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Wichita Falls nonprofit aims to rename highway for late Hispanic leader

Wichita Falls nonprofit aims to rename highway for late Hispanic leader

Yahoo07-04-2025

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — A Wichita Falls nonprofit is working to rename the Southbound US Highway 82 flyover after Ray Gonzalez Jr.
The Mexican American Veterans Association is in the process of honoring the ground-breaking leader.
The nonprofit has support from former Wichita County Judge Woody Gossom and Mayor Tim Short.
The Planning and Zoning Commission is set to hear from the group on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the MPEC. If approved, the recommendation will head to city councilors.
Gonzalez passed away in July 2021.
The Old High and MSU graduate served in the Army in Vietnam.
He was the first Hispanic to be elected to the Wichita County Commissioners Court. Serving from 2009 to 2016. He also served on the city council and became the first-ever Hispanic mayor pro-tem.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Miami commissioners cautious with answers on whether they'll vote for ICE agreement
Miami commissioners cautious with answers on whether they'll vote for ICE agreement

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Miami commissioners cautious with answers on whether they'll vote for ICE agreement

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National Guard troops to join ICE agents on LA immigration raids: sources

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Demographics of Los Angeles show its a fertile ground for anti-ICE protests
Demographics of Los Angeles show its a fertile ground for anti-ICE protests

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Demographics of Los Angeles show its a fertile ground for anti-ICE protests

Why has Los Angeles, of all U.S. cities, erupted in mass protests against immigration raids? The answer may lie in this region's racial, ethnic and demographic makeup. Los Angeles County sprawls over more than 4,000 square miles of Southern California, and includes the city of Los Angeles, as well as Beverly Hill, Burbank, Compton, Glendale, Hollywood, Long Beach, Malibu, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Torrance and several other communities. It's home to nearly 10 million people and accounts for about 27% of California's population. A third of L.A. County's 10 million residents are foreign-born, according to the U.S. Census. The city of Los Angeles, in the heart of L.A. County, is home to nearly 3.9 million people, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. More than 35% of them were born outside the United States. Just over half of L.A.'s foreign-born residents are naturalized citizens, and more than 56% of Los Angeles residents speak a language other than English at home ‒ predominantly Spanish. More than 1.8 million of Los Angeles residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, and close to half a million are Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. More than 1.15 million people say they are "some other race," and just over half a million identify with two or more races. The demographics of the Los Angeles area "play a big role" in how the region functions, said Dr. Manuel Pastor, a professor of sociology and American studies and ethnicity at the University of Southern California, and director of the university's Equity Research Institute. Nearly half of L.A. County's workforce is foreign-born, he said, and about 60% of children have at least one immigrant parent, with nearly one out of five county residents either being undocumented or living with an undocumented family member, "so about 1/5th of the people here are experiencing this, whether directly or indirectly," Pastor said. 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Undocumented people are less likely to have a bachelor's degree, and thus are more likely to be employed in low-wage jobs, and the district where the raids have taken place is believed to be home to a large share of the city's immigrants, "which might have led to further enforcement of areas in Downtown (Los Angeles)." In the 2024 election, Los Angeles County voters went overwhelmingly for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris (California's former attorney general) over Trump, with Harris winning nearly 65% of the vote to Trump's almost 32%. In addition, Democrat Adam Schiff, an incumbent, defeated Republican Steve Garvey (a former Los Angeles Dodger) for one of the state's U.S. Senate seat. There are nearly 6 million registered voters in Los Angeles County. Of those, registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by a 3 to 1 margin: just over 3 million to slightly under 1 million (there are 148,078 registered Independents and 22,483 Green Party voters). Both California's governor, Gavin Newsom, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass are Democrats. Those political demographics also play a role, Pastor said. "Aside from immigrant-bashing, California-bashing has also become a GOP sport," he said. "And it's pretty widespread here that people do not like ICE." Los Angelenos have also become accustomed to, and supportive of, their immigrant neighbors, whose ties to the community run deep and wide, he said. "Even people who aren't too far left value having a Korean taco truck, getting their lawns mowed and houses built," Pastor said. "There are a number of people who worry about their kids going to school to find their friends are suddenly gone, or have family members who are gone." Ultimately, he said, the ramifications for Los Angeles and its surrounding communities, still reeling from devastating wildfires earlier this year, could be dire. "One-third of our residential construction labor is undocumented immigrants," Pastor said. "If we're going to rebuild from the fires, (deporting immigrants) is not a strategy for relief." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LA demographics show its a fertile ground for anti-ICE protests

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