Immigration Matters for All

Throughout the previous posts, I have highlighted the importance immigration has in our community and the impact of immigrants in the US. The stories of immigrants who came to this country looking for a better life are innumerable, and I guess by now most of you are familiar with those stories. But that does not solve any of the issues that immigrants face everyday.  In the last few years, immigration has become a hot topic for politicians and lawmakers, which indicates that their voice is echoing more than ever before. Those who live in the shadows just because they do not have a legal status are getting the attention, but attention is not enough. Action is what they need from Congress, House of Representatives, and of course the President. But, how do we get them to take action in this controversial matter?

As predicted by many people, including me, this year is completely gone for an immigration reform. And, not to be pessimistic, but the reality is harsh for those who think something will happen soon. President Obama during his second inaugural address said: “Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity, until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country…” But little or nothing has been achieved since then; in reality things have become worse for some immigrants. Those who support immigration rights are frustrated with President Barack Obama, mainly because during his time in office they have seen the deportation of nearly 2 million immigrants. Those numbers are setting a record compared to other previous administrations, and are setting anger and disappointment in thousands of families that have seen their members being deported to their countries. So, it is a bit contradictory what Obama is doing in terms of immigration.

Even if the President, together with Congressman and lawmakers pass an immigration reform, it is said that it will take a vey long period of time to find the path for a permanent residency (do not go too far with citizenship). Some speculate that the wait time will be from 5 to 10 years and that those immigrants will have to pay a fine for entering the country illegally. Again, those are just speculations that have been in the air for a while, but nothing is concrete until an immigration law is passed, if any. In the meantime, some states are working with immigrants’ advocates and authorities to help them get a driver license, a state ID, and even advocating for lower tuition rates for illegal immigrants who go to college or university. Although those actions are well received by some people, they also receive criticism, especially from others.

In the end, immigrants are still facing an uncertain future. For example, those who have completed their studies sometimes are not able to work because they do not have a social security number. Others have to take odd jobs that in most of the cases pay them below the minimum wage and obligate them to work for long hours. In terms of health, most do not have access to medical care since they do not have insurance. And I could go on with the list of difficulties they have to deal. By the way, with the examples giving above I am not trying to portray immigrants as victims of this system. There is no doubt that they have broken the laws and some of them have even committed crimes while in this country. But the majority is a vital work force that moves this country’s economy and so they need to be given some kind of stability. Without immigrants, millions of business would have to close their doors. Giving them the opportunity and the rights to have decent place to work, access to medical care, and most importantly the opportunity to receive education should be taken into consideration.

Fortunately, change is something that always happens. In regards of immigration, I hope is a positive one.

While networking with some students during club hours, I found out that immigration matters to Baruch students too.  In fact, we have the Dream Team at Baruch, which provides resources, information and nation and statewide news regarding immigration and education. Their mission is “to unite, educate and bring awareness to the Baruch Community by providing workshops on knowing your rights, resources of scholarships and internships to students.” This week, a member from the Dream Team invited me to attend a panel/discussion event on immigration called “Documented the Undocumented: Immigration Reform,” which was hold at Baruch College. This event was organized with the collaboration of other Baruch clubs such as LASO and Baruch Impact Club.

But before I give my overview of this event, I would like to clarify what D.A.C.A and DREAM Act is all about. D.A.C.A. (Differed Action for Childhood Arrivals) is an initiative, announced on June 15 of 2012, which offers a two-year reprieve from deportation to unauthorized immigrants who entered the U.S. before age 16 and are under the age of 31. Those who qualify also should:

–       have lived continuously in the country for at least five years

–       have not been convicted of a felony, a “significant” misdemeanor, or three other misdemeanors

–       currently be in school, graduated from high school, earned a GED, or served in the military.

Those Immigrants who meet these criteria are referred to as “DREAMers” because they meet most of the general requirements of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.

Now that you have an idea of what this two concepts are, you will be able to understand what the panelists talked about. The discussion began with moderator Cesar Ventura, a senior student at Brooklyn College and Vice President of the BC Dream Team. He, a DREAMer, took charge of the podium and asked the panelists what pushed them to speak and advocate for an immigration reform.

From left to right: Silvia Echeverria, Hina Naveed, Ivy Teng Lei, Susan Lema, Anita Teekah, and Alan Lee

Hina Naveed, current nursing student at Staten Island College and an advocate for immigrants’ rights, was the first panelist to share her story. She became undocumented the moment she had to overstay in the U.S. due to her sister’s medical treatment and the fact that her lawyer misfiled her petition for visa (which resulted in a denial). She was ashamed to talk about her status until recently. Last February she got a fellowship through New York Immigration Collision, which empowered her to speak about immigration and why it is important for the community. Now she works as a Civic Engagement Coordinator at an immigration center in Staten Island where she helps the undocumented youth. In her case, D.A.C.A. offered opportunities for her at school and work. However, she states that a two-year permit is not enough and changes to the immigration reform are needed.

Ivy Teng, Baruch alumni, also shared her experiences as an advocate for Asian Americans in the immigration reform. She mentioned that the reason she decided to get involved in this topic is the fact that 3 out of 4 Asians in America are foreign born and from the 11 million immigrants that are in the U.S., 1.3 are Asians. She also considers herself as a DREAMer who currently works in the marketing industry. Panelist Susan Lema, a senior at Baruch and treasurer of the Dream Team at Baruch, shared her moving personal story as well. She recounted her experience when coming to this country and the struggle she faced when she got here. Attending some events at Baruch that had the DREAM Act as main topic inspired her to talk openly about immigration.  She felt the momentum that DREAMers where going through and decided to create the Dream Team at Baruch. She and other fellow students have participated in some pro immigrant rallies in New York and Washington. Among the panelists, we also had Assemblyman Francisco Moya, who offered support to DREAMers. He remarked the importance of lobbying those in charge of immigration issues since the New York State DREAM Act has not been passed. Anita Teekah, a Legislative Coordinator for NY, also suggested that writing petitions and reaching Legislators was a great way to speak up on this issue.

Assemblyman Francisco Moya

Alan Lee, a well-known immigration lawyer, made very clear observations of the current immigration situation and what is to come in the following years. According to him, even though Republicans control only one chamber, they are now thinking they will control the agenda on immigration. He mentioned that the President was optimistic about the goal of Congress of passing the bill by the end of this year, but that was immediately rejected by the Rep. Representative Paul Ryan, who said there is not enough time to tackle the issue this year. So, what is the timetable for an immigration reform? According to Alan Lee, the best time for action is probably going to be at the beginning of 2014, before everybody in Washington gets caught up in other legislation and before the effects of the midterm elections start to be felt. If nothing happens during those months, we could probably just say that the rest of 2014 will see no changes.  Moving on to 2015, Mr. Lee said that it could be a promising year since there are no elections going on.

However, going back to 2014, the worst thing that could happen is that the Republicans win the elections, bringing disastrous consequences. If they win, immigration reform will be surely off the table. Lee suggested that advocates, organizations, and immigrants in general should treat 2014 as the “Super Bowl for immigration” due to the midterm elections. If Republicans win, immigrants lose. For that reason, he encourages immigrants to mobilize and put pressure on Representatives, Legislators, and Congressmen to work on an integral immigration bill. He noted that we should try to decide which kind of immigration reform we are going to accept. We may have to make a choice of accepting less or not accepting what is being offered. It is better to recognize the possibilities early on to be prepared for the best or the worst.

Finally, Silvia Echeverria, Baruch Alumni, provided useful information regarding centers that specifically assist immigrants on different legal matters.

 As expressed in my prior blogs, the obstacles for an integral immigration reform are here to stay for a longer period of time if nothing is done by the end of this year. Even though it has lately received much support from people, organizations, some CongressmEn, and the President, to be passed, there is a continuous debate about how the reform will help society. This time, I would like to highlight some of the benefits that immigration brings to this country in general.

 First, I would like to focus on the impact that immigration has on the economy and labor force. Immigrant entrepreneurs are helping local economies by starting their own businesses and creating jobs that bring more revenue to their communities. Just to illustrate, companies such as Facebook, Google, and Linkedin have at least one immigrant founder. Furthermore, immigrants represent a big portion of U.S. labor market, generating high and low income in a wide variety of industry sector. Even though people think that immigrants avoid paying taxes on those incomes, a good number of immigrants (legal and illegal) pay their taxes. The IRS has estimated that around 6 million unauthorized immigrants file individual tax returns each year.

Culturally, immigration also plays a significant role in this country. U.S. has always welcomed people from all around the world since its establishment as a nation. Each individual coming to this country brings his or her own ideas, traditions, and culture.  If we stop for a moment to think about our classmates or coworkers, we will be able to notice the diversity of backgrounds and cultures that surround us. As mentioned in an article by Johan Lehrer, psychologists have discovered that exposing people to different cultures (diversity) can make people more creative and willing to consider multiple interpretations of the same thing.

Regarding education, skilled and educated immigrants have contributed enormously in the development of new technologies, companies, and even cures to diseases in the area of medicine. U.S. schools and universities welcome students from around the world who are trying to pursue their careers in different fields, offering a good education system. Once they complete their programs, some of them stay here, contributing to society with their expertise and knowledge acquired in classes. Education translates into better jobs and those high-paying jobs support the economy of this country as well.

To conclude, immigration as said by Barack Obama at a naturalization ceremony has made America stronger and prosperous. There are so many ways in which immigrants have contributed to this country, and when I say immigrants, I refer to those who have and do not have legal status in this country. I just mentioned a couple of benefits in this post, which I hope called your attention to the importance of passing a reform. It is true that not everyone sees immigration with good eyes, but by making these remarks, I hope you understand why immigration matters for all.

Do not forget that this whole nation is made and supported by immigrants!

SOURCES

Image:

http://newamericamedia.org/2010/04/will-immigration-reform-impact-the-us-labor-market.php

Web:

http://www.analysisonline.org/site/aoarticle_display.asp?issue_id=1&news_id=140001400&sec_id=140002434

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748703730804576313490871429216