Hispanic Home Town Associations Within

Hispanic Home Town Associations

Within the Hispanic community, Home Town Associations or HTAs play a very important role in political community involvement. This is particularly true of the Los Angeles area, because of its large percentage of first and second generation Mexican-American immigrants. It is estimated there are over 400 community HTAs in the greater LA area. HTAs are organizations that have ties back to a specific town or region in Mexico, and provide a family-like group for individuals who share a common background, in the United States. For the most part, HTA leaders are first-generation male immigrants, in their late forties to early fifties, however membership varies widely in both gender and age. However, it should be noted that women seldom take leadership roles. These organizations are less intrenched in American culture, with members being far less likely to be fluent in English than those in comparable, mainstream organizations. Meetings are generally held in Spanish, meaning that individuals who speak little or no English are not barred from participating. In addition, HTAs are generally more welcoming to undocumented immigrants, assuming these immigrants are from the same area as the group itself.

In addition to providing a social network for immigrants, HTAs provide an outlet for social involvement, especially as it relates to their communities in Mexico. Organizations allow for political franchisement, by encouraging political awareness, both in the U.S. And Mexico, and frequently arrange events that bring elected representatives and individuals together. In relation to undocumented individuals, HTAs are beginning to take the fore as a safe space for gathering and support, as traditional areas are becoming less and less reliably safe. HTAs additionally serve as an active lobbying force for the rights of undocumented individuals. Political mobilization tends to happen in response to specific issues, rather than as a constant goal, and members tend to mobilize only in response to clearly perceived threats.

Civic organizations seem to provide an excellent support structure for immigrants, especially undocumented individuals with few official resources on which to rely. Information on the ares of Mexico in which such organizations are based correlates strongly with areas in Mexico that have the highest immigration rates to the United States, meaning that ties to home communities remain, and HTAs continue to be formed at roughly comparable rates. The information presented makes a clear argument for the worthwhile nature of such organizations, given the fact that they make political issues accessible to Spanish-dominant individuals, who are frequently shut out of political dialog by virtue of language. Further, the article addresses the issues of gender disparity, in that women and men play very different roles in organizations. Unaddressed by the article was whether or not this disparity was the result of traditionally held gender roles, and whether those roles changed the longer immigrants had been in the United States.