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Jul. 20, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Lives go on here and there

Hometown associations keep immigrants close

By LYNNETTE CURTIS
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Jaime Lopez, who runs La Mexicana Bakery, stays connected to his hometown of Coatlancillo, in the Mexican state of Jalisco, through a hometown association, a group of immigrants who band together in the United States based on shared origins.

People attend a meeting on education Friday at the Federacion de Clubes Michoacanos Unidos in Nevada. The group comprises about 550 people who hail from the Mexican state of Michoacan.

Reveriano Orozco, coordinator of clubs for the Federacion de Clubes Michoacanos Unidos in Nevada, says hometown associations in the United States help improve economic conditions in Mexico.
Photos by Ronda Churchill/Review-Journal

Baker Jaime Lopez loves his life in Las Vegas, where he has lived for more than two decades and has built a successful business.

But a piece of his heart will always remain in his hometown, the small village of Coatlancillo in the Mexican state of Jalisco.

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"There are so, so many memories," Lopez said recently during a break from his work at La Mexicana Bakery at Eastern and Stewart avenues. "My parents and the majority of my family still live there."

Lopez says he stays connected to Coatlancillo through his local "hometown association," a term used to describe immigrant groups that band together in the United States based on shared origins.

Thousands of such groups exist nationwide, and are proliferating as global migration increases, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan agency that studies the movement of people worldwide.

The institute this month released a study that, in part, challenged the idea that hometown associations keep immigrants from fully integrating into their new communities.

"Policymakers may view (hometown associations) as signs of insularity in immigrant communities and worry that such organizations act as obstacles to their members' successful integration," the report said.

The opposite is actually true, it said.

In addition to offering information about support services for immigrants, many of the typically informal, volunteer hometown associations offer language classes, day care and citizenship education. They also help fund basic improvements in the often poor, rural hometowns of immigrants.

The 60 members of Club Coatlancillo, for example, have in the past several years raised about $30,000 to help build a road and remodel a health center, school and community garden in the town, Lopez said.

Funding projects that improve the quality of life for his hometown's residents "helps a lot with the homesickness," Lopez said.

Exactly how many hometown associations exist nationwide is unknown, but the number of Mexican associations is greater than for other nationalities. Estimates for the number of Mexican hometown associations active in the United States range from 600 to 3,000.

About 180,000 foreign-born people of Mexican origin live in Las Vegas. Many are still linked to Mexico economically, by family and friends or, at least, sentimentally.

"We want to help take care of our hometowns," said Reveriano Orozco, coordinator of clubs for the Federacion de Clubes Michoacanos Unidos in Nevada, a group of about 550 people who hail from the Mexican state of Michoacan.

"We're here to celebrate our culture, but be American also."

Orozco has blended his origins with his life in America. While he lives in Las Vegas, Orozco also serves in the Mexican Congress, working part-time as an alternate representative for Mexican immigrants in the United States. He takes regular trips to see to his duties there.

Orozco's hometown association has helped fund 70 projects in Michoacan, including helping provide towns with computers, ambulances, hospital equipment, schools and streets.

Hometown associations have spearheaded many such projects by taking advantage of Mexico's "three-for-one" program, which lets people living in the United States send money to their home communities and receive matching funds from the Mexican government on federal, state and municipal levels for projects that help develop a community's infrastructure.

Billions of dollars are sent each year from immigrants in the United States to mostly poor, rural areas in Mexico. Historically, most of the money has been sent from one family member in the United States directly to another back home.

The idea behind the three-for-one program is to channel money toward improving education and economies in poor Mexican towns so that inhabitants won't have to cross the border into the United States in search of work.

The program, initiated in 2002 by the Mexican government, allows hometown communities to be in charge of development projects. The government's contribution comes only in the form of matching funds.

"In areas of extreme poverty (in Mexico), people don't have educational and other opportunities," Orozco said. "We want to change that, to do better for the people there."

Orozco said that in addition to helping their cities of origin, members of hometown associations in the United States provide safe and familiar settings in which migrants can get help adjusting to their new communities.

The groups also bolster political participation and civic involvement, fight for civil rights and help support the fledgling businesses of members.

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Tom, Burbank wrote on July 20, 2008 09:56 PM: JT - Agreed about some of the comments that generally show up in blogs like this. However, technically, you can't be here without a visa. You can't get a work permit without being here legally, which requires a visa. The 3 examples you cited (married to a U.S citizen, family member petition, humanitarian parole, etc). still require applying in their home country. The simplistic argument that it's about people who look different from me or us is empty dramatic finger pointing, as I am against illegal aliens no matter where they're from or how they look. Illegal aliens, like many legal aliens, are here from all over the world, therefore some of the less fortunate ones may actually look like me. JT wrote on July 20, 2008 01:54 PM: -Tom. Waiting in line can be people who currently have a work permit but are not permanent resident but awaiting for it.(married to a U.S citizen, family member petition, humanitarian parole, etc). This is in addition to the millions of people who are in line in their own countries of origin to come here legally. Again, illegal immigration is NOT the way to go, but you can't put aside the bigger issue of lack of tolerance for people who might look different than you. The majority of these families are not criminal but good decent hard working people. Just see the comment from the moron below me… JHO wrote on July 20, 2008 12:37 PM: Illegals and the children of illegals become gang members and kill Americans. They drive drunk and kill AMERICANS! Illegals are the single largest contributor of social ills in America! They are CRMINALS and they create criminal children! the DEATH penalty should be the punishment for ALL illegals but we are weak, fat, lazy, soft Americans! Tom, Burbank wrote on July 20, 2008 12:12 PM: JT, "waiting in line to be legal residents " living among us are here illegally, otherwise they'd have visas, which would make them legal residents. If they're truly waiting in line, they're in their home countries following the legal process. Be careful when you call others ignorant. JT wrote on July 20, 2008 11:53 AM: It is funny reading the comments here…I am not sure what makes white closed-minded people living in Las Vegas think all Mexicans are “illegal”? You might be surprise how many U.S Citizens, Legal Residents and waiting in line to be legal residents you have living among you. I can’t stand such an ignorant crowd. I am not in favor of illegal immigration but what’s wrong with supporting programs that will help improve the lives of many human beings? Do not blame your taxes because you are not paying for it. Its ok my friends you can just blame your racial bias for that… Tom, Burbank wrote on July 20, 2008 11:04 AM: "The opposite is actually true, it said." Yeah, sure. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. Come in to my parlor, said the spider to the fly. The propagandist, er, "author" is saying, Don't believe your own eyes, believe what I'm telling you. Uh, sorry, Lynette, I'll believe my eyes. Especially since this entire article doesn't once mention that the majority of Mexicans in America are here illegally. These community groups encourage illegal immigration and act as the protective network for new arrivals by helping provide housing and work and assist in the circumvention of America's laws. They aid each other in obtaining social welfare benefits. They teach new arivals to shout "discrimination" and "racism" and "profiling" as a shield from authentic debate and leverage against cowardly American politicians to whom those accusations are political kryptonite. This PR announcement for the biased report from the Migration Policy Institute (www.migrationpolicy.org) is being allowed by the R-J to masquerade as a wholly incurious news article. will, the Reagan amnesty was passed in 1986. br wrote on July 20, 2008 10:17 AM: Lynette Curtis, the social & minority affairs writer, is again blessing us with another story of the wonderful Mexicans of our city. I'm all choked up and tears are dropping on to my keyboard. The monitor is getting a little hard to read with her heart bleeding all over it. I had better hurry with my comments while I can still see. The associations are for MEXICAN hometowns. They are receiving matching funds from the MEXICAN government. Reveriano Orozco, coordinator of clubs for the Federacion de Clubes Michoacanos Unidos in Nevada, is a member of the MEXICAN congress, represents MEXICAN immigrants in the US, makes regular trips to MEXICO in fulfilling his duties to MEXICO, and has helped fund 70 projects in Michoacan, MEXICO including helping provide MEXICAN towns with computers, ambulances, hospital equipment, schools and streets. Blah, blah, blah... I'm really touched by this MEXICANS dedication to MEXICO. Just a minute, I've got to wipe the blood, sweat and tears off my computer. OK. I'm back. The (MEXICAN)groups also bolster(MEXICAN) political participation and (MEXICAN)civic involvement, fight for (MEXICAN)civil rights and help support the fledgling (MEXICAN)businesses of (MEXICAN)members. There, I've helped Lynette's writing. Don't thank me, Lynette, it's the least I can do. Space is limited so I'll cut to the chase. I want to know: Is Mr Orozco is a LEGAL immigrant? If yes, is he is registered as a representative of a foreign government? I think there is some law against Americans holding a foreign government position. ICE, DOJ, IRS and NV AG should take a close look at these associations. Personally, I like the Mexican people and the rich culture they add to ours. That view applies only to Mexicans who want to become Americans LEGALLY. Lynette didn't mention ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS in this story. Par for her course. will wrote on July 20, 2008 09:43 AM: This guy has his ducks in a row, let me tell you why. He knows our history well enough to know when the last round of amnesty went thru. 1983 under Reagan was the last time so obviously this is the timeline he is quoted as saying he has lived here. Hes smart enough to know WHAT TO SAY AND WHO TO SAY IT TO! delray wrote on July 20, 2008 09:34 AM: we need a the national guard to come in and personally remove these mexicans with force. the president needs to sign a declaration of war with mexico... lets get the party started rg wrote on July 20, 2008 08:16 AM: Here are the real reasons first generation Mexicans WILL NEVER assimilate into American culture. War between Mexico and the United States is something that Mexico cannot forget let alone forgive. Mexicans in the U.S., even the ones that are now U.S. citizens owe their total allegiance to Mexico. Don't believe me, just ask any Mexican in the U.S. if they would bear arms against Mexico if the U.S. declared war against Mexico. You will never ever see a Mexican living in the U.S. proudly display the American flag in front of their house. Finally, it is clear, that one cannot have two masters. Either you live and die for the good ol U.S.A. or you should go back to where you came from and stay there Read All Comments