Director James Gray might be portraying 1920s Ellis Island in his Cannes Film Festival competition film The Immigrant.

But the story of coming to America at that time shines a light on attitudes Americans have toward immigrants today, Gray said at a press conference on Friday. Latinos, for example, are referred to in the same derogatory terms that in-coming Europeans were referred to in past generations. "I wish we would free ourselves from the racism and prejudice because I think (immigration) is one of the most important aspects to a dynamic culture," Gray said. "After a while you have to accept the fact that (immigration) is part of what enriches the society. It doesn't debase the society."

The Immigrant stars French

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While many talk about the 2016 election, a few have seemed to all too quickly forget the lessons the electorate taught its leaders last November: Immigration is a key issue in American politics, and an important part of building a coalition in a country of constantly shifting demographics. Congress' approval rating is still around 16 percent, very close to its recent historical low, largely due to the obstructionist culture, filibuster and harsh rhetoric used to avoid being "primaried" on the right. While senators like John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) have shown us more of the same 16 percent, senators like Orrin Hatch (R-UT) have joined Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) in voting to advance immigration reform.

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The recent legislative proposals around immigration did not arise out of a top-down process but are related to the changing demographics and the growing political power in our communities. In the 2008 and the 2012 elections, we witnessed the rise of multi-racial coalitions that clearly were the foundations of Obama's victories.The African American, Latino, and Asian Pacific American communities backed Obama by huge margins. Nationally, in the last election, nonwhite voters made up 28 percet of all voters, up from 26 percent in 2008. Obama won 80 percent of these voters, the same as four years ago. Labor was part of this coalition and came out strongly for Obama.

The best strategy that these combined forces have been able to advance has been one that has organized at the local, state

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With 11 million undocumented immigrants eager to come out of the shadows, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) was right to pull a provision of the massive immigration bill that would have allowed American gay men and lesbians to sponsor their foreign-born partners or spouses for green cards. As The Post editorialized today, "That provision would have made the bill fairer and more humane; it would also have cost the support of key Republican senators, including Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, one of the bill's authors."

Leahy's action was incredibly disappointing to gay rights advocates who want immigration law to treat same-sex couples equally and stop forcing Americans to choose between love of country and love of their partner or spouse. But can we keep something in mind, folks?

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On the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, residents cite cancer, birth defects and diseases as the lasting legacy of decades of US weapons use there. But 10 years after the bombings stopped, the US refuses to acknowledge a link.

For more than 60 years, the idyllic Caribbean island was used as a practice ground for US Navy weapons, turning more than half of it into a no-go zone. The island of 10,000 struggled for decades to get its land back. On May 1, 2003, the US government ended bombing on Vieques. Bunkers that once held thousands of bombs were shuttered, and land used by the military was converted into

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For the second time in two weeks, Democratic and Republican negotiators on immigration have emerged from meeting rooms on Capitol Hill, coyly saying some variation of "we've made progress" or "we have a deal in principle" — or dodging the press altogether.

What lawmakers have discovered is that an agreement in principle means nothing when the principals don't agree.

It's been a dizzying experience for everyone in the Capitol — from leadership on down — who hasn't the faintest idea of what the group of eight lawmakers are doing behind closed doors. While the Senate is set to take up its bill next month that would provide for a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants, the House talks have been a roller

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Eva Longoria is backing up her beauty with a whole lot of brain. The actress graduated with a master's degree Wednesday.

Longoria, 38, took home a real degree (not an honorary one) in Chicano studies from Cal State Northridge, where she physically attended classes for three years, according to TMZ.

"Big day today!!! Very excited to graduate for my master's degree in Chicano studies! You're never too old or too busy to continue your education!" the actress wrote on her Who Say site Wednesday, sharing loads of pics of her big day, posing with her family, cohorts and diploma. The "Desperate Housewives" alum began the program while she was working on the ABC

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I've been a fan of legendary Chicano muralist Emigdio Vasquez even longer than I knew who he was. The Alcoholics Anonymous in Anaheim where I'd accompany my dad from my toddler years through my teens is right up the street from a supermarket that hosts his epic Memories of the Past and Images of the Present, painted to commemorate the Little People's Park Riot of 1978. I'd always stand there in awe, then marvel at how the same artist had murals across Anaheim--at City Hall, near a park, at a Mexican restaurant.

Once I actually learned who Vasquez was, my appreciation

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The other day I gave a presentation to teachers in Moorpark. Like always you can predict the question and answer period. More often than not you get friends in the audience who don't ask questions but give speeches instead of questions.

Everyone wants to be a presenter, and activists feel more entitled than most to promote their point of view.

Moorpark was no exception, and an old time friend from the San Fernando Valley was chomping at the bit to promote his cause and his perspective. My friend is a cheerleader, so I settled back realizing that this is a very important function of the Left. We get so few spaces to reach out to people outside our orbit.

You also learn a lot from the speeches, such as what tendencies or lines different

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Prior to 1986 a clear Left voice could be heard on immigration reform. Among its priorities was that there would be no guest worker program, there would be no employer sanctions, there would be a more humane border enforcement policy, and there would be a clear path to citizenship with an absence of penalties and fees. For the most part we lost, and the only real victory was that proposals for a guest worker program died.

The truth be told, immigration reform has never been a high priority among American progressives; as a consequence, no clear vision of what immigration reform was developed outside the Mexican American community. This lack of understanding and consensus has led to the probability of compromise -- that invariably leads to a negation of meaningful

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