Latina Rates Highest in the Nation
February 20, 2009
The Center for Disease Control reports teen birth rates have risen for first time in 15 years… and Latinas have the highest teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. Between the ages of 15-19, Latinas had 81.7 pregnancies per 1,000 girls, while white (non-Hispanic) teens had 25.9 pregnancies per 1,000. Some teen pregnancy counselors blame socio-economic status, lack of education, and inadequate access to contraception for increased teen birth rates.
Latino USA Contributor Nancy Mullane wanted to find out what was behind these growing statistics and visited one community in Northern California with a disproportionately high number of Latina teens who were having babies.
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What Can Be Done?
Ruthie Flores
The rise in teen pregnancies, teen births, and teen abortions is a complex matter for Latinas. Many issues are at play, not the least of which are familial and peer pressures on both teen girls and boys. For insight into what is happening, Maria Hinojosa speaks with Ruthie Flores who is the Director of the Latino Initiative at the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
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Ashley’s story: Ashley talks about giving up a child for adoption.
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Amanda’s story: Amanda reflects on having an abortion as a teenager.
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ReShawn’s story: ReShawn talks about the fears of a teenage dad.
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Brittany’s story: Brittany describes the struggles of being a teen mother.
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Join us at Latino USA’s blog to share your thoughts and experiences.
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ICE Officers Felt Pressure to Arrest in Baltimore
video on Washington Post website (subscription required)
A Freedom of Information Act request by CASA de Maryland, a community organization founded by Central American Refugees, recently unveiled the results of an internal investigation by the Department of Homeland Security concerning an immigration raid at a local 7-Eleven store in Baltimore. The investigation shows how an elite immigration enforcement unit designed to track down dangerous criminal immigrants felt pressured to meet an arrest quota and simply targeted Latino day laborers instead, fueling criticisms of racial profiling.
Washington Post Reporter N.C. Aizenman has been following the story and speaks with Maria Hinojosa about the case.
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Migra Corridos
The U.S.-Mexico border at Nogales
Corridos are a musical form unique to the norteño regions of Mexico, including the border areas of the American Southwest. Corridos have been called “Border Ballads” by some ethnomusicologists and they often contain melodramatic tales documenting real life events. El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez (The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez) is perhaps the most famous of all.
But corridos don’t just tell ancient history. The musical form is still popular today, often containing modern stories with tragic endings. Into this we find an unlikely player: The Department of Homeland Security.
Recently, Mexican radio stations have been airing corridos about how difficult life is in the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant, and how the migrants themselves wished they had never left Mexico. But the radio stations didn’t tell their listeners that these songs were produced by the U.S. Border Patrol.
Texas Public Radio’s Yvette Benavides reports.
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Listen to “El Respeto” a song produced by the U.S. government.
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Listen to “Esperanza Perdida” (Lost Hope), another song from the Border Patrol.
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Listen to “Corrido de Gregorio Cortez,” a traditional corrido dating from 1901.
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Nancy Mullane is a San Francisco based independent reporter always on the lookout for untold stories that, with a little light, build understanding between people. 
