Wanda Resto Torres

- Wanda Resto Torres, Hispanic Liaison for the Montgomery County Executive

- Wanda Resto Torres, Hispanic Liaison for the Montgomery County Executive

County Hispanic affairs liaison Wanda Resto Torres said she hopes the center will make her job easier.

Almost half of the state¹s Hispanic population lives in Montgomery County , according to 2000 U.S. Census information

³One of the major concerns is , are [ people with limited English skills ] really having access to the health and human services?² Resto Torres said.

Simple tasks such as getting a driver¹s license can be challenging for immigrants who do not know where to start , she said.

"Mr. Weast is doing a pretty good job," said Wanda Resto Torres, the county executive's Hispanic Affairs liaison.
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But important information should be translated into the major language groups and it must be consistent, said Torres, who translated many of the county government's announcements for the Hispanic media."I don't think it's impossible," she said.

The county's language bank provides one-on-one translations in a number of languages, but in a major crisis it cannot help the larger numbers of residents who do not speak English, Resto said.

Compounding the problem is the rising number of immigrants who cannot read or write their spoken languages, according to a George Washington University study of the needs of the county's students with limited English skills.That means a letter in Spanish may not help non-reading parents unless their children can read it to them.

Karen Darner , a speech pathologist with Arlington School District and Delegate to Virginia House District 49 ; Wanda Resto Torres , Latin American/Hispanic Affairs Liaison for Montgomery County ; Sandy Dang , Director for Asian American LEAD ; and Handel Mlilo , Coordinator for the National Immigration Forum served as panelists presenting their own experiences working with the local immigrant community.
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Wanda Resto Torres , Latin American/Hispanic Affairs Liaison for Montgomery County , raised the issue of undocumented immigrants.There is a debate over the number of the undocumented population , and it would affect some of the findings of the report.Torres discussed several of the initiatives related to Latino immigrants , especially in Montgomery County.In Montgomery County , there has been a lack of communication ; at a meeting of non-profit groups and private sector groups last year there was an attempt to start partnerships and exchange information on programs.After the meeting , organizations received an increase in ESOL programs from the state and were able to provide more classes and print registration information in Spanish.

In terms of how immigrants are incorporating into the community , Torres mentioned that the police are recruiting in Spanish-language newspapers.The Montgomery Country schools have a telephone language line that can accommodate about 120 languages.Many businesses employ Spanish-speakers and banks are reaching out to Spanish speakers.The community also has cultural events such as Latino festivals.

In 1999 , there was a meeting for people working with the Latin American community to identify concerns of the community and priorities for an agenda.The priorities included education , including civic participation ; enhancing services sensitive to language and culture ; and making institutions fit the community's needs , such as providing basic Spanish lessons to police officers.
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Torres noted that another issue is how long-term residents deal with the newcomers.She thinks Montgomery County is moving in the right direction on that issue.

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Torres answered Takoma Park , non-citizens can vote in local elections , but the city does not publicize it.In the upcoming year , her organization will work to encourage non-citizens in Takoma Park to vote.

· An audience member asked how ESOL is delivered and if it is effective.Are people actually learning.Dang said that ESOL often reaches a small group of people.Some immigrants are illiterate in their own language and need to become literate before learning English.She emphasized the importance of asking immigrants what they want and need to learn.There is a need to review the ESOL program in the United States.
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Torres added that skill-related language classes are often helpful.

· An audience member asked what the approach to undocumented immigrants is in Montgomery County.Torres said that there are restrictions on the use of federal money , so often the county channels state money to non-profit organizations through which community empowerment and development grants can serve all immigrants , regardless of status.

· A member of the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution mentioned a study his Institute conducted which showed that zip codes in the Washington area with the highest increase in the percentage of the immigrant population correlated with an increase in property values.

"He's a man who wakes up thinking about justice, what's fair, what's right," said Wanda Resto Torres, Hispanic liaison for County Executive Douglas M. Duncan.

Torres's opponents, however, have often asked him: What are Latinos doing here?Why don't they go back to their own countries?

"The majority of people, they didn't want to leave," said Torres, 40, who is wistful when he remembers the mountains of his homeland."They didn't want to say bye-bye to their entire country, to their families."

Torres said he believes that the wars in Central America have been nurtured by the U.S. government investing money in conflicts rather than the economy.Here in Maryland, he said, he wants to use the system to level the playing field for immigrants who fled their countries only to find inequities in the United States.

"It's crucial that we organize the community and the community has some voice," he said."We have to use the democracy."

Wearing rimless glasses and a dark blue cardigan, Torres looks more like a college professor than a political firebrand.In meetings, he tends to hold back and let others speak first.He prefers to ask questions.It's an old habit, he said, from his stint in Central America as a journalist covering the civil conflicts.

His quiet, unassuming manner is what some people say helps him succeed.

Torres, who immigrated to the United States in 1991 after marrying an American woman who was a translator and advocate for reproductive health in Nicaragua, became an organizer for Casa shortly afterward.His first major task was to find a way to organize the process of hiring day laborers.
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Torres persuaded Montgomery County to donate a trailer where laborers could gather.He also convinced the workers that a sign-up process to get hired was in their best interests.
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Torres became executive director of Casa in 1993 and has increased the organization's services and influence as the population of Latinos has increased.
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Increasingly, Torres has moved into the political arena, saying it's the most effective way to change the status quo.He helped found the Maryland Latino Coalition for Justice, which members say is similar to the NAACP.

Maryland Del.
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An effort last month to oust Takoma Park City Council member Share Maack from her Ward 6 seat failed when Torres had trouble finding a candidate to run against her.Torres had complained that Maack has not been friendly to the concerns of immigrants in her district, which includes Casa's offices.
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As Casa has grown, Torres has taken on more duties and issues, from workers' rights to housing to politics.

"He becomes personally involved in these things," she said."We have a saying in Spanish. . . . 'If you try to embrace too many things, you're not going to be able tosqueeze very hard.' "

Torres admits that he often takes on too much.That may be changing soon, he said, as he tries to recruit new blood and new energy to take over Casa.

Torres is using part of the $130,000 that he received from the Ford Foundation to hire a deputy director.In a couple of years, he said, he plans to leave Casa and pursue other projects.

He has been approached about running for political office, but will not say whether that is in his future."Why do you ask these tough questions?"he joked.
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"This," Torres said, "is my passion.Always."