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Nov. 15Consuelo Nieto didn't leave her home country so much as she brought it with her when she moved to the United States.

The founder of at least one of Bakersfield folkloric dance troupes and a singer in a local mariachi band, Nieto made sure local youth of Mexican heritage learned about the the deep roots of their Hispanic culture.

"Connie was always very proud of her culture, her heritage," said Erlinda Manzano, whose mother, newspaper publisher Esther H. Manzano, was a friend of Nieto's.

But Nieto didn't stop there. She often helped other immigrants like her by pushing for immigration reform, attending conventions and even decorating cakes bearing the logo of the Mexican American Political Association, in which she had become involved. As a day job, she helped others file paperwork legitimizing their residency in the United States.

Nieto died Nov. 8 at the age of 79. The cause of her death was not available.

She is remembered as a woman who gave generously of her time to help others new to the country. Well known within the local Hispanic community, Nieto was active in the early days of the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

"She was a good member to help us through all the stumbling blocks and roadblocks," said Manuel G. Lerma, one of the chamber's founding members. "If you asked her to do something, she helped you out."

But it was in cultural representation that Nieto shone brightest. She loved to sing and dance, and that came through when she worked with young people.

She took her folkloric groups to schools as a way of introducing students to Mexican art and culture, and would help raise money to buy the pricey costumes the dances require.

Nieto also made a name for herself as a cake decorator, as well as a mariachi singer at a time women weren't often known for doing that.

Those who knew her well remember her as a charming person with a great sense of humor.

"She was a real caring person, very personal," Lerma said. "She got along with everyone."

Story continues

Born July 20, 1942, in Leon, Guanajuato the younger sister of two brothers, Nieto gained U.S. citizenship in her early 20s. Settling in Bakersfield, she made a career at the Kern County Economic Opportunity Corp., where she worked as an immigration specialist. As a volunteer, she helped local attorneys who served the less fortunate.

Preceded in death by her husband, Richard Nieto Sr., and by her brothers Ralph and Jose Bermudez, she is survived by her three children, Nancy Kay Morales, Richard Nieto Jr. and Patricia Ann Chamberlin; seven grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

A viewing has been scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Thursday, with a 7 p.m. Rosary, at Kern River Family Mortuary. A memorial service and Mass is set for noon Friday at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1515 Baker St., to be followed immediately by a 1 p.m. graveside service at Greenlawn Funeral Home Northeast, 3700 River Blvd. There will be a celebration of life event after the graveside service at Druids Lodge, 501 Sumner St.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking people donate in her honor to the Leukemia Research Foundation.

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Consuelo Bermudez Nieto (1942-2021): Immigrant spread cultural understanding, helped others new to the country - Yahoo News

BYRON YORK| Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

In the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump's highest-profile promise was to build the wall that is, to construct a barrier along about 1,000 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. Once elected, Trump's best chance to win money from Congress for a wall came in 2018, when Republican Speaker Paul Ryan controlled the House and Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell controlled the Senate.

It didn't happen.

Now, one of Trump's strongest supporters on Capitol Hill, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, is out with a new memoir, "Do What You Said You Would Do," on Nov. 23 that describes those months when GOP lawmakers fought over competing visions of immigration reform.

The battle was intense, it was passionate and it came to nothing. No stricter immigration laws were passed, and there was no significant funding for a wall. For that failure, Jordan points the finger of blame straight at then-Speaker Ryan. "Paul Ryan is not where the American people are," Jordan writes. "Paul Ryan's position on immigration is the same as the positions of the National Chamber of Commerce."

In the world of conservative immigration policy activists, accusing someone of siding with the Chamber of Commerce is about as harsh as it gets. As Jordan tells it, Ryan sabotaged Republican immigration reform by refusing to support a bill that the large majority of Republicans supported, instead pushing a weaker bill that the Chamber supported.

The result was that, facing united Democratic opposition, neither Republican bill passed. The bill promoted by Jordan and his colleagues in the House Freedom Caucus would have "ended family-based chain migration apart from spouses and children," Jordan writes. "It contained mandatory E-Verify language for employers and eliminated the visa lottery ... [it] also defunded sanctuary cities and appropriated $30 billion for construction of the wall."

The bill, Jordan argues, "was consistent with the message of the 2016 election." The bill supported by Ryan would also have funded the wall, albeit with $25 billion. "But it did nothing else to address the problems we were elected to solve," Jordan writes. "It had no language to address chain migration, E-Verify or sanctuary cities ... [It] also created a renewable six-year legal status for up to 2.4 million illegal immigrants and gave those individuals a path to legal citizenship."

Finally, while the bill ended the visa lottery, it "reallocated those visas to amnesty recipients." "Which bill do you think Speaker Ryan supported?" Jordan asks. "You already know the answer." Ryan, Jordan charges, did not want to allow the House to vote on the Freedom Caucus bill. He did so only after the group threatened to sink a big, must-pass farm bill if they didn't get a vote on immigration.

And then, the speaker declined to put pressure on -- or whip, as they say on Capitol Hill -- any Republicans to vote for it. And still, the conservative bill got 193 votes -- a solid majority of the 241 Republicans in the House at that time. Ryan did push for the other bill -- what Jordan calls the Chamber of Commerce bill -- but in the end it got only 121 votes.

"Why push for a bill that was 100 votes short of passing instead of a bill that got 193 votes and therefore was just a few votes shy of passing?" Jordan asks. "You already know why. Paul Ryan doesn't want the legislation President Trump and the American people supported."

The Jordan-Ryan clash was a classic Republican immigration debate. While Democrats are virtually unanimous in support of amnesty and more liberal immigration laws, the GOP is divided between a conservative faction, which favors more restrictive measures, and a business-oriented faction, which favors less restrictive measures and higher levels of immigration.

Trump's border wall proposal ran straight into that preexisting conflict. In the end, Trump found other ways to build some of the wall. By the time he left office and President Biden stopped construction, about 450 miles had been built, most of it replacing existing but dilapidated older barriers.

The Republican Congress' failure to fund a wall has had real-life consequences, most recently in the crisis in Del Rio, Texas, when 15,000 illegal border crossers waded across the Rio Grande and created a squalid migrant camp just inside the United States. The Biden administration allowed thousands of them to stay. It was a crisis that is sure to be repeated, probably in the near future.

But the story might have been different had Republicans not been so divided in that 2018 debate.

Byron York is chief political correspondent for The Washington Examiner. DISTRIBUTED BY ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION FOR UFS 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO

Continued here:
York: The GOP fight that stopped Trump's immigration plan - LubbockOnline.com

Inflation is hammering restaurants, dismantling the industrys fragile recovery from pandemic-induced shutdowns just as customers resume dining out.

The price of produce, meat, oils and even non-food items like heat lamps and to-go containers has skyrocketed, saddling restaurants with unprecedented costs. And supply chain disruptions are making it difficult for smaller, independent restaurants to secure essential products in the first place.

Surging prices and scarcity of goods coming on top of severe workforce shortages and relatively weak demand for dining-out has left restaurant groups appealing to Congress for help, warning of further negative impacts without another round of federal relief.

The U.S. experienced the highest rate of inflation in three decades over the last year, according to Labor Department data released last week. The price of groceries rose by 5.4 percent year-over-year, with the largest increase 11.9 percent coming among meats, poultry, fish and eggs.

Restaurant owners say theyre dealing with even larger increases for some wholesale products in recent months, costs that are passed on to customers. Prices at full-service restaurants rose by 5.9 percent over last year, the largest annual increase on record.

Its not like prices are going up a little bit. Some products are 50 percent higher than usual. Its bananas, said Regina Simmons, owner of Tacotarian, a Las Vegas-based vegan Mexican restaurant.

Simmons pays the highest possible price to ensure she gets a specific vegan cheese that is in short supply, as she cannot easily substitute it without customers noticing the difference. Price hikes and supply shortages also apply to cups, napkins and other essential products.

Every week, a delivery truck arrives stocked with only some of the items Simmons ordered, forcing her to get in her car and search for the missing products at grocery stores like Whole Foods, where she pays even higher prices.

Theres a lot of problems right now because theres not enough products for everyone, she said. Its a very challenging time for our industry.

Tyler Akin, a Philadelphia restaurant owner and board member for the Independent Restaurant Coalition, said that the price of food and equipment continues to rise across the board.

Fryer oil that cost around $30 per unit a year ago now runs for $60 to $70, and the cost of disposable gloves is up 200 percent from pre-pandemic levels, he said. Even surging energy prices are hitting restaurants that invested in propane heaters to facilitate outdoor dining.

In a year of historic headwinds, its really the icing on the cake, said Akin, who was forced to close one of his restaurants and is not operating two others located near office buildings due to a lack of demand.

For independent restaurant owners, the pandemic has tested their relationships with distributors and revealed just how difficult it is to compete with large chains, which often get priority on scarce products.

None of us are acquiring farms and meat producers like larger corporations are able to, Akin said. For us, the cost is presented and we take it or leave it.

A National Restaurant Association survey in September found that 91 percent of restaurant owners are paying more for food. Three-quarters of those surveyed said they had to change a menu item because they werent able to find an ingredient. And 47 percent said they had difficulty obtaining poultry while 45 percent had trouble finding beef.

Its very difficult for operators to plan with prices varying so much and supplies not showing up, said Mike Whatley, vice president for state affairs and grassroots advocacy at the trade group. You cant control if the truck shows up and doesnt have salmon. It just adds to so many more issues.

The industry group estimates that restaurants lost $300 billion in sales since the beginning of the pandemic and 90,000 restaurants closed their doors permanently or long-term. Demand is recovering, but 78 percent of restaurants say they dont have enough employees to support a recent uptick in customers amid a tight labor market.

Restaurants were only just barely beginning to recover, then you have the delta variant, you throw in supply chain issues, inflation, worker shortages, and its a perfect storm in terms of stalling the industrys recovery and putting it in reverse, Whatley said.

The National Restaurant Association sent a letter to President BidenJoe BidenBiden restates commitment to 'one China' policy on Taiwan in call with Xi Biden raises human rights with China's Xi during four hour meeting Biden, Xi hold 'candid' discussion amid high tensions MORE earlier this month urging his administration to push for immigration reform and expand employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals to combat the worker shortage.

Restaurant groups are also pressing for last-minute additions to Democrats $1.75 trillion climate and social spending bill, lobbying for additional relief for restaurants to be included.

The bill, which Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiChristie: Trump rhetoric about stolen election led to Jan. 6 attack Biden signs trillion infrastructure bill into law Defiant Bannon warns of 'misdemeanor from hell' for Biden MORE (D-Calif.) wants to pass this week, is likely the industrys last chance to receive more federal aid this year, though its current draft does not include support for restaurants.

Congress provided a $28.6 billion cash infusion to ailing restaurants as part of a Restaurant Revitalization Fund included in Democrats COVID-19 stimulus package enacted earlier this year. But the fund quickly ran dry, with two-thirds of restaurants that applied for aid ultimately missing out.

You always hope that elected leaders can sense reality and have a sense of empathy and are compelled to do the right thing, Akin said. But Im not really seeing it right now.

Original post:
Rising costs threaten restaurants' recovery | TheHill - The Hill

Last week, the Library of Congress (LOC) made a change celebrated by a wide range of organizations, including the American Library Association. After years of pushing to make changes to the cataloging subject headings aliens and illegal aliens, the LOC replaced them with the terms noncitizen and illegal immigration. The decision has been discussed since at least 2016, when Congresss conservative politicians intervened and determined the headings would stay as-is.

Media covering the change call it more accurate and less offensive, and the American Library Association said it was not only praiseworthy but that it better reflects common terminology and respects library users and library workers from all backgrounds. It also reflects the core value of social justice for ALA members.

While it certainly feels like progress to remove the term alien, the problem rests in the fact that people are still being referred to as illegal.

Organizations like RaceForward have advocated for removing the word illegal from discourse about undocumented individuals since 2010. Their #DropTheIWord campaign specifically focuses on the ways media undermines progress by continuing to refer to immigrants, asylum seekers, and other undocumented individuals as anything less than a person. The Right began using the term illegal to topple immigration reform, and the continued use of the word has only led to more harm and marginalization by undocumented individuals. Since it launched, #DropTheIWord has influenced major publications to abandon the word in their style guides and writing, and RaceForward notes that the Associated Press, who dropped the i word in their reporting in 2013, has performed the best and been the most just in its immigrant story coverage.

The LOC subject change may remove the word alien, but it retains the use of illegal. The term is not only dehumanizing, its inaccurate and its racially charged. By retaining the word illegal, the cataloging hierarchy continues damage and showcases its inability to be as progressive and inclusive and indeed, socially just as it should be. Instead, it acts to push back against conservative politicians only without a greater understanding of why a bigger change is necessary. This isnt about winning a political game.

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Library of Congress subject headings are used across libraries in the United States, one of a number of systems a library may use to organize their collections (including the well-documented racist catalog system of Melvil Dewey). These subject headings are standardized, controlled categories. Theyre periodically updated by the Policy and Standards Committee to reflect better accuracy, but its clear these changes are tied politically to the ruling Congress and theyre slow to be progressive. The colonizer history of America is imprinted across these categories, as can be seen in the still-in-use categories of American Indians, Indians, Treatment of, and Indians of North America.

Catalogers on Twitter responded to the LOCs newest change with frustration. Along with pointing out the failure in progress, some highlighted that the LOC isnt responsible for how individual libraries or systems outside of the Library of Congress itself choose to catalog. This is a good thing: it means that real progress can be made on a smaller scale, but consequentially, that means real progress has to happen on a smaller scale.

The LOCs new catalog subject headings arent a step forward. Theyre the bare minimum, and they dont align with the values, knowledge, and work of social justice. Indeed, it isnt a leap to say that in libraries where theres not pushback or local control of cataloging and these headings are used as-is, the harm done isnt inconsequential. In an on-going era of hate and discrimination toward immigrating people yes, even in a post-Trump America continuing to utilize language that marginalized already vulnerable communities will only further physical, mental, and emotional harm to those people.

More, they make places like the library which should be spaces all are able to utilize without judgment or shame unwelcoming to a not-insignificant number of people who deserve to feel safe within them.

Learn more about the #DropTheIWord campaign, as well as what you can do to help dismantle oppressive and dangerous language. If youre in libraries, push to localize your catalog control, as well as demand organizations like the Library of Congress, the American Library Association, and publications like Publishers Weekly and others heralding this change as welcome and progress, reconsider why more needs to be done and be done immediately.

Link:
Library of Congress Subject Heading Change Doesnt Address the Real Issue - Book Riot

We may devote one month out of the year to recognize the contributions of Latinos, but our Latino community and Tennessees immigrant population at-large make a steady impact all year long.

Tessa Lemos Del Pino, Tara Lentz and Martha Silva| Guest Columnists

Video: Voices of Tennessee DACA recipients

Evelin Salgado, Cesar Virto, Mercedes Gonzalez and Jazmin Ramirez speak on what DACA means to them

Courtney Pedroza, Nashville Tennessean

Hispanic Heritage Month may be over, but we can do one last thing to honor the contributions of Latinos and all immigrants in Tennessee: pass immigration reform.

Recently, we celebrated Congress important step toward forming a path to citizenship for immigrant youth, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, essential workers, and their families through the federal budget reconciliation process.

However, as the Parliamentarian ruled that Senate Democrats could not include immigration reform in the budget reconciliation process, we must call on the Senate to vote for comprehensive immigration reform now.

Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee.

Lets take a look at the data. According to the American Immigration Council, there are at least 130,000 undocumented residents, many who have called Tennessee home for decades.

70,982 U.S. citizens in Tennessee live with at least one undocumented family member. Without immigration reform and a path to citizenship, our undocumented neighbors and their U.S. citizen family members are at risk of family separation.

To further illustrate this risk, at least 4%of children in Tennessee live with at least one undocumented family member. Four percent of children in Tennessee must live in fear of one day coming home from school to find out a parent or other family member has been detained or deported.

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This crisis is further illuminated by the thousands of immigrant workers on the frontlines ensuring our countrys health, safety, and food supply during the pandemic. Immigrant workers kept building Nashvilles new high rises, and kept our entertainment and hospitality industries running, yet did not qualify for any federal pandemic relief benefits.

Additionally, without citizenship, Tennessees 10,300 DACA eligible youth must pay out of state tuition for higher education opportunities. Failure to provide a solution to these families will reverberate throughout our state and it's economy: DACA recipients possess $247.7 million in spending power in Tennessee according to the Center for American Progress. A path to citizenship will allow individuals and families to fully participate in our state and our country.

At Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors, we have represented thousands of people who are entitled to change immigration status under current U.S. immigration law.

Unfortunately, those opportunities are limited. We consult with many people who fled violence and poverty in their home countries to seek a better life in the United States.

They want nothing more than to apply for lawful immigration status. With lawful immigration status, they can work and obtain a drivers license. With lawful immigration status, they can build a safe and secure future for themselves and their families.

Yet, often we meet with people who have no options. There is no immigration process available to them, no matter how long they wait or how much money they pay. Our current immigration system is governed by a patchwork of laws designed to exclude and limit rather than encourage immigration. With immigration reform, we can return our country to one that welcomes immigrants and recognizes their essential contributions.

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Conexin Amricas has been serving the Latino community in Tennessee for almost 20 years, creating opportunities where Latino families can belong, contribute, and succeed.

After working for months to ensure our community participated in the 2020 Census, we know that in Tennessee our Latino and immigrant communities continue to grow. While not all Latinos are immigrants, many have family members and friends who are.

We may devote one month out of the year to recognize the contributions of Latinos in our community, but the fact is our Latino community and Tennessees immigrant population at-large make a steady impact all year long.

We need sensible immigration reform that allows all of our residents to stay united with their families, further their education and participate fully in the economy.

Today, we have the opportunity to help our neighbors thrive.

Call on Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty to pass immigration reform now.

Tessa Lemos Del Pino is executive director of Tennessee Justice for our Neighbors, and Tara Lentz and Martha Silva are interim co-executive directors of Conexin Amricas.

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Congress must pass immigration reform to help more than 100,000 Tennesseans | Opinion - Tennessean