about the equity issue. >> that's the show, thank you for joining us. the news america. >> we're here to fully get into the nuances of everything that's going on, not just in this country, but around the world. getting the news from the people who are affected. >> people need to demand reform... >> ali velshi on target. >> just a couple of weeks ago, the president spoke to the congress and country about the state of the union. more than one out of six americans identifies as latino, hispanic, or some variation. what's their state of the union. and what can that teach everyone, not only about america today, but america in the future?

the latino state of the union. it's the "inside story". welcome to "inside story". i'm ray suarez. there are about 320 million people living in this enormous, continent sized country. an estimated 56 million of them are the children of the spanish empire in the new world. they include people whose families have been in what is now the united states for centuries, and people whose families moved from their homes into the united states after 19th century wars, and people who have moved from almost 2 dozen countries in the western hemisphere to make a home in the u.s. and their descendents.

they come from all colors, all socioeconomic classes, speak the native language or hardly speak it at all. and the u.s. is in the mix of taking spock in what this growing population means to the u.s. had legal defense and education takes stock and calls a national summit to look at how almost one fifth of the country is doing, economically, housing, socially. are they living in segregated communication or moving to the places their aspirations and income would carry them with no barriers. in terms of civil rights, education and social mobility. if you are born poor, do you spend much of your life poor as well in this country makes $53,000 a year in income per resident. and latino's per capita is a little over $29,000.

the median u.s. income is $79,000. the median latino income in the u.s. is $54,000. some 50% of american households own their own home. and an estimated 44% of latino families own their own home. the latino population is young than the average american by almost a decade. 40% of the latino population in the u.s. is under 21 years old. the state of the union to walk us through the prospects of 56 million people, i'm joined by thomas signs, laura garcia, and sanchez, the executive director of the labor council for latin american advancement and share of the agenda.

tom signs, you're the conductor, one of the people who brings this whole thing together. and in the state of the union address, there's a point where every president wraps up by saying the state of the union is... >> the state of the union for latinos is improving, but needs much more attention from policymakers, and in this election year, i don't think that the community wants to be addressed as a single issue community. though the issue is important to our advance. but respect to empowerment and housing and criminal justice, it's a community that has reached it's prime and should be treated as such by those seg ing licies. >> if you want to define it for people outside of conversation normally, what are the things that you would point them to to say, here's how you understand our state of the union?

laura? >> i would definitely point them to some of the work going on around the nation around education with access to immigrants. there are definitely a lot of issues based on mental health and what's going in the schools, and a lot of things going on in terms of how educators or institutions help our students actually with the institution or the educational journey in the schools, and there's an aspect of education and moving beyond access. so thinking about states that already have tuition, and what does that help them to graduate? as the education budget continues to cut. >> what does that boil down to? good, bad or complicated? >> i think that it's complicated. >> hector? >> i think that there are a lot of issues and we don't put them in the right perspective. we only show one issue, because of all of the negative impact

that place haves in the long-term. the quality of life in the latino community remains critical for the community. but when you look at the places where decisions are made, wished be included in the decision around the economy, and included in the education. >> give me an example of who is not at the table of who could be or should be? >> i'll give you an example. this do-nothing congress was able to do one thing last year, which was to pass the every student succeed act, which is the most important piece of federal legislation impacting the federal schools. and at this point in time, latinos are over 1/4 of public students nationwide. and yet when that important piece of legislation went to the senate and the house, there was only one representative of the latino community, and he

was on the republican side arguably presenting the issues that were the issues most important to the latino community. and nothing in that committee, -- >> it should have been constituted differently? more representation on that? and where do we start to assess the blame? >> this should have been a recognition well before the committee, that this piece of registration that impacts public students nationwide has a particular impact on latinos, given their size today and prompted growth among the public schools, and given the achievement gap that the latino community faces, this was about limiting the achievement gap. if you are focusing on that, how do you do that without

latinos represented? and when their colleagues address the issues, they do not focus on the latino community. >> what's different, laura, when you walk into a school in san antonio, or the bronx oring is los angeles county, and it's a majority latino school, and it's different from the approaches? what's different about that america? >> there are definitely for folks who are bilingual or multilingual, and there's a program for the integration of the school and the community. a lot of times, we're finding that folks -- in their everyday life, and that's where they're not documented, not only because they're students of color, but undocumented. and there's terrorism going on in the communities because of

the raids, and that's another fear. even if you're not undocumented yourself, you're a student of color, and you're from a family that's undocumented. >> and though they may not be a mixed domed family, they may be surprised to know how many families are living in home not units westbound people are different immigration status it's between 5 and 10 million? >> it is of particular impact. it may be their parents who lack status, and as a result, those children go through school and everyday life being told, you're a u.s. citizen, and you have these rights, but happen. >> we're talking about the latino state of the union. stay with us, it's "inside story".

>> you're watching "inside story," i'm ray suarez. the latino state of the union on today's program. every year, they convene a conference to put together the perspectives on the fate and fortunes of the 56 million latinos in the united states. and we're getting an advanced look at how everyone is doing. from laura, tom, and hector, and hector, you and i talked a lot during the recession because your members were losing their jobs on construction sites in the thousands. and the housing bust was having a disproing portion at affect on latino workers, and now

we're seven years past it, and are we still suffering? >> in studies, latino workers are the most vulnerable in the u.s. right now, and wage theft --. >> explain wage theft. >> when you're not getting paid what you're supposed to be paid, doing the same work that somebody else is doing. latinos are getting paid half of what a white person is getting for the same job, so they're robbing you from your salaries. we have violation of labor rights and human rights and civil rights, and with the focus on undocumented brothers and sisters, it's even worse. i think that we really need to reflect on what's happening to a nation that is addicted to

cheap and exploitable labor. we exploit our brothers and sisters and take their rights away, so i think that we need to reflect on the approach that we have on immigration. that's a condition that we have on the condition of latino workers. >> so if you were working as a laborer on a job site and you agreed to do this work for this amount of money, you could agree and the boss knows that you won't go to the cops if you're undommed and. >> that's the reality that we have in the nation, to make sure that we enforce, and we create protect workers. and that's why immigration reform is so important. right now, the most important national latino organization,

priorities in the nation for the latino community. and we have a campaign on latinos communicated for empowerment. >> laura, there was a move to get the dream act done, and there was a move between docka and dopa to protect vulnerable miners minors, most of whom were regular status as citizens, but many had parents who were undonald. but now with this election, there's not a lot to hope for? on one of our parties, they're arguing about who is going to be harder, exclusive. >> well, when i was ten years old, i was one of the folks that had various in the rule committee in washington state.

and i remember during school one day, my parents, specifically my mother was not there anymore because she had been part of that raid. and so at that moment, when i was thinking about who are our leaders the national level of presidency i wasn't necessarily thinking about what is going to make it better or worse, so i think in trying to answer that question, it's not are we going to get better or worse, but how can we work together more, right? how can we join moraleiances. >> did your mother end up being sent back? >> yes, she did. >> did she make it back to the united states? >> she did a year later. >> so you've lived this issue, and do we have any good estimate on how many minor children are facing this kind of situation?

>> off the top of my head, i don't know. >> millions. i think what's important in regards to your question about what we're face, remember the consequences in this kind of election tend to be negative for those engaged. in the state of california, virtually everyone agrees that change over generations, pete wilson in the 1990s, a champion for anti-immigrant law, and though it was struck down by the courts, that action on his part changed the complex of politics in the state of california. >> so this could have negative consequences for the party that's doing it right now? it's working in the short-term. >> it's working in the short-term in the primary to appeal to a small slice of the lectorate. but the long-term consequences tend to be very

figure for those who engage in those politics. latinos are parenting in leaks by leaps and bounds, and natural oflized citizens to register to vote and turnout on the polls on election day. i think that with pundits remarking on the incredible impact the latino had. >> are people who aren't necessarily always allies, who aren't necessarily calling you to find out what the challenges are more interested in the campaign season? >> . >> we have some voices that are bringing this level of extremism to the nation, and the problem is hate claims

against latinos have increased 25%, and there's a possibility on the communities and on the ground. and the community wants to get organized and engaged. let's put it into perspective, that latinos have been excluded. in a lot of the different spaces where the decisions are made, we have a serious problem with presidential appointment. when it comes to public office, the representatives, especially latinas, we have never had a latina senator in the nation. so the challenges for a lot of latinas, it's making it hard to

be in the decision making in the nation. >> for all of challenges, there's tremendous optimism. and that's what i want to turn to when we come back. >> this is al jazeera america live from new york. >> at 7:00 - "news roundup". tony harris gives you a fast-paced recap of the day's events. >> this is the first line of defense. >> we have an exclusive story tonight. >> then at 8:00 - john seigenthaler brings you the top stories from across america. >> the question is, will these dams hold? >> and at 9:00 - >> i'm ali velshi, on target tonight... >> ali velshi on target. digging deeper into the issues that matter. >> i'm trying to get a sense for what iranians are feeling.

>> welcome back to "inside story". i'm ray suarez. one

fascinating difference between latinos and americans overall has to do with the impact of the 2008 recession and hopes for the future. american families suffered enormous losses in the great recession, but it was particularly punishing for latino families. taken as a group, they lost two-thirds of their wealth during the crisis, but after all of that, the they remain more optimistic for their future. something that you said earlier reminded me that we have to talk about this. because you said that it's not a question of getting better or worse, but somehow, your family fought to remain intact, and families like yours did, and keep an eye on the future that's hopeful, even in the face of a lot of bad news, and

that's -- i think america doesn't realize how lucky it got with the people, no matter what you dish out, they remain optimistic. >> i think it definitely had to do a lot with the community. and specifically the educators that i grew up with and was with in high school. if it wasn't for them, i wouldn't know that i had rights as a woman in washington state and in the country, and i wouldn't be able to be here and powerful. 6 i think that with educators being more open and the institutions saying publicly that they support all immigrants. over the years, even though, since 1982, we have been able to say that institutions have access to education regardless, you see areas where people are

denied access what trying to enroll in school, and that's something that we're seeing in higher education, so it's more exciting that more institutions are willing to one, have the conversation, but include you. >> i bring up the optimism not because i want to end on a happy note or be realistic, but the opposite would lead the country in a really bad place. 30, 40 million angry people instead of going back to punch it out tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. the interesting thing with recent research shows that you calibrate this for yourself, based on where your family was, and how your father did and his father did. and as long as that's better now, you can look at your own offspring and say, well, as long as they're doing better, this is worth it.

everything that i go through is worth it if it's a pay off. >> that's absolutely true. a lot of it, understanding of ancestry of where you come from, and recognizing the struggle as an important part of all of our background, it's important on build on that, and the optimism is a deep faith in american society and the very principles that this nation purports to support. it's a belief in the american dream, a deep one. latinos, more than other voters are ready to invest in government and support bonds and tax increases, and you see that in poll after poll, and that's a deep belief in the backbone of this country. a lot of politicians who engage in latino bashes don't understand. they're trying to exploit a demographic fear. the voters if they want.

a fear that this country is becoming too latino. but what they don't understand with the country becoming more latino is consistent with what it's about. because they have such a great optimism and faith in the american dream and the principles that this country was built on, the promise in our constitution and the documents that take their families and move from a point of trouble to a point of success to a point of optimism. >> the thing s. when it's 5% of the population and it underperforms, you can isolate that 5%, and it doesn't necessarily tell ut anything about the fate of the whole. but once it's 56 million people, and on its way toward 7 0, 80 million people, how they do is going to be how everybody does. if you have educationally underperforming, income underperforming, low real

estate, tax generating latino communities, it's going to bring it down for everybody, so finally in the 21st century, we're all in it together. >> there's no doubt, very strong in the community and it's very clear. i think that the participation is going to take us to the next election to the next phase of latino community. and letting it unfold, this week, we're launching the public police agenda. it's the strongest document that we have so far, and it's guide the priorities for the next 40 years in issues like criminal justice, and issues like environment and economy and education, pieces that are part of the latino community and latino life. so we're very excited. as organization, we're

collaborating more than ever, and we're united to do civic participation in a more coordinated way. research, and strategy, and working on a group when it comes to civic participation. sometimes myself and other groups in this organization. so optimism moving forward. >> i want to thank my guests, laura, hector and thomas, and join us tomorrow on "inside story" when we take a closer look at another attempt by the president to close the prison at guantanamo bay, and the strong opposition to closing it. i'm ray suarez. thank you for watching, and good night.

>> thank you very much everybody. thank you donald trump u.s. presidential bid is celebrated as he wins in l.a. you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also coming up, obama gears up for a fight to push through the closure of guatemalan bay. european companies accused of selling surveillance equipment to egypt that could be used to clamp down on dissent. you've heard of the u.n.'s blue helmets. we r