrals and job placement with local area employers who are seeking skilled workers.
Open borders advocates have made it difficult to tell exactly what types of "immigrants" we're dealing with here. There's a good chance these are not those in the process of naturalization, as English is a requirement. Could they be legal workers, or are these centers open to the "undocumented" as well?

About the only thing I've been able to find even approaching an answer are the 2001 minutes here, and they're inconclusive:
A presentation on the New Iowan Centers was recently made to the legislative Appropriations Committee. Two New Iowan pilot projects were established in Muscatine and Sioux City last September with $160,0000 to provide employment-based services to employers and new Iowans. Jane stated a question had been raised on whether IWD is providing free legal services to undocumented /illegal aliens. The answer is that no tax dollars are being used in this manner. IWD is not providing free legal services. Staff are referring individuals who request the service to the appropriate noon-profit organization.
However, perhaps we can find a clue to at least the spirit of those involved by looking at Our Leader's efforts in this area.

As for Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, see "Vilsack regrets English only bill". I really don't think I've ever seen a politician pander so cravenly. I mean, this is Abject Pandering:
"I brought my staff into the office and said, 'I'm not going to sign this legislation because I don't think it's right,"' Vilsack said to applause. "They said, 'Governor, you're facing re-election and 80 percent of the public thinks this is a good idea. It's a terrible symbol but we think you should sign it."'

"I said, 'Well maybe I should just simply not run for office,"' Vilsack said.

"I was seriously willing not to run again because I thought it was so bad," Vilsack said in an interview. "It's one of those difficult situations that governors find themselves in - when you've got a split Legislature and they try to create political difficulty for you."

In weighing his options, Vilsack said he called officials with the National Council of La Raza ["National Council of the Race" -- LW], a Hispanic civil rights group which had honored him in 2001 for creating New Iowans Centers as a way of welcoming new immigrants.

"I said, 'This is the choice I have. I'm willing to send the award back and I'm willing not to run for office.' And I was committed to doing it...

"I'm here today to apologize personally and for the people of my state," Vilsack said. "It is a bad law. If I had a Democratic legislature, I would get rid of that law."
As for Arkansas' Huckabee, let's hear what a Mexican consul had to say:
"[I came to Arkansas to] continue the negotiations with the state and city authorities for making sure that we are going to inaugurate a Mexican consulate in the coming year in Little Rock... Governor Huckabee was a large part of this... He went to Mexico City and met with President Fox and proposed this... [when you get your MC we] don't care if you are documented or undocumented... I like Arkansas... It is so green. It's so clean, nice, with very warm, open people, and many friends of Mexico."
See also:
"Arkansas: discounted college for illegal aliens blocked"
"AR Gov. Mike Huckabee goes on the attack"
"Efforts against illegals broaden" (in Arkansas)
"[AR Gov.] Huckabee plan would give aid to illegal aliens"

Whether the centers are for legal workers or not, American citizens deserve much better than those two.

Comments

The labor dept. giving money also to provide legal assistance to transition foreigners into jobs, sounds like assistance in filing claims for racial or ethnic quota positions. If it is about job assistance and legal help together in a package, for those most likely to be eligible for affirmative action; what are the chances that it doesn't involve any quota mongering, with money taken from those who are to be victimized further by the imported subsidy seeking elements?

WE can get a glimpse of Arkansas'probable future by looking at the following first-hand report from the hills of Appalachia. The wealthy, ethnically European elite of Mexico is evading the social responsibility it has for the oppressed and exploited Indian and mestizo masses and pushing them northward for the naive "gringo" to take care of.

http://tekocd.blogspot.com/2005/06/friday-afternoon-and-im-leaving-office.html
I was sitting here reading my county paper. I brought it from the house today. I think last week I mentioned that the arrest report was all Mexicans now. Some jerk wrote in and said that the Mexicans are only getting arrested because we are all horrible racist hillbillies who are engaging in ethnic profiling. The weed needs to get a scanner and listen to the police frequencies on a Friday or Saturday night. Then he'd see that his poor, downtrodden Hispanics are busy breaking into houses, driving around the county drunk, stealing livestock from pastures, boosting motorcyles from peoples front yards, running people off the road and beating them up, driving off from gas stations with a full tank they didn't pay for, shoplifting at convenience stores, selling stolen property, dispensing controlled substances without a license, backing into people at the grocery store parking lot and taking off, grabbing people's wives on the rear end at the Circle K, urinating in public, throwing bottles through the Best Western sign, fighting in front of the McDonald's, and on and on. All you have to do is listen to the radio . But I guess the twit that wrote that letter just reads the paper and lets his righteous indignation do the rest. I hope the Mexicans break into his house and do the full Monty on him. Then he can write about that.

It wont be "clean" for very long! (See Boston)

Lol, it will be the pigstye of the South, with the mexican culture its importing....Oh well..

It's good to see that many are recognizing the important contribution immigrants make to our society and are helping to enhance those contributions.