Andrea Bazán has beennamed to a federal border task force.

The Durham resident, who currently serves as president of the Triangle Community Foundation and chair of the board of the National Council of La Raza, will serve on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Southwest Border Taskforce. 

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the initiative last month as a way to support Mexico's campaign against violent drug cartels.

The task force will work to reduce the flow of guns and cash from the U.S. to Mexico, reduce the transfer of contraband across the border in both directions and improve enforcement of immigration laws.

Other members of the task force include law enforcement from border areas, the mayor of San Diego and the preisdent of the California Endowment.

The group will hold its first meeting on June 4 in Albuquerque, N.M. 

Andea Bazán has been elected chairwoman of the board of the National Council of La Raza.

A longtime advocate for Hispanic issues in North Carolina, Bazán will now work at a national level in the new position at the largest Hispanic civil rights organization in the United States. She succeeds the publisher of the country's largest Spanish-language daily paper.

"Being elected to serve as NCLR's Board Chair is truly a proud moment for me, both personally and professionally," she said in a statement.

Bazan is currently president of the Triangle Community Foundation, a charity in Durham. Previously, she was a co-founder and executive director of El Pueblo, a statewide advocacy and public policy group on Hispanic affairs.

She has master's degrees in social work and public health from UNC-Chapel Hill and has served on the board of La Raza since 2002, most recently as vice chairwoman.

Andrea Bazán also says Senate Democrats have ducked immigration.

A longtime advocate on Latino issues in North Carolina, Bazan said that — for good and bad — the leadership of the state Senate has mostly avoided the issues raised by illegal immigration.

"The House leadership was good sometimes," she said. "In the Senate, it's been silent."

Bazán, currently president of the Triangle Community Foundation, said that there are some "thoughtful legislators" who have looked into the issue, as well as some she thought were using it in election years.

But she said Senate Democrats have mostly just avoided the topic — not passing bills she thought could hurt illegal immigrants, but not helping either.

"I would say the House has done more in terms of policy-making and has had more thoughtful debate on this issue than the Senate," she said.

As noted previously, Senate Democrats have sent a number of bills on illegal immigration to die in committee in recent years.

Earlier: N.C. Listen says state Democrats dodge immigration issues.

Roy Cooper says public colleges in North Carolina should not admit illegal immigrants.

In an advisory letter released Wednesday, the attorney general's office advised the state's 58 community colleges and 16 four-year institutions in the University of North Carolina system to reverse their current policies of allowing illegal immigrants to attend.

It is also a setback to a movement to grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants who attended high school here.

"It really closes the door of opportunity for a lot of kids," said Andrea Bazan, president of the Triangle Community Foundation.

The state could pass a law allowing students to attend, the letter says, otherwise a policy of prohibiting them would "more likely withstand judicial scrutiny."

The state's universities have admitted illegal immigrants since 2004. (N&O)