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February 4, 2013 at 9:27pm
Last week, Obama spoke in Las Vegas about his administration’s view on what it believes comprehensive immigration reform to be, which resembled very much like what the Gang of 8 introduced as well.
Both proposals featured requisites and language very similar to the proposal of 2007, only with an emphasis on MORE enforcement.
In the fiscal year of 2012, the United States spent MORE money on immigration law enforcement than all other prime federal law enforcement branches COMBINED:
This numbers game is just the beginning.
Because a lot of the rhetoric in the "new" proposals being pushed forth by the Gang of 8 and the Obama administration resembles very much like the one voted on in 2007, we took a deeper look at what "earned legalization".
The past couple of immigration reform proposals featured four main requisites that applicants needed to fulfill in order to be considered for legalization:
1. English-language proficiency
2. Employment verification
3. Proof of continued presence in the United States
4. Fees and fines
Using the data that MPI gathered and analyzed, we were able to construct the following four infographics for each requisite.
1. English-language proficiency
Proposals in 2006 and 2007 required that applicants be proficient at a Level 3 or 4 on the National Reporting System for Adult Education (NRS scale). The Migration Policy Institute found that in 2008, a third of all undocumented adults scored below a Level 3 in English proficiency, and that a significant majority scored below a Level 4.
Who would be left out? Older immigrants, for whom grasping a new language at these levels of proficiency would be very daunting, as well as those with less education (many have never had any formal education and are illiterate and/or don’t know how to write) and very limited means, resources, and time to invest in learning a new language.
2. Employment Verification
Though the vast majority of undocumented adults have found employment in the United States, there’s a significant percentage who would have a difficult time proving employment for a variety of reasons:
taking care of family (small children and elderly)
going to school
ill and disabled
retired
couldn’t find work
Who would be left out? Sources state that women, moreso than men, would not qualify under this provision, as a significant percentage of them are homemakers and caretakers, man who may also work informally from home. Also, a significant number of adults (age 18+) who are going to school full-time would not qualify under this provision.
3. Proof of Continued Presence in the U.S.
Different proposals in the past have had different requirements that place the burden of proof of continued presence on the applicant, ranging from one year to 5+ years. MPI found the following:
Who would be left out? The vast majority of those affected by this provision would be undocumented children, who usually follow their parents into the Untied States once their parents are able to make arrangements to bring them over after settling and finding stability.
4. Fees and Fines
Past proposals required that applicants pay fines and fees (on top of taxes and any back taxes), ranging from $1,000 to nearly $10,000. In 2007, fines and fees neared $10,000 per applicant.
Who would be left out? Considering that nearly 40% of undocumented households in 2007 had income of at $40k, while a third of undocumented households had income between $20k – $40k, a fee of $10k per person is an insurmountable fee. For 25% of all undocumented households, a $10k fine is HALF of their entire household income.
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After it’s all said and done, we figured that, if a 2013 proposal looks anything similar to 2007’s, we expect to see approximately 6 million people (over half) of all undocumented immigrants be LEFT OUT from an opportunity towards legalization.
This is NOT what Latinos voted for. We did not vote to see members of our communities and families be LEFT OUT of the conversation with no consideration.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 28: (L-R) U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), and Senate Majority Whip Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) listen during a news conference on a comprehensive immigration reform framework January 28, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. A group of bipartisan senate members have reached to a deal of outlines to reform the national immigration laws that will provide a pathway for the 11 million illegal immigrants in the country to citizenship. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) 2013 Getty Images
Please spread this information. Going along with this immigration conversation as it’s currently being framed means too much possibility for exploitation, fear, injustice, and pain.
[www.presente.org/11million]
In solidarity,
Presente.org
