http://www.voanews.com Voice of America is an international news and broadcast organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries http://www.voanews.com/img/voa/rssLogo_VOA.gif http://www.voanews.com en-US 2012 - VOA 60 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:08:38 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA Newly released data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suggests hundreds of immigrant children, unaccompanied and undocumented in the United States, have been held in adult detention centers, contrary to federal regulations. The revelation comes as immigration authorities are grappling with an unprecedented rise in the number of youths illegally migrating to the U.S. from Latin America. DHS detained at least 1,366 children in adult immigration facilities between 2008 and 2012, ... http://www.voanews.com/content/us-held-hundreds-of-young-immigrants-in-adult-detention/1677421.html http://www.voanews.com/content/us-held-hundreds-of-young-immigrants-in-adult-detention/1677421.html Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:28:05 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) http://www.voanews.com/content/us-held-hundreds-of-young-immigrants-in-adult-detention/1677421.html#relatedInfoContainer The son of a Mexican woman who became a symbol of the U.S. immigration reform movement by taking sanctuary in a Chicago church to try to avoid deportation pushed lawmakers in Washington Wednesday to help families like his. Saul Arellano and other young U.S. citizens whose parents have been deported, or are in detention for immigration violations, shared their stories with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, just days before the Senate is set to debate a possible overhaul of the U.S. ... http://www.voanews.com/content/children-of-deported-push-congress-to-reunite-immigrant-families/1676082.html http://www.voanews.com/content/children-of-deported-push-congress-to-reunite-immigrant-families/1676082.html Wed, 05 Jun 2013 17:56:00 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome, Mitzi Macias) http://www.voanews.com/content/children-of-deported-push-congress-to-reunite-immigrant-families/1676082.html#relatedInfoContainer Massive corporations like Coca-Cola have a primary goal: Sell their products to make money. Sometimes, if they’re lucky, that goal aligns with another endeavor: Make peace. A new three-minute advertisement released by the beverage company this week aims to do both. Coca-Cola filmed the advertisement in two locations: Pakistan and India, South Asia’s nuclear-armed neighbors mired in political mistrust that has spurred three historic wars. The company set up Coke vending machines outfitted with ... http://www.voanews.com/content/coke-ad-hawks-pop-and-peace-to-india-pakistan/1665675.html http://www.voanews.com/content/coke-ad-hawks-pop-and-peace-to-india-pakistan/1665675.html Tue, 21 May 2013 16:54:55 -0400 Asia webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) The U.S. armed forces will soon be revamping the way it trains service members about proper sexual conduct, following recent allegations of sexual misconduct. With its members spread throughout the world, the Defense Department often turns to training videos to teach important lessons. As the Army, Navy, and Air Force look to update their approach, we take a look back at how the armed forces have used film as an educational tool. Private SNAFU: Booby Traps    1944 cartoon produced ... http://www.voanews.com/content/through-the-ages-us-armed-forces-sexual-conduct-videos-evolve-somewhat/1664684.html http://www.voanews.com/content/through-the-ages-us-armed-forces-sexual-conduct-videos-evolve-somewhat/1664684.html Mon, 20 May 2013 13:58:59 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) http://www.voanews.com/content/through-the-ages-us-armed-forces-sexual-conduct-videos-evolve-somewhat/1664684.html#relatedInfoContainer Sometimes we get a clearer perspective by taking a step back. A new project by Google, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), NASA and TIME offers the distance we need to see our planet, and our species, like we’ve never seen them before. The project, called Earth Engine, is made up of more than 28 years of satellite images taken of Earth and turned into an interactive timelapse map that shows expanding cities, shrinking rainforests, drying lakes and melting glaciers. Dubai, 1984 - 2012. ... http://www.voanews.com/content/google-earth-engine-timelapse-shows-changing-planet/1661012.html http://www.voanews.com/content/google-earth-engine-timelapse-shows-changing-planet/1661012.html Tue, 14 May 2013 15:28:38 -0400 Science & Technology webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) Inner dialogues captured by a curious anthropologist reveal the theater of life in New York City http://www.voanews.com/content/new-york-stories-the-lives-of-other-citizens/1653843.html http://www.voanews.com/content/new-york-stories-the-lives-of-other-citizens/1653843.html Fri, 03 May 2013 09:59:43 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) When Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, died in 1922, the sound of his voice was lost to all but who knew him. Until now. Historians have identified a recording Bell made 128 years ago and released it to the public for the first time. The sound of the Scottish-born inventor who lived in England, Canada and the eastern United States can be heard on a crackling recording laid down on a wax-and-binder-board disc way back on April 15, 1885.   Teams from the National Museum ... http://www.voanews.com/content/hear-the-lost-voice-of-telephone-inventor-alexander-graham-bell/1651314.html http://www.voanews.com/content/hear-the-lost-voice-of-telephone-inventor-alexander-graham-bell/1651314.html Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:43:42 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) The debate in Congress over immigration reform has as much to do with the fate of America’s two main political parties as it does with the demographics of the United States. Both the Democratic and Republican parties are pushing immigration reform now in part to secure Hispanic votes later, but their parties’ future may be out of their control. Voters are political currency for whichever party can woo them, and right now, the Democrats are way ahead, not just with Hispanics, but also with ... http://www.voanews.com/content/immigration-shapes-us-parties-as-much-as-demographics/1649600.html http://www.voanews.com/content/immigration-shapes-us-parties-as-much-as-demographics/1649600.html Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:43:34 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) http://www.voanews.com/content/immigration-shapes-us-parties-as-much-as-demographics/1649600.html#relatedInfoContainer The United States is widely known as the “Land of Immigrants” and the U.S. government intends to keep it that way. But major changes may be on the way in how the country deals with immigration. Eight U.S. senators from the Republican and Democratic parties have submitted a new bill to overhaul the immigration system, with a focus on immigrant work skills and improved border security. Such efforts have been made before, but this time there is a good chance the reform proposal will succeed. ... http://www.voanews.com/content/details-of-us-immigration-reveal-priority-on-work-skills/1646143.html http://www.voanews.com/content/details-of-us-immigration-reveal-priority-on-work-skills/1646143.html Sun, 21 Apr 2013 23:17:42 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) http://www.voanews.com/content/details-of-us-immigration-reveal-priority-on-work-skills/1646143.html#relatedInfoContainer Anatole Senkevitch isn’t Hispanic. He’s not young or “illegal,” either. But he is the face of the U.S. immigration reform movement. Or at least one of them. He’s a foot soldier in a carefully choreographed political campaign that has carried the movement closer to its goal than ever before. The retired architecture professor in the pressed khaki suit and glasses took turns talking and being talked over at a recent planning meeting of the Silver Spring, Maryland chapter of Organizing for ... http://www.voanews.com/content/early-failures-give-birth-to-stronger-us-immigration-reform-movement/1642414.html http://www.voanews.com/content/early-failures-give-birth-to-stronger-us-immigration-reform-movement/1642414.html Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:08:26 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) http://www.voanews.com/content/early-failures-give-birth-to-stronger-us-immigration-reform-movement/1642414.html#relatedInfoContainer Facebook chairman Mark Zuckerberg, among the world’s wealthiest people, is wading into politics to help some of America’s poorest people – undocumented immigrants. The multi-billionaire announced he and other high-tech entrepreneurs are launching a group called FWD.us to push for immigration reform in the United States. “We have a strange immigration policy for a nation of immigrants. And it’s a policy unfit for today’s world,” Zuckerberg wrote in a Washington Post Op-Ed article Thursday ... http://www.voanews.com/content/facebook-chairman-mark-zuckerberg-enters-immigration-debate/1639678.html http://www.voanews.com/content/facebook-chairman-mark-zuckerberg-enters-immigration-debate/1639678.html Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:48:14 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) http://www.voanews.com/content/facebook-chairman-mark-zuckerberg-enters-immigration-debate/1639678.html#relatedInfoContainer Thousands of people rallied outside the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, pushing Congress to help legalize the millions of undocumented foreigners living in the country, while lawmakers inside reportedly neared a consensus on an immigration reform bill.  Concerned U.S. citizens, undocumented immigrants and their children spent hours traveling across the country on hundreds of buses for the “All in for Citizenship” rally. Under a sweltering sun, they chanted “Now is the time,” while waving American ... http://www.voanews.com/content/thousands-rally-for-us-immigration-reform/1638953.html http://www.voanews.com/content/thousands-rally-for-us-immigration-reform/1638953.html Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:13:31 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) Jaime Contreras hasn’t eaten much lately. He’s been too busy preparing for Wednesday’s “All in for Citizenship” rally expected to draw tens of thousands of immigration activists to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Contreras, vice president of SEIU 32BJ, the local chapter of the powerful Service Employees International Union, says the rally is a call to action for Congress to stop treating the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. like second class citizens. “We’re going to have ... http://www.voanews.com/content/us-immigration-reform-rally-for-citizenship-to-draw-tens-of-thousands/1638234.html http://www.voanews.com/content/us-immigration-reform-rally-for-citizenship-to-draw-tens-of-thousands/1638234.html Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:31:04 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) Jose Antonio Vargas isn’t Mexican, but he’s often asked if he is. The journalist who has become the symbolic face of undocumented immigrants in the United States is from the Philippines, and he considers himself as American as anyone else. On Tuesday, he took his story to Facebook in a live question and answer session with a curious public. The Pulitzer Prize-winning former Washington Post reporter has become a prominent voice in the U.S. immigration reform debate since revealing his ... http://www.voanews.com/content/jose-antonio-vargas-answers-public-questions-about-being-undocumented-immigrant/1633610.html http://www.voanews.com/content/jose-antonio-vargas-answers-public-questions-about-being-undocumented-immigrant/1633610.html Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:18:35 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) http://www.voanews.com/content/jose-antonio-vargas-answers-public-questions-about-being-undocumented-immigrant/1633610.html#relatedInfoContainer The Associated Press Stylebook is officially changing the way it calls people living in a country illegally, an amendment celebrated by pro-immigration activists. The guide used by media outlets around the world no longer sanctions the term “illegal immigrant” or use of “illegal” to describe a person, according to a blog post published on the AP’s website Tuesday. It instead recommends editorial staff use the word “illegal” to describe an unlawful action, such as living in or immigrating to ... http://www.voanews.com/content/ap-rids-stylebook-of-illegal-immigrants/1633587.html http://www.voanews.com/content/ap-rids-stylebook-of-illegal-immigrants/1633587.html Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:51:34 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) A U.S. lawmaker has apologized for using the derogatory term “wetbacks” to describe Latinos, after coming under fire from rights group and his own political party for his choice of words. Republican Don Young, who represents the far northern U.S. state of Alaska in the House of Representatives, issued a full apology Friday. "I apologize for the insensitive term I used during an interview in Ketchikan, Alaska,” he said in a statement. “There was no malice in my heart or intent ... http://www.voanews.com/content/us-lawmaker-apologizes-for-calling-latinos-deragotary-term-wetbacks/1631507.html http://www.voanews.com/content/us-lawmaker-apologizes-for-calling-latinos-deragotary-term-wetbacks/1631507.html Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:49:45 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) http://www.voanews.com/content/us-lawmaker-apologizes-for-calling-latinos-deragotary-term-wetbacks/1631507.html#relatedInfoContainer A new survey finds the majority of Americans say there should be a way for foreigners living illegally in the United States to stay in the country if they meet certain conditions. The study published Thursday by the Pew Research Center shows 71 percent of Americans favor granting legal status to the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. What kind of legal status, though, is a more divisive issue. Forty-three percent of the public supports a path to citizenship, while 27 ... http://www.voanews.com/content/pew-survey-majority-of-americans-support-legal-status-for-illegal-immigrants/1630739.html http://www.voanews.com/content/pew-survey-majority-of-americans-support-legal-status-for-illegal-immigrants/1630739.html Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:38:51 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) The U.S. Congress is not in session this week, but a group of senators working on immigration reform are scrambling to finish a bill to introduce to Congress when it resumes in 11 days. Four of the eight senators visited the U.S.-Mexico border on Wednesday, balancing a highly publicized helicopter flyover with private phone negotiations with other stakeholders. Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York, on his first-ever trip to the border, expressed hope the group would have a bill ... http://www.voanews.com/content/us-senators-obama-immigration-reform-bill-april/1630583.html http://www.voanews.com/content/us-senators-obama-immigration-reform-bill-april/1630583.html Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:44:29 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) Nearly a million people became U.S. citizens last year, and just over a million became legal permanent residents, according to new data released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The data shows the numbers of new “green card” holders and naturalizations, the process of becoming a U.S. citizen, have been fairly steady over the past few years, with a modest bump in naturalizations last year. Claire Bergeron, a researcher with the Migration Policy Institute, attributes ... http://www.voanews.com/content/us-issues-million-green-cards-and-naturalizes-757000-in-2012/1627155.html http://www.voanews.com/content/us-issues-million-green-cards-and-naturalizes-757000-in-2012/1627155.html Sat, 23 Mar 2013 07:49:21 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) http://www.voanews.com/content/us-issues-million-green-cards-and-naturalizes-757000-in-2012/1627155.html#relatedInfoContainer The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Monday on whether the state of Arizona has the right to craft its own voting laws to prevent illegal immigrants from casting ballots, a process critics say opens the door to discrimination against legal voters. Arizona, which shares a border with Mexico, has some of the strongest anti-immigration laws in the United States and the voting rights case is the latest in its efforts to deal with non-U.S. citizens illegally in the state. It is asking the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/supreme-court-hears-arizona-voter-registration-law-targeting-illegal-immigrants/1623806.html http://www.voanews.com/content/supreme-court-hears-arizona-voter-registration-law-targeting-illegal-immigrants/1623806.html Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:31:33 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kate Woodsome) http://www.voanews.com/content/supreme-court-hears-arizona-voter-registration-law-targeting-illegal-immigrants/1623806.html#relatedInfoContainer