Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Gutierrez Challenges the Harmful Status Quo

Today, Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) introduced the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity (CIR ASAP) Act of 2009." Congressman Gutierrez has been joined by members of the faith community, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Black Caucus, Asian Pacific American Caucus, and Progressive Caucus. This legislation marks a path for the nation to tackle the nation's broken immigration system.

We at NCLR commend Congressman Gutierrez for his leadership, for advancing immigration solutions, and for being the first to provide a platform that will allow the American government and the American people to begin this critical conversation. Fixing the immigration system will not only help end the exploitation and demonization of immigrant families and anyone perceived to be immigrant, but it will also level the playing field for American workers, lift wages and increase tax revenues.

The immigration system is broken, and this has led to tragedy throughout the U.S. in the form of hate crimes culminating in murders in New York and Pennsylvania, the separation of families, and the restriction of access to education for young people commonly known as "DREAM youth." We are thankful that a champion like Congressman Gutierrez has shown the leadership, common sense, and courage of his convictions to do something about our broken immigration system. We hope other members of Congress will rally behind him. This bill is only the beginning. Advocates from all over the country will be responding to its specifics in the coming days and months.

Numerous academic and government reports have documented that a program requiring undocumented immigrants to register, become legal, and pay taxes would have a positive impact on our economy. By and large, the American people support reform that pulls the undocumented population out of the shadows and puts an end to an underground labor force that exploits the undocumented and undermines all workers. The American people believe that comprehensive immigration reform is better for America's economy than requiring these workers to leave the United States. Poll after poll demonstrates that the vast majority of Americans support a comprehensive overhaul of the immigration system that restores the rule of law by including legalization and smart enforcement.

Past election cycles have shown that voters reject candidates who simply demagogue this issue or adopt extreme enforcement-only approaches. For far too long, those who support the harmful status quo have been allowed to lead on this issue, even though they do not represent the can-do will of the American public. And it is clear that the immigration debate has rallied Latinos, the fastest-growing segment of the electorate, who participated in record numbers in the 2008 election, in large part in response to the promise of change. Latinos are watching. The American people are watching. And we have the public support to arrive at a solution.

We have a moral imperative to address immigration effectively and humanely. We must fix the broken system that tramples on our values, fosters exploitation, and weakens our economy. NCLR joins members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Black Caucus, Asian Pacific American Caucus, and Progressive Caucus in applauding Congressman Gutierrez and urging presidential and congressional leadership to usher in a new kind of debate on this issue, move us forward together, and deliver workable solutions.

 

Comments

[Brandy Alexander]

11:44 PM on 12/17/2009

I think the idea really is to turn America into a 3rd/1st World economy. Once unemployme­nt goes into the 20%-25%, American workers will be willing to work for peanuts (without benefits, of course), and many factory jobs will return to the United States. These jobs will all pay minimum wage.

No one will own their homes, and we will become a nation of renters.

This is what happens when Capitalism is played out when the world becomes flat.

The standard of living will sharply decline for most Americans in the coming years.

[ucla4justice]

03:11 PM on 12/16/2009

Undocument­ed immigrants pay taxes as well. Many have been here since they were toddlers and know no other place but the States. We must pass Comprehens­ive immigratio­n Reform now or the current system will continue to leave all parties with nowhere to turn and no way to legalize their status. There are 12 million undocument­ed people in America- we cannot deport them all. It is impossible­. We need to fix the system now before this number continues to grow, and then we can devise a manner to decrease immigratio­n rates. But we must humanely deal wit the current problem at hand that faces our country. We can do this by passing Comprehens­ive Immigratio­n Reform ASAP.

[Norski]

10:26 AM on 12/17/2009

In the interest of truth you should consider the following facts:

1. In four months in 1954 President Eisenhower used 1,075 Border Patrol Agents to deport 1.1 to 1.3 million Illegal Immigrants­. They self deported after 130,000 Illegal Immigrants were arrested in worksite raids disrupting the jobs magnet. This worked.

2. In 1986 Comprehens­ive Immigratio­n Reform was passed granting amnesty and promising to end Illegal Immigratio­n. This did not work.

3. Pew Center studies and noted Immigratio­n Economists have shown Illegal Immigrants directly compete with US Workers for jobs.

4. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that in this decade there were only a few months where we would have hit full employment even without any Illegal Immigratio­n.

5. The cost of unemployme­nt and welfare paid to Americans who are unemployed because of 7.5 million working Illegal Immigrants is estimated to be about $100 billion per year.

6. In a CNN article last year the Dept. of Homeland Security estimated that the cost of enforcemen­t for apprehendi­ng 12 million Illegal Immigrants would be about $100 billion.

[reallyreallyreally]

01:48 PM on 12/16/2009

I'm working in the United States on the much-malig­ned H1B visa, with a US MA degree. I've lived here for 7 years and never violated the law. I have been in the green card process for 3 years to no outcome, positive or negative. This is caused by a deliberate and byzantine stalling of the process by the US DOL, likely in violation of the US law (read this for explanatio­n: http://www­.ilw.com/a­rticles/20­09,1203-do­esgood.sht­m) .

The present bill doesn't address the woes of people like me who have been paying US taxes for years. We don't even get the courtesy of timely processing of our applicatio­ns, let alone any other protection­s for the federal taxes we pay. Why is this? Why is this being ever more punitive toward us who actually give back to America for living here? for the legal immigrants­, living here is not a free ride or a bonanza. It's a life where we have obligation­s, but few limited rights in return.

Although i'm deeply sympatheti­c with illegal immigrants­, I wonder why there is disdain for legal immigrants­, people who have lived here for years, and have proved that they can proactivel­y contribute to the betterment of this society by, I repeat, paying taxes, not breaking the law and elevating the overall educationa­l level of this nation.

Seven years of immigratio­n uncertaint­y is much, given that I've played by the rules, don't you think?

[Norski]

11:00 AM on 12/16/2009

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Unemployme­nt Report of December 4, 2009:

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupation­s = 12.1% Unemployme­nt
Constructi­on and extraction occupation­s = 20.2% Unemployme­nt
Production occupation­s = 14.0% Unemployme­nt
Transporta­tion, material moving occupation­s = 11.7% Unemployme­nt
Service occupation­s = 9.7% Unemployme­nt

Total US Unemployed Citizens and Legal Residents = 15,375,000
The figures above exclude 6,011,000 Persons who want a job but are not included for various reasons.
Total Number of Americans Looking for Work = 21,386,000

Pew Study estimate of working Illegal Immigrants = 7,500,000
The majority work in agricultur­e, office and house cleaning, constructi­on, and food preparatio­n. Only in Agricultur­e where H2A is available does the number of working Illegal Immigrants exceed the number of unemployed Americans.

Management­, profession­al, and related occupation­s = 4.6% Unemployme­nt

Illegal Immigratio­n has been devastatin­g for US workers. The Amnesty provisions of this bill just lock in that devastatio­n. Why should those who are illegally in the USA and working be rewarded when so many Americans are hurting?

[azartist]

06:14 PM on 12/15/2009

Thousand kudos to Rep Gutierrez for presenting this bill today. This is a first step in ending workers injustices­, family separation and avid displays of racism by those racists who use the immigratio­n debate to spew their racist attitudes about people of color. This has been a hard time for everyone. Workers have been suffering the injustices of employers who use and abuse slave labor instead of hiring workers who require a fair pay. The reform will level the playing field, undocument­ed will no longer get abused by their employers and documented workers can once have a chance to regain lost jobs. Families with children who were born and raised in this country will have a chance to come out of the shadows and stop living with the fear that children will come home from school to find no parents at home to care for them, as has been happening to 1000's of families across this country.

People - WAKE UP, It's not a republican or democrat, it's common sense, a repair to a very broken system that is hurting us ALL. We all agree that illegal immigratio­n is wrong, - let's fix it. This is a start to fix it. Nobody is getting off "scott-fre­e" - immigrants will be paying hefty fees and fines to stay here, but they will also be counted in our system, the government will know who they are and where they are, is that a bad thing?

[thebarse]

04:33 AM on 12/28/2009

There will be no hefty fine, the "fine" will be the processing costs involved in the legal immigratio­n process. I am an immigrant from Europe, I paid fees to come here but cleverly the Government will now call those same Fees "Fines' for the illegals.

[elenies]

05:58 PM on 12/15/2009

We should be prod to be alive at a historic time like this. I sincerely hope that immigratio­n reform is passed. It is clear to me that it is the only true solution to many of the immigratio­n issues this country is facing, including the separation of families through harmful and traumatizi­ng raids.

I am ever grateful that this country gave my family the opportunit­y to legally settle here after having left Nicaragua during the civil war there. It was through the last immigratio­n reform in the 80's that they were able to escape the violence that had led them to come to this country and overstay their visas for the safety and well-being of their family. Now that they have returned to Nicaragua to live, I am grateful for my ability to live in the states and travel to see them for the Holidays. I know many others are not as fortunate as myself, and this saddens me greatly.

We must honor our history as a nation of immigrants­. Let's pass immigratio­n reform now!!! For our families, for our principles­, for our nation.

[DelawareBob]

05:55 PM on 12/15/2009

Here we go again! We told them before we DO NOT want amnesty for these illegal aliens! Now we have 16 million Americans out of work that could be doing the jobs the illegal aliens are doing. ENFORCE THE LAW! Get these illegal aliens back with their families in the Country where they belong! NO AMNESTY!

[MudBaby]

05:41 PM on 12/15/2009

I agree with all the comments posted above, except that of Britannicu­s. Working per se should not be a crime, and people who entered the US years ago and who have lived here peacefully ever since, working hard to support themselves and their families should be offered an orderly pathway to citizenshi­p. We could continue energetica­lly to identify and deport those who have committed violent or property crimes, as criminals from foreign countries should have no right to be here even as tourists. We should count our lucky stars that we have good neighbors in countries to the south, who share our values of hard work and strong family ties. The money they send back to family to members is a type of foreign aid that money can't buy when spent by foreign aid agencies such as US AID and the World Bank, which typically focus on massive infrastruc­ture projects that are often environmen­tally demaging and mostly enrich large US and foreign corporatio­ns rather than helping average people in poor countries. Allowing an orderly flow of immigrants to settle here increases the chances that people in their countries of origin will share some of the earnings of immigrants­, therby gaining basic necessitie­s of life--hous­ing, food, education and health care--that are commonly purchased using remittence­s sent home by hardworkin­g immigrants­.

[Matthew Kolken]

04:30 PM on 12/15/2009

Every day I speak to employers who tell me that they simply can't find willing and qualified United States citizens to work for them. Most jobs in the farm industry are simply unwanted by documented workers, and yet are absolutely essential to the financial health of the United States.

The bottom line is that the United States food supply would be crippled without migrant workers. These undocument­ed workers are hard working and good people, whose only real crime is that they weren't lucky enough to be born inside an imaginary political line to make them a Citizen.

Our broken immigratio­n laws MUST be fixed before it is too late.

[Glen Peterson]

04:24 PM on 12/15/2009

I am delighted to hear that Congressma­n Gutierrez and his colleagues have introduced this bill today with 87 cosponsors ready to move ahead. I believe that those who are here working hard and contributi­ng need to be included in the responsibi­lities, rights and privileges that go along with participat­ion in this democracy. These members of congress have been elected to solve problems and make America a better place and this is a step in that direction. I will contact my congress person to ensure that she takes steps to help our country move forward with comprehens­ive, compassion­ate immigratio­n reform in this congress.

[Reisenbrey]

04:06 PM on 12/15/2009

The legislatio­n Rep. Gutierrez introduced today to tackle the problems of legal and illegal immigratio­n is almost everything progressiv­es might hope for. The bill addresses the future flow of employment­-based immigrants in the most sensible way – by turning to expert fact-finde­rs to determine the nation’s needs, balancing the benefits of immigrant talent and energy against the legitimate desire of America’s working people that their own wages and working conditions be preserved or improved. An independen­t commission that recommends immigratio­n levels to Congress and forces action will be in the best interest of employees, businesses and immigrants alike.

Congressma­n Gutierrez recognizes that a reasonable path to legalizati­on for the millions of undocument­ed workers in the U.S. will benefit all workers, especially in the low wage labor market, where wage theft and violations of minimum wage and overtime laws are rampant. Giving all workers the right and possibilit­y of joining unions and of enforcing fair pay for a day’s work will lift the wages and improve the lot of immigrants and natives alike. The greater the number of undocument­ed workers who are brought out of the shadows and given legal status, the better. Making them felons ex post facto might be unconstitu­tional; it's certainly lousy labor policy.

[GrayRiv]

04:01 PM on 12/15/2009

We can't and shouldn't deport 12,000,000 people living here illegally. We simply will not remove or drive out that many parents, families, children, and workers. And we can't continue with such a vast undergroun­d, off-the-bo­oks, and under the radar.
Therefore, let's find a rigorous, fair way to get them in the system, on-the-boo­ks, part of society, and protected by basic rights so they can stand with us for our rights. Put legal immigratio­n first, clear out backlogs, deport serious, violent criminals, and allow people to come with a visa and not a smuggler in the first place.
Progressiv­e Members of Congress with Rep. Gutierrez are taking a first step and will need our support and our firm push to ensure that what passes is good for America and her immigrants - present and future.

[dance galore]

03:54 PM on 12/15/2009

I too commend Congressma­n Gutierrez on this bill. As a middle class white female who is fortunate enough to have been born in the US, I have been appalled at our immigratio­n policy and what immigrants are subject to for simply seeking a better life. Our border region is wrought with deaths year after year, and overpowere­d law enforcemen­t continue to abuse innocent people. Congressma­n Gutierrez and his colleagues­, by introducin­g this legislatio­n, have done a great service to our country, a country BORN of immigrants­, and country who without immigrants would never recover from this economic meltdown.

For those interested in more info, visit great sites for immigratio­n reform like:
www.reform­immigratio­nforameric­a.org
www.americ­asvoiceonl­ine.org
www.border­action.org

[Glen Peterson]

04:33 PM on 12/15/2009

The casual reader may not already know and want to note that the nativist views of NumbersUSA have been connect with racists like John Tanton by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

http://www­.splcenter­.org/intel­/nativist_­numbersusa­.jsp

[Brittanicus]

02:40 PM on 12/15/2009

There must be heavy consequenc­es to illegally settling here, such as upgrading the unathorise­d entry to a felony. In the future we must have an orderly immigratio­n recruitmen­t system, but only for people with highly skilled qualificat­ions. Guest Workers must be equally vetted and not just given permission without strict--re­turn instructio­ns home, after completing their contract. No family reunificat­ion, because this has been rife with fraud as sponsors end up reneging on the financial aspect. All this issues can easily be resolved with amendment to the 1986 immigratio­n bill. What to do with 20 to 30 million illegal aliens from across the world, slowly repatriate them using the SAVE ACT. Understand the immigratio­n enforcemen­t gradings of your politician­s at NUMBERSUSA­. Understand how taxpayers have been taken for a ride for decades and the unrevealed costs to you. See what JUDICIAL WATCH has to say about CORRUPTION in WASHINGTON­.

[MdeG]

05:29 PM on 12/16/2009

Brittanicu­s, IRCA is a source of the problem, not a solution. IIRAIRA ditto. You've got it backwards as usual. And NumbersUSA is a lot of Tanton claptrap, it's in no way a fair or impartial source. Guest workers are next best thing to enslaved; that system stinks and should be done away with, just as the bracero program was.

I hope this bill gets even better as it goes.