Immigration Issues

1
Immigration Issues

• By
• Dr. Phil Kingsleys Section of Christian Values
  in a Global Community

2
Demographics
3
Demographic Trends in Allen County

• Of the approximately 106,000 people living in
  Allen County, at most 6,000 are Hispanic, both
  legal and illegal.
• That would make up only 5 of the total
  population of Allen County.

4
Number of illegal immigrants

• There is no possible way to determine the number
  of illegal immigrants located within the Allen
  county area, but estimates range from 2,000 to
  5,000.

5
Population Facts

• Hispanics make up 12.5 percent of the Nations
  population. That number would more than double
  if illegal's were counted.
• This puts Ohio far behind the National average
  for total Hispanic Population.

6
Response to Illegal Immigrants

• Is Sherriff Dan Beck making a mountain out of a
  mole hill by cracking down on Illegal
  immigration?
• The Hispanic Population in Allen county is
  relatively small and has generally followed the
  larger population trends of the county.

7
Solutions

• The effort and money spent by the County on
  weeding out illegal immigrants could be put to
  more positive uses that embrace the Positive
  aspects of Hispanics in the county rather than
  Alienating them.

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Agricultural Impacts of Immigration
9
Sectors Where Immigrants Work

• Construction
• Landscaping
• Agriculture
• Farming
• Livestock
• Grain Farms
• Fruit Orchards
• Vegetable Farms

10
Importance of Immigrants to Agriculture in
Economic Sense

• Farmers do not want to use legal immigrants
  because they have to be paid more and their labor
  conditions are monitored. Illegal immigrants do
  not have to be paid much and do not have any
  legal rights in this country, which means they
  are not protected from harsh labor conditions.
• If illegal immigrants were removed, legal
  immigrants would be the main option for farmers,
  because most Americans want office jobs or jobs
  with less manual labor.
• This would force farmers to pay their workers
  more and they would be forced to become more
  mechanized then they are now.

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Organizations Representing Farm Labors

• Agencies receive grants from the United States
  Department of Labor and other governmental
  entities to administer programs that upgrade farm
  workers skills and provide essential education,
  including English proficiency for those whose
  native tongue is another language.
• gt Farm Labor Organization Committee (FLOC)
• a union representing migrant farm workers
• Formorally organized in 1979 as a union
• Headed by Baldemar Velasquez (Bluffton Alumni)
• Farm workers' labor helps feed others in America,
  yet they themselves are one of the most
  socioeconomic deprived groups in the country.

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Organizations Representing Farm Labors

• Future Goal of FLOC learn how to make farm work
  an occupation with acceptable conditions for
  those people whose labor produces food for other
  Americans, rather than to cycle people through an
  occupation that inherently involves deprived
  conditions.
• According to FLOC, Another possible solution is
  extending to farm workers the same legal rights
  enjoyed by other American workers. As already
  indicated, farm workers experience general lack
  of legal protections, reduced standards, and
  un-enforced rights.
• Because of the FLOC, Farm workers now participate
  as equals in determining their own wages and
  benefits in some areas.

13
Conditions and Experiences of Immigrant Farm
workers

• The work that farm workers perform is often
  backbreaking labor that Americans do not favor
  even in times of high unemployment.
• Immigrant farm workers work long hours (12-14
  hour days) with no overtime pay
• Undocumented workers are disqualified from social
  programs as well such as food stamps, social
  security benefits, etc.
• Undocumented laborers also experience racial
  discrimination in work and social environments
  because most immigrant laborers are non-white.

14
Overall Economic Impacts
15
Effects on Mexico

• President Vicente Foxthat Mexico should have the
  right to export its surplus workers to the United
  States.
• Fewer Mexicans to work the available jobs
• Eliminates creation of exported goods
• Mexicans with permission to work in the United
  States will want to bring their families north to
  live with them
• decreasing the amount of money the immigrants
  send home to Mexico by as much as 40

16
Impact of NAFTA

• Their purpose
• PROMOTE sustainable development
• PROTECT, enhance, and enforce basic workers'
  rights
• CONTRIBUTE to the harmonious development and
  expansion of world trade and provide a catalyst
  to broader international cooperation
• The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),
  and institutional reforms have kept lots of
  workers in Mexico
• NAFTA raised wages for most Mexicans
• NAFTA is working, increasing the efficiency
• auto plants on both sides of the border, as
  factories specialize in one model for a bigger
  market
• US jobs that would probably otherwise have gone
  to Asia went to Mexico, increasing the likelihood
  that US workers will produce parts for the
  Mexican plants.

17
Providing Assistance

• US must aid Mexico
• Funding
• Jobs
• Trade
• According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, many
  U.S. cities annual economic output rivals those
  of entire foreign countries.
• There is no reason that resource-rich countries
  like Mexico and others in Latin America cannot
  approach such prosperity.
• To ease the tide of unauthorized migrants, U.S.
  foreign policy must seek to balance economies.
• North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA)

18
Is Immigration Good for the Economy Nationally

• Illegal immigrants seem to have very little
  impact on unemployment rates. Undocumented
  workers certainly do take jobs that would
  otherwise go to legal workers. But undocumented
  workers also create demand that leads to new
  jobs. They buy food and cars and cell phones,
  they get haircuts and go to restaurants. On
  average, there is close to no net impact on the
  unemployment rate.

19
Is Immigration Good for the Economy Nationally

• Illegal immigration has both negative and
  positive impacts on different parts of the
  economy. Wages for low-skilled workers go down.
  But that means the rest of America benefits by
  paying lower prices for things like restaurant
  meals, agricultural produce and construction.
  Another negative impact is on government
  expenditures. Since undocumented workers
  generally don't pay income taxes but do use
  schools and other government services, they are
  seen as a drain on government spending.

20
Local Economic Issues

• In five years, if we do not work on this issue,
  it will be the single most significant issue from
  a crime and quality-of-life standpoint in this
  county, Beck said. We want to work as best as
  we can to get this curtailed before it becomes a
  problem. (Lima News August 14, 2005)
• Prior to Sheriff Dan Beck, City of Lima Mayoral
  candidate Ned Bushong while on WIMA was quoted as
  saying that Procter Gamble had hired up to 200
  immigrant workers at its Bath Township facility.
  He also said he had noticed increased requests
  for Spanish interpreters over the police scanner,
  so he just connected that with the immigrants
  rumor. He told The Lima News he heard the
  immigrant rumor from union leaders, but he didnt
  verify either the rumor or his hunch before
  voicing them on air. (Lima News July 23, 2005)

21
Illegal Immigration in Ohio

• An estimated 40,000 illegal aliens resided in
  Ohio as of 2000, according to INS figures. This
  is 173 percent higher than the previous INS
  estimate in 1996 and 220 percent higher than the
  estimate for 1990. In the mid-1990s, central
  Ohios immigration office in central Ohio had
  only one staffer today, the office has 22
  employees and is struggling to keep pace with the
  workload.
• Ohio authorities requested compensation of 3.5
  million from the federal government in FY99 for
  the incarceration of illegal aliens in state and
  local jails and prisons (under the federal State
  Criminal Alien Assistance Program, or SCAAP), but
  it received only 1.3 million in compensation,
  leaving 2.2 million in uncompensated costs to be
  borne by Ohio taxpayers.

22
Local Immigration Statistics

• State Population (2004 CB estimate) 11,459,011
• Population Increase 1990-2000 506,025
• Foreign-Born Population 388,800
• Percent Foreign-Born 3.4
• Illegal Resident Population 40,000
• 2025 Population Projection 11,700,000
• All numbers are from the U.S. Census Bureau
  unless otherwise noted. Additional Census Bureau,
  INS, and other immigration-related data are
  available for Ohio.

23
Amnesty
24
Discussions on National Level

• Sensenbrenner Bill (H.R. 4437)
• Classify all 11 million undocumented immigrants
  working in the U.S. as aggravated felons,
  subjecting them to deportation and imprisonment
  and depriving them of any access to a hearing
  prior to deportation.
• Senate Compromise
• Undocumented immigrants in the U.S. less than two
  years would be required to leave immediately,
  those between two and five years will be allowed
  to stay in the U.S. under temporary visas, those
  in the U.S. longer than five years will be
  granted guest worker status and can start an
  eleven year path to citizenship.
• Bushs Proposed Program
• President Bush also proposed a temporary worker
  program in January of 2004. This program is also
  non-sector specific for new temporary workers.

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Penalties of Illegal Immigration

• Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant
  Responsibility Act of 1996
• Illegal aliens with six to 12 months of unlawful
  presence are barred for three years
• those here for more than a year illegally are
  barred for 10 years.

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Penalties Upon Conviction

• Aliens and employers violating immigration laws
  are subject To
• Criminal fines
• Imprisonment
• Forfeiture of Vehicles and real property used to
  commit the crime.
• Anyone employing or contracting with an illegal
  alien without verifying his work authorization
  status is guilty of a Misdemeanor.

27
Necessary Actions

• Increased monitoring of local business or
  agricultural hiring practices and increased
  penalty for offenders.
• Increased number of temporary workers visas and
  make process to receive one easier.
• Rewrite immigration code and application to make
  it more user friendly.
• Increase in local police trained to be federal
  immigration agents.

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From the Immigrants Viewpoint

• Immigrants see themselves as political or
  economic refugees.
• Desire another blanket amnesty so they can stay
  in the country.

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Border and Security IssueswithinIllegal
Immigration
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Concerns and Solutions of Border Security and
Immigration Reform

• Concerns
• Pressures our schools/hospitals
• Strains our law enforcement resources and
  emergency services
• Allows gangs and violence to enter U.S.
• Solutions
• Secure border to prevent illegal crossing
• Strengthen enforcement of immigration laws
• Create a temporary worker program

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Three Part Plan to Secure Borders

• Part One Return every illegal immigrant caught
  at the border
• Interior Repatriation Fly and/or bus illegal
  Mexican citizens back to their hometowns .
• Expedited Removal Fly illegal immigrants from
  other countries home within 32 days.
• Part Two Strengthen border enforcement
• Part Three Stop illegal immigrants from crossing
  border in the first place
• Increase manpower, technological advancements,
  and funding construct physical barriers
  immigration reform stop document fraud create a
  temporary worker program.

32
View of Illegal Immigration from Illegal
Immigrants

• Issue of humanity, not right-or-wrongness of
  immigration.
• We should see everyone as people first, and
  admire their attempts to better their lives and
  their families lives (an act of survival).
• Within the issue of border patrol, the hardest
  place to travel through is Mexico (due to rape,
  robbery, vigilantes, etc.).

33
View of Illegal Immigration from Border Patrol
and Vigilante Groups

• Stop the flow of illegal immigrants by patrolling
  (boat, car, foot).
• Trying to make the U.S. a more secure nation
• Vigilante groups work this issue on a
  volunteer-basis.
• Both groups patrol hot-spot areas where illegal's
  are more apt to cross.
• Immigrants should all go through legal channels
  to enter the U.S., and illegal's make that more
  difficult.

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What Then Shall We Do???
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Ways to Get Involved

• Local groups such as Brazo en Brazo.
• Letters to the Editor.
• Lobbying Congressmen and Local Officials.
• Raise awareness of the issue, by presenting facts
  instead of speculations.
• Participate in demonstrations.
• Bring in professionals involved with the issue to
  speak and give information.