illegal immigration at Brave New Films

France leads fight on illegal immigration - 7 July 2008

2008-07-13T04:40:31Z

On Monday, the European Union unanimously agreed sweeping new French-drafted guidelines for controlling immigration, and are on track to sign the pact in October. It is thought that there are around six million illegal immigrants on the continent and Nicolas Sarkozy's government has said it wants action as soon as possible. But there is criticism that the plans would create a so-called "Fortress Europe". Estelle Yousouffa reports from Paris.

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After Buses and Trains, Border Patrol targets Domestic Ferry

2008-07-05T23:04:33Z

Following unprecedented checks on Amtrak and Greyhound buses, the U.S. border patrol is forging ahead with surprise raids on domestic ferry runs from the San Juan Islands. So far agents have arrested over 50 people, 49 of them Latino, suspected of being "illegal immigrants" and turned them over to the ICE.

But besides capturing alleged illegal immigrants and a few citizens in possession of pot, they are also catching heat from islanders and tourists alike. Howard Rosenfeld, San Juan County council chairman, has expressed worries about the culture of fear that is putting off tourists.

"Most people just don't like it. It promotes a culture of fear. Anyone who acknowledges they are not an American gets taken aside. That creates a delay, and that's a disincentive for tourists to come and visit here."

No Building a Wall Through the Middle of a College Campus

2008-07-17T14:43:53Z

Lets set aside the larger issues concerning the construction of the $49 billion border fence along U.S.-Mexico; pretend for a moment that debates over efficiency, cost, the environment, property rights, detrimental political and symbolic messages just do not exist when it comes to this mammoth task. How much sense does it make to build a wall across a college campus that would split the UT-Brownsville campus between two countries?

Maybe our immigration officials have finally come of age. Maybe they are thinking ahead to a smaller world with increased communication between different cultures and an education with more global influence. Maybe we can share the UT-Brownsville campus with Mexico, teach half the courses in Spanish, provide joint daycare at the university, and promote soccer in the United States while we teach the Mexican nationals about American football.

Leaving the United States for Higher Education

2008-07-03T12:38:08Z

North Carolina's ban on undocumented students has prompted a Davidson County teenager (going by the name of Esperanza), to return to Mexico in order to pursue higher education.

Many anti-immigrant activists would hail this as a victory for their side--that denying higher education opportunities for undocumented students prompts a "return flight." However, 1) This is a rare case -- most undocumented students graduate high school or get their bachelors degrees only to stay in the shadows of society and

2) Exporting our young talent and K-12 investment such as Esperanza is a brain drain, and net-loss for the United States. In effect, the United States is saying that it does not need educated, well-adjusted and assimilated, English-speaking immigrants.

John McCain: Speech 04/21/08

2008-07-10T15:01:02Z

John McCain
Speech
Selma, AL 04/21/08

TRANSCRIPT:
QUESTIONER: [inaudible]

JOHN MCCAIN:"We need to secure our borders. The American people want the borders secured first. I know how to secure those borders. I come from a border state where a huge percentage of those who cross illegaly into this country. But we need to secure our borders. We can do it through a variety of ways. And we need to have a temporary worker program . . . and we have to address the 12 million people who are here illegally based on one principle: that no one who has come legally or waited legally should have any priority over those who have come illegally. And finally though, we must address this issue in a humane and compassionate fashion. These are god's children . . ."

LABEL: JM AL 4-21 (JC#123) GUZZ - ClipB

To download a high res version of this clip, VISIT: https://issuealliance.box.net/shared/mf0hnu5ss8

To download the full campaign event, VISIT: https://issuealliance.box.net/shared/879t6vxw84

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83% Blame Government for 'Illegal Immigration' not Immigrants

2008-07-01T16:28:04Z

In a new poll by Rasmussen Reports, 32% of likely voters polled expressed anger over "illegal immigration" whereas 39% said it was just another one of the issues.

However, only 12% of people blamed immigrants for coming here--an overwhelming 83% held the federal government responsible for inaction and being lobbied by 'special interest groups.' It is indeed true that the federal government is unlikely to make any new immigration laws until after elections--increasing border control, passing Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Agjobs and the DREAM Act--are issues that the government would much rather ignore than tackle effectively.

Survey questions revealed that 43% of Americans thought that the government allowed immigrants to retain the culture of their home country while 32% thought the government encouraged them to fully embrace American culture with 26% unsure. It is unclear whether this issue contributed to voter anger and dissatisfaction.

We the People: Immigration - 07 Jun 08 - Part 2

2008-06-14T00:37:24Z

Immigration is one of the key issues in this year's presidential election and voters are paying careful attention to what the presidential candidates are saying about immigration reform. We the People travels to Tulsa, Oklahoma to explore how immigration policy has divided one community.

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We the People: Immigration - 07 Jun 08 - Part 1

2008-06-14T04:40:23Z

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ALIPAC stands for "Anti Latino Immigration"

2008-07-25T04:48:14Z

William Gheen, the President of ALIPAC.us (not to be mistaken for ALIPAC.net) claims that his site is not a hate group and not anti-immigrant; they are in fact, pro-legal immigration and anti-(illegal)-immigration, and 1 out of 5 members belong to a minority ethnic group. He was incredibly upset by a Charlotte Observer article a few days ago that called him an immigrant-scapegoating bigot, after highlighting his rhetoric:

“We have a destructive human tsunami headed our way,” said William Gheen of Americans for Legal Immigration, a political action committee based in Raleigh that pushes anti-immigrant legislation. “N.C. lawmakers must act now to protect American jobs, tax resources and lives. Our state must … batten down the hatches immediately.”

I decided to give him and ALIPAC.us the benefit of doubt and check out their discussion forum to see their discourse and what kind of actions they advocate against "illegal immigration." The following is what I uncovered in a couple hours:

Study: Most Legal Immigrants Were 'Illegal' at One Time

2008-07-25T04:48:14Z

It appears that things don't happen in a STRAIGHT line (neither do brain waves and heartbeats FYI).

After my constant repetition of "undocumented or illegal is not a permanent immutable characteristic" this past week, the Public Policy Institute of California has just confirmed the accuracy of the statement.

In a new study based on a survery of 8,000 people, the PPIC found that 52% legal residents in California had past experience of living in the country illegally at one time or another. It absolutely smashes the ill-promoted dichotomy of legal/illegal, proving that binary modes of thinking about immigration policy are superficial, baseless and untrue.

"It highlights how overly simplified our understanding of immigrants and immigration can be," said Hill, who said a stark distinction between "illegal" and "legal" immigrants does not acknowledge the frequent correlation between both categories. "We need to be a little more cognizant of the variety and breadth of experience."

The InALIENable rights of Corporations

2008-06-23T16:12:03Z

Once again, the actions of a federal district judge give credence to the belief that businesses and corporations are the ruling class of this country and above the law.

A U.S. District Court delayed the enforcement of parts of Oklahoma House Bill 1804 which passed in 2007 because it unfairly sanctions busnisses that do not comply with the law.

To clarify: Migrant workers who escape dire conditions in their countries--conditions that are created by the increasing proliferation of neo-liberal policies--and come here to find work (albeit, illegally) are criminalized, punished, put in detention centers, left to await death or deportation.

But businesses that encourage the incoming flight of these workers for the purposes of cheap labor and less stringent workplace regulations--profit-making tactics that are illegal (we may also call it the glocalization of indentured servitude), cannot be criminalized and sanctioned because it transfers the burden of the government onto businesses?

This is neither a victory for undocumented workers and their allies nor the constitution. It is a victory for scandalous businesses who reap the rewards of employing undocumented workers, exploiting them while driving down wages and weakening labor regulations.

Immigrant Scapegoating - Definately Not an Election Winner

2008-06-11T21:44:14Z

George Bush made a 10% gain in Hispanic voters during his re-election bid in 2004; it is more than likely that the gain would reverse itself into a loss for Republicans come this November.

This time around, pledging to step up immigrant crackdowns throughout the year, the Bush Administration is risking a political fallout with Hispanic voters. The lame-duck President has nothing to lose but it doesn't bode well for the non-teflon Republican Party and John McCain's bid for Presidency.

Regardless of the fact that immigration enforcers claim to be anti-(illegal) immigration and not immigration per se, ICE actions and political rhetoric is nonetheless perceived as just anti-immigrant. And perfectly legal immigrants are being harmed in this so-called anti-(illegal) immigrant climate. Take a look at the Congress economic stimulus package to disallow tax rebates to undocumented workers; it ended up affecting many legal residents who filed joint tax returns with their spouses without social security numbers. In counties like Prince Williams that are now policing immigration, even legal immigrants who perceive hatred and hostility are moving and taking their businesses elsewhere.

The Latino vote is crucial, especially in swing states like Florida, New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado. Fostering a climate that is heavily perceived as anti-immigrant would undoubtedly turn-off many Hispanic voters, who are the majority of the minority ethnic population and feel targeted due to increased crackdowns and legislation.

South Carolina: First to Bar Undocumented Students

2008-05-31T01:25:13Z

Stuck in the deep recesses of the South and in a horserace to appear tough on immigration, the South Carolina Senate has approved a get-tough on immigration measure that among other things, would bar undocumented students from higher education in the state.

S 392 which may be signed as early as next week reads:

SECTION 17. Chapter 101, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding: "Section 59-101-430. (A) A person who is not lawfully present in the United States is not eligible to attend a public institution of higher learning in this State, as defined in Section 59-103-5. The trustees of a public institution of higher learning in this State shall develop and institute a process by which lawful presence in the United States is verified. (B) A person not lawfully present in the United States is not eligible on the basis of residence for a public higher education benefit including, but not limited to, scholarships, financial aid, grants, or resident tuition."

Goof-up - Arkansas Governor on Instate-Tuition for Undocumented Students

2008-06-13T17:28:05Z

The Associated Press and several other news outlets picking up the AP are quoting the Arkansas Governor Beebee for stating that a "legal opinion he signed while he served as the state's attorney general in 2005 clearly showed giving illegal immigrants in-state tuition likely would violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment."

I was immediately curious as to how someone could possibly conceive that instate-tuition for undocumented students would violate the 14th Amendment. It made little sense--if anything, the opposite was closer to the truth. And I was correct. This is what the Governor actually wrote in his 2005 legal opinion:

"First, it is my opinion that the amendment adequately resolves the issue of possible violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution. Both undocumented aliens and U.S. citizens who meet the requirements of attending high school in Arkansas can obtain resident tuition rates and eligibility for scholarships through HB 1525 on the same basis, following the amendment. Because there is no unequal or disparate treatment based on alienage and both groups or classes are treated equally, there is no denial of equal protection. Accordingly, it is my opinion that the amended bill would withstand scrutiny under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."

Clearly, either the Governor is being quoted wrongly by media outlets or he has conveniently forgotton his legal opinion in the frenzy to scapegoat immigrant students.

The federal statute in question during instate-tuition debates is 8 U.S.C. § 1623, which 10 states have already circurmvented. Legal opinion on whether instate-tuition for undocumented students violates that federal statute is unresolved and varied at best. Till now, both the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and the University of Central Arkansas in Conway had offered undocumented students in-state tuition rates. That is about to change.

ICE Raids - Impact on American Children and Families

2008-06-17T03:32:49Z

The Education and Labor Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held hearings this past week concerning “ICE Workplace Raids: Their Impact on U.S. Children, Families, and Communities.” Witnesses explored how immigration enforcement could be improved in order to protect children, most of whom are American citizens.

Subcommittee Chairwoman Lynn Woolsey opened the hearing with a long list of ICE raids in immigrant communities, highlighting that 12 children arrested at the raids in Postville were children between the ages of 15-17, working at the plant in violation of child labor laws and that as of last Thursday, they were still in detention. (Why is the employer--Agriprocessors--still in business?)

We have 4.7 million children in households where at least one parent is undocumented. 3.1 million of these children are American citizens while many of the rest are our fellow DREAMers.

Marking The Anniversary of 'Illegal Immigration'

2008-05-13T22:58:06Z

May 6, 1882 is the date for the birth of 'illegal immigration.' Like most social concerns that are only deemed as a 'problem' when it benefits the state, the immigration of Chinese laborers to the United States, the so-called 'yellow peril' and 'Asian invasion' now required 'documentation.' The Chinese were constructed as unassimilable peoples, not eligible for citizenship under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The Act also restricted Chinese immigration by excluding Chinese laborers from entering the country for the next 10 years under penalty of deportation and imprisonment. This would pave the way for more codes and statutes restricting Chinese immigration:

S 6 (22 Stat. 58, . 120), provides that every Chinese person other than a laborer, who may be entitled to come within the United States, shall produce a prescribed certificate of his identity and of his right to enter: and Act July 5, 1884, provides that this certificate "shall be the sole evidence
permissible on the part of the person so producing the same to establish a right of entry into the United States." Act Oct. 1. 18X8. prohibits any Chinese laborer who had been, or was then, or might hereafter be, a resident within the United States, and who had departed or might depart therefrom, to return to or remain in the United States. Held, that since the passage of the latter act no Chinese person, formerly resident in the United States but temporarily absent
therefrom, is entitled to return without the
prescribed certificate.—Wan Shing v. United
State», 140 U. S. 424. 11 S. Ct. 729, 35 L. Ed. 03.

What led to the enacted of Chinese exclusion? Was it working class fears of Chinese immigrants taking their jobs (as is the excuse given today) or simply sheer racism that the anti-illegal immigrant lobby denies in contemporary times?

Voices - Undocumented British Citizen with an American DREAM

2008-07-25T04:48:17Z

My nickname is Mckrakin and I am a proud British citizen.

I identity as an American. I have been here for fifth-teen years in an American society going through grade school, high school, and college. I have been an intricate part of my community and everyone views me as an American. There is a sense of betrayal coming to America and legally being left out to dry because of aging out. I will always be proud to be a British Citizen and it will always be my home.

At the age of ten my parents, siblings, and myself moved from the United Kingdom legally to the United States for my fathers dad job opportunity. We left behind grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, and another life. It was a hard transition and culture shock that took a long time to get used to. I am currently the age of twenty-five.

My country of birth is the United Kingdom and I still have a vivid memory of the England that it used to be. I am sure it has changed beyond belief. It would be a good assumption that living in England would not be much different from here. The main point is that we should have the right to choose in the first place. The right to have freedom to do what we want and be where we want. Everyone should have that right. My parents made the right choice at the moment to seize an opportunity. I blame nothing in their fault but do wish that future situations would have been made aware and the consequences. It would have been nice to avoid the situation entirely.

I have received two bachelor degrees of music with an emphasis of Vocal Performance and Music Pedagogy. They were from an accredited American University. Music thou is not my true passion. I am a avid actor and performer. In 2005 I auditioned for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and got accepted to the prestigious school. Due to my status and lack of money I was unable to attend. It hurt a lot to be so close to my dream yet so far away. The location where I live allowed me to attend college. People don’t think of a British person having an immigration problem. It hurts to not be able to have the rights of a normal citizen. People take freedom for granted.

The Cost of Illegal Immigrants?

2008-04-28T15:16:36Z

Recently, I heard about a petition circulating by e-mail. Basically, the petition called on President Bush to pass legislation that would deny illegal immigrants social security and free health care (based on their income). There are several reasons why I don't agree with this.

The Cost of Illegal Immigrants?

One such reason is people like Henry Kravis, CEO of private equity firm KKR. Recently, a Youtube Documentary by Brave New Films explained that Henry Kravis made $450 million last year. Which comes out to over a million dollars a day, seven days a week. But the obscenity of this wealth isn't the most disturbing aspect of Henry Kravis. What is truly disturbing is that through tax loopholes, Kravis only pays 15% on his taxes, instead of the 35% he should be paying. The difference between 15% and 35% of $450 million is $90 million. That is $90 million that Kravis is cheating the American people out of.

There are other disturbing aspects of Kravis and KKR- like the fact that one of their money making tactics is to buy a company and layoff as many people as possible (and take their retirement benefits), then sell the company's assets for a profit. But even setting aside the fact that KKR is predatory and destructive, Kravis is still cheating the Government (and the people) out of $90 million.

The interesting thing is that 30,000 illegal immigrants who make $20,000 a year and don't pay taxes equals $90 million in tax money that the government doesn't receive. So Henry Kravis cheats the government out of more tax money than 30,000 illegal immigrants making an average of $20,000 a year (which is probably a little high)and paying 15% on their income (which is what Kravis pays on his taxes).

Isn't it time that the working class, middle class, and poor stopped fighting over the scraps? Why do we try to punish the weak and the poor, instead of those who already have too much? Is that what Capitalism is all about? Destroying the weak so that the rich can get richer? As billionaire Leona Helmsley once said "Only the little people pay taxes."

The Drug War and Illegal Immigrants

Another common argument against illegal immigrants is that they commit crimes in this country. This theory is actually a myth- numerous studies have found that illegal immigrants commit crimes at a far lower rate than actual citizens. Crime does increase around US-Mexico border towns, but the cause of this crime increase isn't immigrants. The cause for increased crime in border towns is an enormous black market- illegal drugs, coupled with an enormous demand for recreational drugs in the US. Canada has large-scale drug smuggling operations- there hasn't been much violence yet, but the Canada black market is much, much smaller than the Mexican black market, which includes massive cocaine operations which Canada doesn't have.

Of course, the US could stop these black markets- American chemical companies sell the chemicals used to process cocaine and other drugs in massive quantities- far greater than the needs of any Latin American country. But nothing is done to regulate the chemicals used to process the cocaine. The US could also stop funding the cocaine growers- one of the biggest cocaine growers is the Columbian government, which receives massive foreign and military aid from the US. This is all well documented, and easy for the public to find.

The issues surrounding both illegal immigration and the Drug War have some relation, because drugs and immigrants come from Latin America. But there is an important similarity between the issues surrounding illegal immigration and the Drug War. The wealthy don't try to deal with illegal immigrants in the proper manner because the middle and working class need enemies, like illegal immigrants, so that the middle class and working class don't go after the cause of most of their difficulties- the wealthy and powerful. In a similar sense, the US Government could stop funding drug smuggling governments, regulate the chemicals used to process drugs, and provide adequate treatment programs for users in the US. These measures would ensure that some real progress in the Drug War would be made, and the Drug War could see a possibility of ending.

Not In Oaxaca: Political Instability Encourages Migration

2008-06-02T13:36:02Z

Some opponents argue that immigrants should take care of their own problems in their own country instead of leaving their place. Similarly, they point fingers at us who were raised here for the most part to "go back to our countries and fix them." But what does this all presuppose? It seems to me that the expectation is that we are responsible for changing and controlling our environments. Great reasoning!

This is why it's important to look at our immigration history. The first American settlers came from England to escape religious persecution. Subsequent immigrants came here because of political and economic instability. Should they be judged as well because they did not take the responsibility to make things better in their home countries? What's the difference?

I attest that my parents came to this country because my father couldn't find work. The lack of an education proved to be a huge impediment for him, since after he was fired from a factory that produced car parts, he was not able to find a viable job to sustain a family of four. Thus, he had no other choice but to come to the United States to find a better environment where he could work and send money back to us. All he had to do was to remove himself from an environment that prevented him earning a living. But that wasn't easy either.

So what do we say to those who come from places that are far worse? Consider the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Political instability encourages people to leave the state and immigrate to the United States. The North County Times features an article where Centelia Maldonado and a group of migrant workers inform their fellow Oaxacans about the harship of being an immigrant in the United States. They basically tell them that life is not easy in this country although it enables many to send money back home. Activisits are trying to create jobs back home in Oaxaca so that people won't feel forced to migrate. However, the article ends with the following about Oaxaca:

Oaxaca City was the site of sometimes-violent demonstrations in 2006, when protesters seized the city's center for months and accused the governor of electoral fraud. The federal government eventually sent in police to clear the city of protesters, and Ruiz remains in office.

The conflict began as a teachers' strike in May, 2006, but quickly mushroomed into a broad protest against centuries of social and economic injustices.

People in Oaxaca have tried to change their environment because many can't possibly afford to leave their homes. I don't live in Oaxaca to determine how much progress has occurred in the past five years. But if people still emigrate from there significantly, it should tell us that not much change has occurred.

A question to fellow DREAMers and our readers: Taking into account that our immigrant ancestors came to America to escape their unstable environments, to what extent should we be responsible for changing our environments/places of origin?

Pope Urges Solution to the Broken Immigration System

2008-04-19T22:13:02Z

As I pedaled away at the stationary bicycle this morning, I flipped through the channels to see what was on CNN News. At the moment, I was lucky to see the beginning of the mass Pope Benedict was leading at the Nationals Park. The CNN commentators were sure that the Pope would address various issues during his homily, including a Spanish version to the Latin American families present at the ceremony.

Pope Benedict, according to the Associated Press, urged the American government to adopt fair legislation for the millions of immigrants who are out of status. More importantly, he stressed that immigrants should be treated humanely.

Despite the peaceful advice from the Pope, Tom Tancredo slammed the Pope's call for fair immigration reform. He descredits the Pope's message by merely arguing that the main interests of the Pope is to increase church membership by using the issue of immigration. He calls the Pope's schemes "faith-based marketing." Nothing more is expected from Tom.

In my opinion, the Pope's call for reform during today's mass will certainly be noticed by most Christians. It's not just a scheme to increase church membership--many Christians do believe that a reasonable way to deal with the broken immigration system should be crafted.

Push, Pull, and Means--The Laws of Migration

2008-04-15T23:15:12Z

One of the fascinating things I find about the topic of immigration is that as I learn about its history, I still see living examples today about how it will never cease to stop. People migrate and for different reasons. The pattern emerges to some scholars who have attempted to define the forces that compel people to migrate by push, pull, and means.

Push refers to forces that compel people to migrate such as natural disasters or political turmoil. Pull refers to the incentives that people perceive from their intended places of destination. Means is that by which immigrants are able to migrate. Pretty simple to understand, right?

The first immigrants that came to America were influenced by all of these laws. Apart from seeking religious freedom, Roger Daniels suggests that the people who colonized and deposed the people already living here were primarily interested in wealth. It was to such an extent that people like John Winthrop in 1634 said, "the natives, they are neare all dead of the small Poxe, so as the Lorth hath cleared our title to what we possess."

I don't think it's any shame to say that immigrants come to find a better life in terms of improving their economic status. Recently, BBC News reports of a woman by the name of Flor who has taken refuge in a church in Chicago. She is another Elvira Arellano, who also sought sanctuary only to be deported when she decided to go out and join protesters in California. Flor talks about why she came to this country. She mentiones how NAFTA affected her personally and that she desperately needed to find a job that would support her two children in Mexico. Thus, she decided to cross the US-Mexico border to accomplish that goal.

The Laws of Migration at work...

Learn more about Flor here.

To America! Migration or Immigration?

2008-05-12T17:24:01Z

Even as a DREAMer student, I still feel that I am not acquainted with the rich history of immigration of this country. So I decided to look around for books on the subject and came across Coming to America: a History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life, written by Roger Daniels in 1990. I started reading the book to understand one way to examine the current state of the system.

From what I have learned so far, there is a distinction between the term migrant and immigrant. A migrant, for example, moves from one place to another that does not involve a political boundary. An immigrant crosses some form of political boundary, on the other hand. I have struggled to decide what term is more appropriate to use in political discourse, because as we have seen, discourse is manipulated. Hearing the opinion of a historian makes me more comfortable with both terms, since it describes a natural human behavior across times and cultures.

Up next--on the motivations for migration.

Legally Here, Only to be Deported

2008-05-12T17:23:42Z

That is the story 89,683 legal permanent residents of the United States last year, who were denied naturalization and are now facing deportation proceedings.

The CIS is turning down more cases of naturalization than ever before since the 1996 law that increased scrutiny of citizenship applications. In some cases, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) has had to step in and overturn CIS decisions. One notable case is the Matter of Lovo in 2005 where the BIA overturned several CIS decisions against family petitions that included a post-operative trans-sexual and her/his partner. And despite internal memos, transgender and overtly feminine or masculine applicants for citizenship continue to face harassment and inappropriate scrutiny from immigration officials.

Why is it so difficult to naturalize after gaining legal permanent residency? Well, the reason could be as small as forgetting to update your home address and be charged with a felony for ignoring a notice sent by immigration officials. And this "aggravated felony" (yes, unopened and returned mail to the CIS) precludes someone from gaining U.S. citizenship. And before you know it, you are being deported for not updating your home address. Or you could fail to show up at the INS for being fingerprinted since you are a quadriplegic as in the case of Marin Turcinovic who is now fighting deportation. More cases of former legal residents now fighting deportation can be read at the New York Times here.

Understanding Education--Who should "get it"?

2008-06-02T13:39:53Z

What kind of opportunity should we be given to escape our legal limbo?

The question does not get redundant or old, since on a daily basis, supporters and opponents alike express their opinions and argument ad infinitum et ad nauseam. The only way to iron out our differences is through contructive dialogue.

Some outright believe that we should not be given any "rights" because there is a so called "back of the line" where we can apply for legal residency. However, we have clarified that issue in many of our posts so far. There is no back of the line to help us adjust status. I'll even say that there are people who want us to disappear and never return to this country again. I still fail to understand such resentment.

Most of the people I talk to believe that there should be a way for us to adjust status, since we have been living in this country such a long time waiting for that opportunity. The DREAM Act is the closest legislation that would allow us to do so. Yet many people oppose it on various reasons. I quote from the Miami Herald below to show one way people oppose the DREAM Act:

The state's priority should be to ensure that its university system can accommodate all qualified U.S. citizens and legal residents before considering enacting laws such as the Dream Act, which would allow children of illegal immigrants to attend state universities unconditionally.

The question is whether the system can ever accommodate "all qualified US citizens and residents." I can't deny that it is very difficult for all low income and even middle class families to afford a college education, especially in our era where earning a Bachelor's degree is almost essential to succeed as a professional. But I think that the DREAM Act addresses our specific issue--i.e. that we are not full members of society. We can't drive, we can't work, so we may just as well be at home twiddling our fingers.

So here is what people fail to understand: the DREAM Act primarily helps us to adjust our status. After that, we would be legal permanent residents eventually. So we would be included in that group of legal residents who should be given the opportunity to continue our education. This refutes the last part of the argument above--that we would be able to attend public universities UNCONDITIONALLY. There are conditions that must be met--we must adjust our status to be functional members of society. And to do so, one requires to have to wait even more until our cases are finally resolved.

Undocumented Workers - Resource or Drain?

2008-05-12T17:47:11Z

Several new studies have been conducted in the past few months on the economic impact of undocumented workers, which is hotly debated across the aisles.

I have never been one for macro-studies that pretend to take a statistic common to a particular community and multiply it to make a generalized claim. See the immigration "fuzzy math" telecasted on CBS yesterday (done by the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation), where the "scholars" calculate the fiscal cost of "illegal immigrants" by estimating that the average lifetime cost of an unskilled worker--two-thirds of whom are estimated to be illegal immigrants--is $1.1 million to the American taxpayer. In this case, the end cost is reached after making assumptions ranging from "illegal immigrants" as a homogenous group of unskilled workers to how much these unskilled workers pay in taxes compared to their use of social services homogenously across America. That is certainly fuzzy logic at its best.

Lets pay more attention to community and local economy focused studies that are academic, non-partisan and actually locate and address undocumented immigrants instead of trying to erroneously determine their percentage within another group.