Honduras immigrants in Mass. protest coup at home

Some of the estimated 15,000 Honduras immigrants living in Massachusetts are protesting a military coup that ousted the country’s president.

Honduran soldiers on Sunday seized President Manuel Zelaya and put him on a plane to Costa Rica in the first military overthrow of a Central American government in 16 years.

The Boston Globe reported Monday that Angel Meza of the Boston-based nonprofit group Proyecto Hondureno and others plan to deliver letters to U.S. Sens. Edward Kennedy and John Kerry, asking them to push to restore democracy in Honduras. They also plan to write to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The group also plans to hold a demonstration on Thursday in Boston.

Immigrants in the U.S. send home about $2.6 billion a year in remittances, or more than 20 percent of Honduras’ economic output.

Mass. immigration panel to submit recommendations

A coalition of immigrant activists, policy experts and Massachusetts officials will be recommending state immigration reforms this week to Gov. Deval Patrick.

Eva Millona, co-chair of the Governor’s Advisory Council for Refugees and Immigrants, said the group will submit its list of recommendations this week to the governor, who will decide whether to adopt them.

Last year, Patrick created the “New Americans Agenda” initiative. He sent the advisory council around the state to take public comment and come up with suggestions for new immigration policy.

During public hearings, more than 1,200 people asked the advisory council to press for such reforms as drivers’ licenses and state tuition for undocumented immigrants.

A national Jewish organization and a Boston-based Latino group are planning a joint effort to fight hate crimes that target Latinos.

The Anti-Defamation League of New England (ADL) and the Latino Professional Network on Tuesday announced the creation the Latino/Jewish Roundtable. The committee will focus on solutions to combat “anti-immigrant rhetoric” aimed at U.S.-born Latinos and Latino immigrants.

The groups cited recent derogatory statements about Mexicans by Boston radio host Jay Severin and some of the reaction to the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who is Hispanic, as evidence of a need for the partnership.

The new partnership grew out of ADL’s recent “A Nation of Immigrants” Community Seder, and was organized with assistance from Boston law firm Prince, Lobel, Glovsky and Tye.

With summer here, Massachusetts health officials have begun urging residents to take steps to avoid mosquito bites and help prevent West Nile virus and eastern equine encephalitis.

The diseases are carried by infected mosquitoes and can cause illness or, in rare cases, death.

A 73-year-old man from Essex County with eastern equine encephalitis died in October. He contracted the disease in either Maine or New Hampshire. One person in Massachusetts also contracted West Nile last year, but survived.

The state Department of Health says people should limit outdoor activity during dusk, wear long sleeves and pants and use bug spray to reduce the possibility of getting bitten.

Residents also should eliminate standing water, which can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

(Associated Press)