The Republican Party Has Given Up on Hispanics

Neither Rick Santorum nor Senator Lindsey Graham is likely to win the Republican nomination for president, much less the presidency itself. But their back-and-forth at Wednesday undercard debate illustrated, better than any other exchange of the night, why immigration is such a divisive, and potentially decisive, issue for the Republicans. Graham won applause from the establishment-friendly crowd by calling for Republicans to reach out to Hispanic voters, but in the end, the toxic blend of faux-populism and xenophobia that Santorum championed is the dominant strain in the GOP primary.

Jason Richwine Dissertation On Low Hispanic IQ Puts Heritage On Defensive

WASHINGTON - A conservative researcher's 2009 dissertation, which argued that Hispanic immigrants to the U.S. have substantially lower IQs than whites, put one of the biggest opponents to an immigration reform bill in Congress on the defensive on Wednesday.

Nora Espinoza, New Mexico Legislator: Keep Mexican-American Studies Books Out Of Schools

A New Mexico state representative wants to keep Hispanic history books out of public schools, following in the footsteps of some of her conservative colleagues in Arizona.

New Mexico state Rep. Antonio Maestas (D-Albuquerque) proposed a memorial on Monday praising diversity in the state’s curricula and slammed Tucson’s decision to ban seven ethnic studies books from classroom use.

That didn’t go over well with Republican state Rep. Nora Espinoza (Roswell).

Joseph Maturo Reinstates Connecticut Police Chief, Chief Leonard Gallo, Despite FBI Probe On Claims For Harassing Hispanic Residents

HARTFORD, Conn. -- A Connecticut police chief who was suspended as the FBI investigates claims that his officers harassed Hispanic residents was welcomed back Tuesday by a new mayor who said he does not believe the allegations are true.

East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo, who took office Nov. 19, reinstated the chief who was put on paid administrative leave last year after the Justice Department's civil rights branch began investigating claims of discriminatory policing. The FBI has also been gathering evidence for potential criminal prosecutions of some officers, and agents raided Chief Leonard Gallo's locked office less than two weeks ago.

In an interview, Maturo said he is open to the work of federal investigators, but he has confidence in Gallo and the rest of the force.

"I don't think any of it rose to the level of just cause to get rid of a police chief," he said of the material he read in the previous administration's files.

Hispanic Students Absent From Alabama Schools Following Controversial Immigration Law

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Hispanic students have started vanishing from Alabama public schools in the wake of a court ruling that upheld the state's tough new law cracking down on illegal immigration.

Education officials say scores of immigrant families have withdrawn their children from classes or kept them home this week, afraid that sending the kids to school would draw attention from authorities.

There are no precise statewide numbers. But several districts with large immigrant enrollments – from small towns to large urban districts – reported a sudden exodus of children of Hispanic parents, some of whom told officials they planned to leave the state to avoid trouble with the law, which requires schools to check students' immigration status.