Democrats compete for African-American vote This past Saturday, in Des Moines, Iowa, African-American women’s political organization, Sisters on Target, Inc., extended a speaking invitation to both Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton. During the evening, it appeared Obama received the loudest response out of the crowd, citing the disproportionate amount of African-Americans in the prison system as an overall “American problem.” Chicago Tribune. Hispanic exodus from Irving hurts businesses Since the inaction of the 24/7 Criminal Alien Program, which requires local police to check the immigration status of anyone arrested, approximately 1,638 immigrants will now be deported from Irving, Texas. City activists have organized protests against the program and local stores have reported the negative fiscal impact of the program on their business. Houston Chronicle. Web Preview: Tentative Step for Black Museum Edward Rothstein of The New York Times gives a brief overview of the website for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Museum, a $300-$500 million endeavor, is to be opened in Washington’s Mall in 2015. New York Times. Romney favors more visas for foreign seasonal workers This past Saturday, Mitt Romney, Republican presidential nominee, stated that he is not opposed to issuing visas to seasonal foreign workers to help eliminate labor shortages, especially in the industries of tourism and agriculture. However, Romney advocated for the penalizing of employers who continued to hire illegal foreign workers. Detroit Free Press.