In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, a panel discussion was held in the Memorial Union Thursday to discuss the topic of “Latino Issues in America.”

“The issues facing Latinos sometimes get left behind,” said Jerry Garcia, assistant professor of history. “Some of the same struggles that have been going on for a hundred years are still out there.”

One of the issues Garcia spoke about was immigration and how it is depicted in magazines and books.

“[There is] is a lot of negativism, and these illustrations allude to this,” Garcia said.

He said immigrants are often depicted as “undesirable” and “deformed” in magazines, and even in scholarly books written by researchers and professors.

“This pattern of depiction has been around for a long time,” Garcia said. “There is an alarmist attitude about Latino Americans taking over America.”

Even though Hispanics have been immigrating to the United States, words such as “swarming” and “invasion” continue to appear in magazines and books, invoking a sense of unease among Americans, Garcia said.

Garcia showed illustrations of immigrants being portrayed this way in Harper’s Weekly, Time magazine and the Des Moines Register.

Despite this fact, Garcia pointed out “a unique element of Mexican immigration is that it’s been going on for hundreds of years.”

Patricia Hamm, assistant professor of political science, spoke about the positive aspects of Latino immigration.

“I see Latinos today as heroes and actors bringing change to our society,” Hamm said. “Immigration is a defining factor for Latinos, and it’s crucial to understand this experience.”

Latino immigrants have engaged in cultural, economic and human resource contributions to America, she said.

“We have contributed more than just human culture, but we have also contributed human beings,” Hamm said.

Hamm said Latino lawyers, scientists and singers have all contributed to American society. These individuals are not only contributing to the United States, Hamm said, but also to their countries of origin.

Latinos contribute $25 billion annually to their countries in Latin America, and Mexican immigrants, in particular, are expected to send $14.5 billion back to Mexico this year, Hamm said. This amount is greater than the money brought in from tourism and foreign investments combined in Mexico.

Hamm explained there are several Latino subgroups: Hispanic, Dominican, Cuban, Puerto Rican and Mexican. Of these subgroups, Mexicans and Hispanics make up most of the 35 million Latinos who live in the United States, as 58 percent are Mexican and 28 percent are Hispanic.

Students who attended the panel discussion felt that it was a rewarding experience.

“I think Latino history is interesting, and I hope to gain up-to-date information about issues facing Latinos,” said Ashley Ober, junior in accounting.

Other speakers who spoke at the event included Adela Licona, graduate student in English; Roy Salcedo, program assistant for the ISU Honors program; and Joanna Courteau; professor of foreign languages and literatures.