Federal judge criticized by Trump returning home to Indiana for special celebration

Judge Gonzalo Curiel, the California federal jurist attacked by then presidential candidate Donald Trump, will be returning to his home state of Indiana to help commemorate the Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

The federal court will host the event at 2 p.m. Oct. 6 in the Sarah Evans Barker Courtroom at the Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Indianapolis. Jointly sponsored by the Southern District and the Indiana State Bar Association Latino Affairs Committee, the program is free and open to the public. Attorneys will be eligible for continuing legal education credit but pre-registration is required. Visit http://www.inbar.org/event/2017Curiel  for more information.

Curiel gained national fame when Trump in 2016 questioned his abilities as a jurist and loyalties as an American. The attack came after the judge allowed lawsuits filed by former students against Trump University to proceed. On the campaign trail, Trump wrongly described Curiel as a Mexican and insinuated the judge was issuing biased rulings because Trump was taking a strong stance against immigration.

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IUPUI Celebrates Largest Freshman Class

INDIANAPOLIS –

IUPUI has set a new record for its largest freshman class and says this year’s group is also the most diverse in its history. The university says more than 4,100 beginning freshman have enrolled for the 2017-2018 academic year, beating the previous record, set in 2014.

This year’s class also represents a 2.8 percent increase over last year. The university says minority students represent 28.3 percent of the freshman class with Hispanic/Latino students making up the largest minority group at 9.8 percent.

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Immigrant Defense Project

The mission of Immigrant Defense Project is to secure fairness and justice for immigrants in the United States.

We work to transform a racially biased criminal legal system that violates basic human rights and an immigration system that tears hundreds of thousands of immigrants with convictions each year from their homes, their families, and their communities.

We fight to end the current era of unprecedented mass deportation via strategies that attack these two interconnected systems at multiple points. We use impact litigation and advocacy to challenge unfair laws and policies and media and communications to counter the pervasive demonization of immigrants. And we provide expert legal advice, training, and resources to immigrants, legal defenders, and grassroots organizations, to support those on the frontlines of the struggle for justice.

We help lay the groundwork for a day when the criminal and immigration laws of the United States respect and uphold the human rights of everyone, fulfilling the values of equality, justice, and fairness for all.

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Republicans hire mariachi band to welcome Dem senator

The Senate Republican campaign arm surprised Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly (Ind.) with a mariachi band at one of his recent campaign stops.

Republicans have taken to calling Donnelly “Mexico Joe” over a report last month that his family’s arts and crafts company, Stewart Superior Corp., manufactures some of its products in Mexico. Donnelly announced shortly after the report that he was selling his stock in the company.

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Places with the fewest immigrants push back hardest against immigration

The paradox of this emotional debate is that generally the states and communities with the fewest immigrants are pushing to reduce immigration over the objections of the places with the most immigrants.
Even as Republicans from President Trump to leading legislators in the House and Senate are driving to reduce both undocumented and legal immigration, the core of the GOP’s electoral strength in both presidential and Congressional contests are the places with the smallest share of immigrants, US Census data show.

Do Undocumented Immigrants Pay Taxes?

“Do you think an illegal immigrant getting money is going to be paying taxes? Sure, some probably do only because employers are insisting on it. But there’s very little percentage wise very little, probably 5 percent, 10 percent. It’s a very small amount pay taxes … Look, they’re here illegally. They’re not paying taxes.”

On the surface, the claim seems plausible. This is a population that largely lives in the shadows. And it’s fair to assume that many undocumented workers are paid under the table, with little incentive to report their earnings.

But while this may be the case for some, it certainly does not hold true for the majority.

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Agency having money issues: Fundraisers not getting attention from residents

“We don’t have any federal or state funding, and we are not part of United Way,” she said. “What we need right now is the funds to keep our operations and doors open for three days a week. That would be good for us to be able to keep serving our clients.”

About 80 families visit the agency a month asking for help with translating birth certificates, identification cards and other written documents or correspondence. The agency also helps write résumés and letters of permission for children to travel and assistance with applications for services offered within the community.

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NAACP sues over Lake County precinct consolidation law

The Gary NAACP wants a federal judge to block a new law that would consolidate Lake County’s voting precincts.

The organization claims the law, formerly known as SB 220, would discriminate against the black and Latino populations in Lake County by making voting access more inconvenient.

Defendants are Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson and individual members of the Indiana Election Division.

Gov. Eric Holcomb’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit.

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Walmart’s C.E.O. Had Plenty to Say About Trump. So Did His Customers (in Bloomington, IN).

Since the violence in Charlottesville, chief executives across corporate America have had to weigh the risks of taking a stand against the administration. Mr. McMillon himself, while harshly rebuking the president, initially opted not to step down from the Strategic and Policy Forum before it disbanded — an example of the delicate balance that corporate leaders try to strike when dealing with Mr. Trump.

On Wednesday, we spoke with customers at Walmart stores in three communities — Las Vegas; Bloomington, Ind.; and Union Township, N.J.

This is what they had to say about Walmart chief executive’s decision to weigh into the political fray this week.

Why are people still racist?

“The only way to change bias is to change culture,” Richeson said. “You have to change what is acceptable in society. People today complain about politically correct culture, but what that does is provide a check on people’s outward attitude, which in turn influences how we think about ourselves internally. Everything we’re exposed to gives us messages about who is good and bad.”

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