Undocumented: Taken Advantage of No More

Throughout the process of writing my blog, I have tried to bring to the forefront some of the dilemmas Latinos are forced to cope with in the United States. This post will be no different. The issue of immigration alone is a highly contested subject; when you add a sinking economy to the mix, it becomes more than just a Monday morning conversation around the water cooler. Due to our economic downturn, people’s patience and rationality have seemed to lesson. As a result, socieites mentality has evolved into “us against them.” Immigrants are viewed as the “other,” and sometimes even seen as insignificant. Citizens already face financial burdens that they can’t possibly meet with the current state of the job market, and things don't seem to be getting better with the currrent state of things. Americans seem to have the notion that immigrants (legal and illegal) are here to not only steal their jobs, but to also lower wages for everyone involved. Somehow, “illegals” are to blame for everything that is wrong with America, including crime and our current economic troubles. This debate is heated, and while advocates are pushing for legislation that protects civil rights for everyone including immigrants, opponents instead argue that America needs to take care of their own. Here I have commented on two posts, “Immigrant Worker’s win Back Pay” by Susan Ferriss of the Sacramento Bee and “Trade off on Immigration Reform” by the news report staff from New America Media. Both posts involve undocumented immigrants and legislation that could be useful in reducing obstacles that they face. New laws are needed to increase the assurance that civil rights are not being withheld simply because of someone’s citizenship status. These posts argue for immigration reform from slightly different standpoints, nevertheless they are both effective arguments. My comments in response can be read either by clicking on the links to the actual websites or by viewing them below.

“Immigrant Worker’s Win Back Pay”
Comment

Thank you for your eye opening post on the situation that thousands of immigrant Latino construction workers were dealing with along the Central Coast, Central Valley, and here in Southern California. I am appalled at the fact that laborers attempted to earn an honest day’s work, while employers decided to treat them as slaves, withholding their pay and at the same time committing labor violations that in turn violated their civil rights. The fact that workers initiated the whole investigation into the wrongdoing by their employers speaks volumes to the will and determination that these people had. Because of them, 3100 workers (see right) will benefit from over 8.5 million dollars in back pay. Gladys Limon of the Mexican American Legal defense and Educational Fund’s office in Los Angeles stated, “We hope that this sends a strong message that all workers have rights”. Although this may have been one of the single biggest class-action law suits in California’s history, it by no means is the first and probably not the last. Another law suit that has brought attention to the ordeal that immigrants face was the decision handed down by a Superior Court judge, awarding nearly 1.28 million dollars in settlement money for dairy workers in Central Valley. Personally, I am glad that the law is being enforced regardless of legal status of the person. This sentiment was repeated by an unlikely source, from Minuteman Project leader Jim Gilchrist who said, “The Lawyers are doing the right thing going after these slave-trading employers”. Even though he feels adamant about the deportation of illegal immigrants, he stills sees the need to uphold the law. Although laws do exist that protect the civil rights of all workers, many are rendered helpless. They fear deportation more than the violations that they endure. Employers have this knowledge and use it to their advantage; they keep exploiting the workers and often use their illegal status against them. They are constantly threatened with being reported to the authorities and the eventual deportation. You have a wonderful blog that has current information regarding immigration issues, while having vital links that can inform the public on what to do in order to get involved. I have only one question, what do you think is the solution to this problem? Do we continue try and chase down the perpetrators, or do we allow more immigrants legal status to curtail the exploitation by employers?

“Trade-Off” on Immigration Reform
Comment

Thank you for your informative post regarding the proposed legalization of millions of undocumented workers (see left). The proposal seems easy enough, set in motion a path to make it more attainable for immigrants to become citizens. This initiative would reduce the number of temporary foreign workers and allow more undocumented workers to remain in the United States as nationalized citizens. In this “trade-off” organized labor wins, but businesses that depend on temporary labor would suffer. This is would not be the only problem; you would also be alienating the American worker. If you bring in millions of undocumented people and make them citizens, they are now competing for the same number of jobs with twice the amount of people. The economy is bad and unemployment is on the rise, which are factors as to why legislation like this just stalls in congress. Despite the before mentioned, there is hope. The fact of the matter is that the Democrats now have more power in Washington and this could be a sign of good things to come. Along with renewed enthusiasm, advocates are hopeful that they will now be able to win support from the AFL-CIO (initially opposed such legislation), and get this put on a ballot and passed. Ali Noorani, director of the new national Immigration Forum, was quoted as saying, “Last time the coalition was not quite as solid as we would have hoped”, and he believes that this was the reason for the defeat the first time around. Things have now changed, and he believes that it is a whole new ballgame, Ana Avendano shares his optimism, she sees a “sea change” on the horizon and attributes it to the economy and the Democrats’ numbers in the white house. Although president Obama had promised to promote immigration reform, he has yet to act on it. Advocates for this proposition plan to use 18 million dollars to promote their cause and at the same time remind Democrats that the Latino population helped elect a Democratic president in 2008. U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez said it best when, “And our communities expect you (the president) to take time out for our issues”. I have a couple of questions for you: Do you think it is fair to put laborers on the “fast track” to citizenship when some people have been waiting for a number of years? Do you believe that legislation calling for the immediate naturalization of millions of immigrants will pass?

Immigration Legislation: The Road to Reform

In my initial post I stated that I would try to facilitate a better understanding of the Latina/o population through political, cultural, and social mediums. This post will be no different; again, I want to emphasize that the issues involving immigration legislation are relevant not only to people of color but to all of society. For example, one need only mention immigration reform to incite fear in some that is caused by the unknown, an anxiety brought about by changes in the existing social structure. On the other hand, hope is what some desire, they want and in the end they yearn for change. With the implementation of immigration reform some argue that there is a need for tighter border initiatives. Civil liberties groups fear that this may lead to some border patrol agents using excessive force and thus violating the rights of many. I have found two posts to try and bring about an understanding of what people go through when attempting to become legal residents and or naturalized citizens of the United States. These posts will help support my case for comprehensive immigration legislation. The first post I examined is “Immigration Reform, Legislation on the Horizon” and is written by Jennifer McFadyen and can be found at Immigration.About.com. She brings the experience of the corporate world along with the passion for freelance writing. Through her own experience she wishes to share not only her misconceptions about the immigration process but hopes to shed light on the journey that one may go through when starting and finally completing the application process for legal residency and or citizenship. The second post I looked at and finally came to the realization that it was needed to further my point was the “Can the Obama Administration Achieve Immigration Reform? Yes It Can, (Maybe)”. This post is written by Declan P. Mumford and Peter A. Yost and can be found at Blogger.com. Both of these posts argue for immigration reform but from different standpoints. You can read my comments by either clicking on the links to the actual websites or you can read them below.

“Immigration Reform, Legislation on the Horizon”
comment

First of all I would like to commend you for allowing us the reader to have an insight as to why you are so passionate about immigration reform. Second, it is with great pleasure that I thank you for taking the time to educate the public about legislation concerning immigration. There are millions of people out there who do not know enough about their rights and they need someone like you to guide them to the information so that they can be properly informed. More often than not people get so intimidated when applying for citizenship that they either make mistakes in the application process and or end up wasting large amounts of time filling out applications that aren’t needed. This I tell you from my own experience.

Your post, “Immigration Reform, Legislation on the Horizon”, deals with how the Obama administration is going to overhaul existing immigration laws and make it more accessible to people. This reading states that our new president is dedicated to making opposing sides of the immigration debate work together, and hopefully come to an agreement that is both good for those applying for citizenship and to the current citizens of the United States. The new administration states that they will make it easier to apply by reducing the cost of the applications, making the process work smoother and faster, and by allowing for more sponsorship of family members. That being said there are some points that I still am unsure of.

Your blog is great for current information regarding immigration legislation and it is also vital in supplying links for people to follow to get information from the direct sources. My question is regarding the governor of Arizona (Napolitano, see left) and her interview with NPR. She is now the new secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, she is left with a department that was ridiculed by a nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. The New York Times called the report a “portrait of dysfunction”. What affect if any does her assessment of our immigration policy have on those applying for citizenship now or those in the future?

“Can the Obama Administration Achieve Immigration Reform? Yes It Can, (Maybe)”
Comment

I will start off by thanking you for your blog. Your post, “Can the Obama Administration Achieve Immigration Reform? Yes It Can, (Maybe)”, is a mixture of what problems Obama has waiting for him once he becomes president and how he must help reform immigration legislation. You do a great job of supplying us with his voting record on such matters as immigration. You also inform us of a bill (Senator John McCain, Ted Kennedy) that included but was not limited to sweeping reforms such as, an increase in border security, better workforce enforcement, and a crackdown on companies that hire illegal immigrants. The bill perhaps more than anything could have meant a permanent solution for the millions of undocumented workers in the United States. Unfortunately, this bill never received much support from the house either the Republicans or the Democrats. You point out that president Obama comes into office with high expectations. He has become president at a time where our nation faces economic problems, a war that keeps dragging on, our health care systems seems to be failing, and to top things off, the immigration issue seems to be heating up again. With all these issues that are confronting him does he have time to devote to immigration reform?

What’s important is that you include in your post that our new president ( see right) brings with him hope and optimism to the masses. That he inspires us to make a difference not only in our lives but that of our neighbors. I am hoping that now we can have true immigration reform. My question is more or less, do you think that he will now push for reform through the bill that was defeated? Do you think that immigration reform (sweeping reform) is possible? How do you think that president Obama will deal with the opposition to immigration reform, as we both know that he is a avid supporter?