Hi Everyone, This article came out as part of our rally to kick off the 100 days campaign in Chicago. I really like this idea and think we can should capitalize on it. We should try to incorporate the idea that the economy, and society in general, cannot improve if reforms do not include 5% of the population who are way at the bottom. These are the undocumented workers. What are your thoughts? Can we make a strong case for why it is in the best interest of the American economy to legalize the workers and stop the raids of terror?
I'd love to hear your thoughts. Doris Hispanic community: Fixing immigration law is step toward helping economy Kalyn Belsha Medill The economy tops the list of Hispanic concerns for the new administration, according to a new study released last week, with immigration ranking sixth. Nonetheless, Chicago organizers and Hispanic advocates pushing for an executive order to stop deportations and raids say the issues are equally important, and that fixing the economy and fixing immigration law are just two sides of the same coin. "If you want to talk about unemployment and jobs, you have to add in immigration issues," said Jorge Mújica, who helped to organize an immigration rights rally in the Federal Plaza Wednesday evening. "The way in which we are treating immigrants is a measure by which you are treating the workforce in America." According to the study issued by the Pew Hispanic Center last week, 57 percent of Hispanics say the economy is extremely important as an issue, up from 45 percent in 2007. Immigration was extremely important to 31 percent of Hispanic respondents in the most recent survey, down from 37 percent in 2007. But Mark Hugo Lopez, associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center and one of the report's authors, said just because the economy is the top concern, "doesn't mean it's not entangled with immigration." "Recently the economy has become No. 1 partially because it hit Latinos harder," Lopez said, citing higher unemployment rates among Hispanics as reason for their increased concern. "While immigration has slipped as a priority, it doesn't mean it's not important to Latinos." Lopez said in a previous study when Hispanics were asked about their concern for specific immigration issues, responses were more drastic. In the December 2007 Pew Hispanic Center survey, 75 percent of Hispanics said they disapproved of workplace raids and 64 percent said Congress' stalled debate over immigration reform had made their lives more difficult. Advocates at the Wednesday night rally said demanding an executive order from President Obama, which could give representatives time to draft and debate a new immigration bill, and would save the U.S. money by cutting down on expenditures by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. "ICE raids don't work," said a speaker at the rally, Irene Lehrer Sandalow, who is the director of outreach and education at the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. "They have not made our country safer. They will not make our economy stronger. The billions of dollars spent beefing up immigration and customs enforcement agencies is a complete waste of public dollars." In fiscal 2009, ICE will spend $2.48 billion on the detention and removal of illegal immigrants alone, according to agency documents. This figure is up from the $2.38 billion it spent in fiscal 2008. With Obama's signature scrawled on three new executive orders Thursday morning, including one that makes good on his campaign promise to close Guantánamo's detention camps within a year, advocates for immigration reform are hoping Obama will issue an order to help another group he made promises to during the campaign. "President Obama did say on the campaign trail that raids aren't working and they're tearing apart families," said Fred Tsao, policy director at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. "I think he gets it. The question is whether or not he wants to spend the political will. He obviously has a lot on his plate right now [but] I think there's a good likelihood." --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Internet group address: http://groups.google.com/group/ChicagoMayDay To send e-mail: [email protected] To unsuscribe: [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
