For those who have not seen our previous emails, the National Hispanic Environmental Council (NHEC) is still accepting applications from students to participate in our upcoming 11th annual “Minority Youth Environmental Training Institute” to be held July 20–30, 2012 in Las Vegas, New Mexico and other beautiful areas of Northern NM.  (note: this is New Mexico, not Las Vegas in Nevada).   Interested students should apply as soon as possible for the slots that remain.

Through a full scholarship NHEC will COVER ALL COSTS for accepted students, including round-trip airfare, housing, meals, books, science equipment, and more for the 11 day long Institute.

Like our NYC and CA regional Institutes, the national Institute in NM is an intensive, residential, science-based, 11 day long environmental education AND environmental career training program for top students, aged 16—19, deeply interested/active in the environment.  Students are selected competitively from all across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.  Note that students in both high school and college are eligible to apply.

The NM Institute is being funded by several sponsors, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the U.S Forest Service.  Utilizing an Environmental STEM curriculum students will learn about a wide range of environmental issues, as well as conduct field studies (testing air, water, soil, plus doing biological assessments, birding, and more) using professional-grade environmental science equipment, taught by NHEC’s experienced instructors and other environmental professionals.  Students learn in a variety of sites, including national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, laboratories, and more.

Students are housed and fed at New Mexico Highlands University (in Las Vegas, NM) and closely supervised by NHEC staff/instructors.  The Institute is designed to build the next generation of environmental leaders and professionals.  Students learn about key natural resource and environmental topics, as well as the wide range of careers in the natural resource and environmental arena, plus how to land jobs/internships with our federal agency sponsors.  These agencies are actively seeking to recruit Institute students to work for them this year and next, and will have recruiters on-site to interact with students.

In addition to our Instructors, NHEC uses an overlay of volunteer “role models” — working minority professionals from every environmental field — who participate each year.   These role models are present daily (4-5 each day, every day) who help teach the curriculum, inspire the students, and share their “environmental journey”.   Role models contribute their scientific technical knowledge and policy issue expertise.

The attached pdf files contain all materials necessary for students to apply.  Please read the “Fact Sheet” first, as it has key information about the program.  Interested students should apply as soon as possible as the Institute is fast approaching.

To view photos from previous NM and regional Institutes, go to:  www.nheec.org 

We also ask that you forward this email on to those you think might be interested in this highly educational program, including qualified students, fellow educators, high schools, colleges, youth organizations, and more.  We appreciate your help.

Feel free to contact NHEC, especially our Programs Coordinator, Juan Rodriguez, at jrodriguez@nheec1.org  or myself, at rrivera@nheec1.org  or NHEC at 703-683-3956 if you have any questions.  Thank you!

Roger Rivera

President, NHEC

Friends

Today, President Barack Obama, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security addressed the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Arizona v. The United States. The Statement by the President reads:

“I am pleased that the Supreme Court has struck down key provisions of Arizona’s immigration law.  What this decision makes unmistakably clear is that Congress must act on comprehensive immigration reform.  A patchwork  of state laws is not a solution to our broken immigration system – it’s part of the problem.

At the same time, I remain concerned about the practical impact of the remaining provision of the Arizona law that requires local law enforcement officials to check the immigration status of anyone they even suspect to be here illegally.  I agree with the Court that individuals cannot be detained solely to verify their immigration status.  No American should ever live under a cloud of suspicion just because of what they look like.  Going forward, we must ensure that Arizona law enforcement officials do not enforce this law in a manner that undermines the civil rights of Americans, as the Court’s decision recognizes.  Furthermore, we will continue to enforce our immigration laws by focusing on our most important priorities like border security and criminals who endanger our communities, and not, for example, students who earn their education – which is why the Department of Homeland Security announced earlier this month that it will lift the shadow of deportation from young people who were brought to the United States as children through no fault of their own.

I will work with anyone in Congress who’s willing to make progress on comprehensive immigration reform that addresses our economic needs and security needs, and upholds our tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.  And in the meantime, we will continue to use every federal resource to protect the safety and civil rights of all Americans, and treat all our people with dignity and respect. We can solve these challenges not in spite of our most cherished values – but because of them.  What makes us American is not a question of what we look like or what our names are.  What makes us American is our shared belief in the enduring promise of this country – and our shared responsibility to leave it more generous and more hopeful than we found it.”

To read the statement online, click here. To read it in Spanish, click here.

Statement by Attorney General Eric Holder On The Supreme Court’s Ruling on Arizona v. The United States

“I welcome the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down major provisions of Arizona’s S.B. 1070 on federal preemption grounds.  Today’s ruling appropriately bars the State of Arizona from effectively criminalizing unlawful status in the state and confirms the federal government’s exclusive authority to regulate in the area of immigration.

While I am pleased the Court confirmed the serious constitutional questions the government raised regarding Section 2, I remain concerned about the impact of Section 2, which requires law enforcement officials to verify the immigration status of any person lawfully stopped or detained when they have reason to suspect that the person is here unlawfully.  As the Court itself recognized, Section 2 is not a license to engage in racial profiling and I want to assure communities around this country that the Department of Justice will continue to vigorously enforce federal prohibitions against racial and ethnic discrimination.  We will closely monitor the impact of S.B. 1070 to ensure compliance with federal immigration law and with applicable civil rights laws, including ensuring that law enforcement agencies and others do not implement the law in a manner that has the purpose or effect of discriminating against the Latino or any other community.

We will also work to ensure that the verification provision does not divert police officers away from traditional law enforcement efforts in order to enforce federal immigration law, potentially impairing local policing efforts and discouraging crime victims, including children of non-citizens, victims of domestic violence, and asylum seekers, from reporting abuses and crimes out of fear of detention or deportation. We will continue to use very federal resource to protect the safety and civil rights of all Americans.”

To read the statement online, click here.

Statement by Secretary Napolitano on the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Arizona v. The United States.

“I am pleased that the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed that state laws cannot dictate the federal government’s immigration enforcement policies or priorities. DHS remains focused on enhancing public safety and the integrity of our border by prioritizing enforcement resources on those who are in the country unlawfully and committing crimes, those who have repeatedly violated our immigration laws, and those who recently crossed our borders illegally. The Court’s decision not to strike down Section Two at this time will make DHS’ work more challenging. Accordingly, DHS will implement operational enhancements to its programs in Arizona to ensure that the agency can remain focused on its priorities. Over the past three and half years, this Administration has dedicated unprecedented resources to secure the border and to enforcing our nation’s immigration laws in a firm and reasonable fashion. We continue to urge Congress to pass comprehensive reform because nothing short of a comprehensive solution will resolve the current patchwork of immigration laws. Finally, it is important to note that today’s Supreme Court decision will not impact the memorandum I issued on June 15th related to prosecutorial discretion eligibility for productive members of society who were brought to the United States as children.”

To read the statement online, click here.

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