For the first time in a decade, the influx of undocumented immigrants to the United States fell below that of legal permanent residents, according to another Pew Hispanic Center report out today.

The undocumented population is still growing — it’s up by 40 percent since 2000. But new estimates put the yearly influx at about 500,000 [...]

A new report from the Pew Hispanic Center charts the impact of the economic downturn on immigrants — specifically non-citizens, who are traditionally more vulnerable to changes in the job market.

The median U.S. household income inched up just 1.3 percent between 2006 and 2007, but for non-citizen households, incomes fell 7.3 percent.

“Less-skilled workers in blue-collar [...]

The Organization of Chinese Americans, Westchester and Hudson Valley Chapter, is holding a “Meet the Candidates” event Oct. 15 at Pace University.

OCA says: “The “Meet the Candidates” forum is a presentation of candidates for elective offices and an opportunity for all Asian Americans and all individuals interested in politics to meet the candidates in person [...]

How will the U.S. economic crisis affect immigration? We’re starting to see some indicators. The Bank of Mexico has been tracking remittances by migrants for more than a decade, and last month it saw the largest drop ever, reports AP.

Mexicans abroad (mostly in the United States) sent back $2.2 billion in August 2007. Last month [...]

The Ellis Island Immigration Museum is broadening its scope beyond the years when the site was an immigrant gateway, from 1892 to 1954. Immigration before and after those years will be part of the “Peopling of America Center.” The $20 million center is slated to open in 2011.

It will touch on the modern illegal immigration [...]

I wanted to follow up here on Andrew Berends, who has been speaking out on his 10-day detention in Nigeria. He was there filming of his documentary about the Niger Delta, and became the latest journalist to be detained by government security forces and eventually deported. The Hastings High School grad is back home in [...]

Prepaid calling cards, a staple commodity in a lot of immigrant neighborhoods, are notorious for deceptive labeling about what they offer and what they charge.

The House of Representatives yesterday passed Rep. Eliot Engel’s bill requiring companies to clearly explain the terms, conditions and fees in their advertising.

“The measure is designed to protect our consumers, [...]

Barack Obama earned his first “pants on fire” rating from PolitiFact.com, home of the Truth-O-Meter, and the topic is immigration.

The site calls out Obama for likening John McCain to Rush Limbaugh. Here’s the Spanish-language ad in question. It says McCain and his Republican friends have two faces on immigration.

McCain has [...]

The attorneys in the Port Chester voting rights case are done talking, and now a federal judge will decide how to reform Port Chester’s village board election system. His job is to choose a system that will allow Hispanic voters to participate fully and that will fix the problems he found in his January ruling.

Judge [...]

A local food and clothing drive is under way for Haiti, and the organizers are hoping to fill up a C-5 cargo plane with supplies by the end of the month. There are a number of dropoff points around Rockland County, including Konbit Neg Lakay in Spring Valley.

For more information call Konbit Neg Lakay, (845) [...]