immigration – Com 121 Spring 2010

No Green Card, No Travel

admin / April 19, 2010

Being able to travel out of the Untied States, keep a steady job, and settle a family in the United States is something that most natural born United State citizens take for granted. However, for millions of immigrants, especially Hispanic immigrants, these freedoms do not come so easily. Immigrants coming to the United States must apply for a green card or some kind of visa to be able to work and live.

Nevertheless, this process is cumbersome for most and involves many steps and applications. Univision.com outlines the two major steps to getting a green card and they are as follows:

Someone must sponsor you for a green card, either a family member or a employer. In some cases the person can petition for themselves.
Once approved they can present their solicitation for Registration for Permanent Residency of Form 1-485 in the United States. Processing times vary. For example forms 1-485 has a 4 ½ month waiting period.

What Can Hurt Your Green Card Status

Did you ever think shoplifting could get you deported? Well if you are not a natural born citizen of the Untied States a simple misdemeanor can put your citizenship at risk. Committing a crime or felony can affect obtaining and current green card status tremendously. If a person has been arrested, accused, or convicted of a crime they must present documentation of this when applying for a green card. This includes offenses such as a DUI.

More information about green cards and the Naturalization process click here.

To see a slideshow on the topic of immigration and green cards click here.

Interview with Jorge Jimenez on the issue of a green card

Interview with Jorge Jimenez on green cards

In The Census We Trust?

admin / April 19, 2010

2010CensusHand

What’s the big deal about the 2010 Census? Well for millions in the Hispanic community the Census is a hot button issue that is on everyone’s mind. Many in the Hispanic community are hesitant about the 2010 Census because they do not know what the Census entails. The belief in certain parts of the Hispanic community is that the information from the Census will be used to incriminate those here undocumented. However, leaders in the community such as priests and political figures stress that the Census can only help Hispanics.

Recent studies have shown that efforts of such leaders are not in vain. Studies show that 9 out of 10 Hispanics will participate in the 2010 Census. This is partially due to the fact that Hispanics born outside of the United States know that the information will not be used to incriminate those of illegal status. However, studies show that it is those who have been in the United States many years that do not trust the Census.

The main goal is to reach those Hispanics who do not trust the government and convince them that the Census can only help rather than hurt. Yet, this could be a difficult task because many Hispanics have a deep mistrust of the government, especially those here undocumented.

Hispanics are 15% of the population but still tend to participate less than other groups in the Untied States. Nevertheless, Mark Hugo López, director of the Pew Hispanic Center, states that Spanish speaking media outlets such as Univision should show support to the Census so the Hispanic presence will be well represented in 2010.

Interview with Victor Orozco on the 2010 Census

nterview with Victor Orozco on the 2010 Census

Trail of Dreams

admin / March 22, 2010

“Sometimes we see numbers and we forget the faces.”

These are the words of 23-year-old Florida student Felipe Matos, referring to the 10.8 million immigrants living the United States undocumented, as estimated by the Department of Homeland Security.

Felipe is one of a group of four college students trekking 1,500 miles from Miami to Washington, DC to promote immigration reform through the DREAM Act.

But they are not driving. They are walking.

They call their journey “Trail of Dreams.”

This past week they toured the Upstate and I had the privilege of spending some time with them walking on the trail, at their place of shelter, and again when they spoke at my university. (photos of their journey)

For me, it was “Love at first read.” I heard about their movement about two months ago when I accidentally stumbled across their blog and have been virtually following them ever since via Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter.

The “Dreamers” have gained national attention from media outlets such as:

Along their journey they have encountered many who oppose the reform they are trying to bring about. (In Georgia, they were greeted by the KKK and Butch Conway, the Gwinnett county sheriff who is a major supporter of Proposition 287(g)!)

Immigration is a controversial subject and a comprehensive issue.

While I do not have everything figured out yet, I do know this: No human being is illegal.

Carlos put it well when he said, “We deserve to live in hope. Everyone deserves the chance to achieve their dreams.”

This is what they plan to tell President Obama when they arrive in DC on May 1^st.

And I plan to be there to hear it.

Trail podcast

Attention Wal-Mart Shoppers

admin / March 21, 2010

Imagine receiving a text message on your cell phone stating that you could not go to the store because as soon as you stepped through the doors you would be arrested and taken away. Well this scenario became a reality for millions of Latinos around the United States.

In the beginning of March millions of Latinos received a text message stating that Wal-Mart was working with ICE agents to stage immigration raids in the stores. However Wal-Mart has denounced such rumors and sent out a statement saying:

“The rumors circulating via text message, and other means, about Wal-Mart coordinating or supporting immigration raids in our stores are not true. These rumors are baseless and inaccurate.”

The text messages were received in Georgia, South Carolina, and New Jersey. All of which have a high concentration of Latino immigrants. Though the text messages were seen as a hoax their implications still put fear into those in the Latino community, which make up a large portion of Wal-Mart shoppers.

Recently it was commented on the news forums of Univision.com, by a person with the initials J.A.S.G., that two days after receiving the text message he went to Wal-Mart and saw ICE agents asking everyone for their papers but this was not confirmed.

Some say that the cause of the text messages was the push by the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR) to boycott Wal-Mart stores starting March 21^st to urge the corporation to support immigration reform. It is thought that it was someone from this organization who sent the text message.

No matter who sent the message I believe that it is counterproductive to the cause of immigration reform when people start to throw false accusation and cause unnecessary panic among a people who are already under the stress of waiting on the outcome of immigration reform.

A New Kind of Harvest This Year

admin / February 19, 2010

feliz!!! — migrant worker Feliz Gutierez Gomez on Indiana farm

Do you know who picked your fruit today? Well you might be a bit more interested with the passing of new regulations for H2A Visa for migrant workers by President Obama. President Obama reformed the past guest worker regulations from those of President Bush’s administration, which many felt favored the employer.

President Obama changed the regulations so that employees had more rights in terms of wages and contracts, while employers now have more responsibility in terms of documenting workers’ hours and better salaries for workers.

The majority of migrant workers in the United States are from Mexico and Central America and therefore the most affected by this new legislation. Many in the Hispanic community feel that the reforms are a much needed change to a system that exploited its workers. It would ensure that seasonal employees are paid fairly and treated as workers and not as pack mules.

The Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis stated to Univision. com that the changes to this program reflect the promise of “fair salaries and strong labor safeguards for the most vulnerable labor group.” However, those on the employer side of the situation feel that the H2A Visa’s.

Tom Nassif, president of Western Growers, stated that President Obama’s new regulations reverse President Bush’s old policy on migrant workers which made it easier for farmers to hire foreign workers. However I believe that this is only because the employers would now be forced to document the workers’ true hours and pay them accordingly and fairly.

Who is Covered?

Worker must be temporary/less than one year
Employer can show that work is truly temporary or seasonal

Requirements?

Employer must keep records of the hours each worker actually worked
Each worker must be provided a wage statement showing hours worked

Obama Falling Short in Immigration Reform?

admin / February 6, 2010

“Esperábamos más” or “We expected more” was the phrase that was in the minds of many Hispanic immigration activists after hearing President Obama’s first speech at the State of the Union Address. According to an article I read on Univision.com many in the Hispanic community feel that President Obama focused more on issues such as the economy, homeland security, the war in Iraq, and the earthquake in Haiti. Immigration activist Vanessa Cárdenas states, “This speech did not manifest the compromise that we wanted to see. There was no affirmative word. There are other priorities. To some extent he deceived us.”

Furthermore, the article states that he only spoke a few seconds on the issues of immigration reform and the legalization of undocumented citizens. I read his speech and unfortnately the only time immigration reform is mentioned is when President Obama states “And we should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system -– to secure our borders and enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation.”

After reading this article and President Obama’s speech I do believe that immigration activist such as Cárdenas have a point that it has been pushed to the side. However, I believe that this is due to the fact that the economy and issues such as health care and homeland security have been become more prominent to the majority of American citizens. However immigration reform is not an issue that can just be pushed under the rug. There still needs to be some work taking place to change the U.S. immigration system because it affects the lives millions of U.S. residents, legal or not.

President Obama’s State of the Union Address full text

Information about Immigration Reform Bill