Sitting in federal immigration court here in Dallas provides insights into the current national struggle for reform, as well as the heritage we enjoy as a people. While often enraged by the manner in which our current policy is working against so many great people who desire to be part of our national life, I am moved by the personal stories that unfold in the courtroom.
Monica's hearing Monday was set last on the docket, so we heard every other case before lunch. I took some notes as I listened.
One man from Mexico received "voluntary deportation," which means he has to be out of the country in 120 days, the maximum delay the court can award. In determining the length of his "grace period," the judge asked him how much time he needed to leave. His answer revealed that he would need to sell his home before leaving. The man, in his mid-thirties, was obviously a very hard working provider for his family, who were also present in the courtroom.
Obviously, I don't know his story. But if first impressions mean anything, he impressed me as the sort of gentleman I'd love to have for a next door neighbor. He paid property taxes. He worked hard. He was an asset to our community. But he must leave.
Then, there was the woman from El Salvador who had applied for asylum under the immigration statute. She had no attorney because she could not afford the fee required by the lawyers she consulted and Catholic Charities was receiving no new clients. With her was her precious baby girl. She appeared to be about 9 or 10 months old. The judge seemed perplexed by her situation and didn't know what do advise regarding counsel.
Liz, Monica's attorney, signaled the judge and he asked the woman to step outside for a moment with Liz to discuss her case. It seemed a very unusual and compassionate move by the judge. I joined them outside the courtroom to offer our support. Liz calmly laid out a strategy for helping her out. Liz, a Catholic Charities probono attorney, will represent her and Central Dallas Ministries will be there as well going forward. When we returned to the court and her case continued it was very clear that the judge appreciated Liz's responsiveness.
When things were complete, the judge invited the woman to bring her baby up to the bench. The judge took the child in his arms and played with her and encouraged the mother. I later learned that the judge is expecting his first grandchild, a little boy.
Returning to the courtroom, we heard the end of the case of an 11-year-old boy. He had evidently been picked up at the border when fleeing from El Salvador and placed under the supervision of the court. The judge reviewed his report card and directed him to return to court in early summer. Who knows what his status will be at that time.
Another man appeared before the court without representation. He could not afford an attorney. He accepted voluntary deportation in four months. As his hearing concluded, it was clear that his main concern was to recover the bond his father-in-law had put up when he was detained. He seemed to care more about that obligation than his own future. Listening to him was very sad to me.
During the proceedings, others were deported or received voluntary departure status. Each story was compelling.
One aspect shared in common by all who were in the court to appear before the bar of the U. S. Department of Justice seemed to be economics. Almost all were poor or very poor. Many had no representation before the court. All were working people.
I don't think anyone, no matter what their ideology or politics, could sit in this courtroom and not be touched by the dilemmas facing good people who are here for many different reasons, all of which tie back to the essence of the dream our nation holds up to the whole world.
They want to be here.
Who can blame them?
.
Showing posts with label immigration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label immigration. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Texan of the Year 2007
Every year The Dallas Morning News names its "Texan of the Year." Usually the editorial board selects some notable or news making individual.
This year's choice was a shocker.
2007 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year: The Illegal Immigrant.
The feature article accompanying the announcement is definitely worth reading. Here's just a bit of it to whet your appetite for more:
He is at the heart of a great culture war in Texas – and the nation, credited with bringing us prosperity and blamed for abusing our resources. How should we deal with this stranger among us?
He breaks the law by his very presence. He hustles to do hard work many Americans won't, at least not at the low wages he accepts. The American consumer economy depends on him. America as we have known it for generations may not survive him. . . .
We can't seem to live with him and his family, and if we can live without him, nobody's figured out how. . . .
Given the public mood, there seems to be little middle ground in debate over illegal immigrants. Spectacular fights over their presence broke out across Texas this year, adding to the national pressure cooker as only Texas can.
To their champions, illegal immigrants are decent, hardworking people who, like generations of European immigrants before them, just want to do better for their families and who contribute to America's prosperity. They must endure hatred and abuse by those of us who want the benefits of cheap labor but not the presence of illegal immigrants.
Especially here in Texas, his strong back and willing heart help form the cornerstone of our daily lives, in ways that many of us do not, or will not, see. The illegal immigrant is the waiter serving margaritas at our restaurant table, the cook preparing our enchiladas. He works grueling hours at a meatpacking plant, carving up carcasses of cattle for our barbecue (he also picks the lettuce for our burgers). He builds our houses and cuts our grass. She cleans our homes and takes care of our children.
Yet to those who want them sent home, illegal immigrants are essentially lawbreakers who violate the nation's borders. They use public resources – schools, hospitals – to which they aren't entitled and expect to be served in a foreign language. They're rapidly changing Texas neighborhoods, cities and culture, and not always for the better. Those who object get tagged as racists.
Whatever and whoever else the illegal immigrant is, everybody has felt the tidal wave of his presence. According to an analysis of government data by the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies, Texas' immigrant population has jumped a whopping 32.7 percent since 2000, a period in which immigration to the United States has exceeded, in sheer numbers, all previous historical eras. Half the immigrants in the state – 7 percent of all Texans – are estimated to be here illegally.
Though many would agree that the status quo cannot be sustained – more illegal immigrants arrive each year than legal ones, a sure sign that the system is a joke – neither Texas nor the nation seemed nearer in 2007 to resolving this complex crisis. We can't deport 12 million people who already live here, but we can't leave our back door open indefinitely. Compromise comes hard because the issue is tangled up with the most basic aspects of everyday life, down to the core of what it means to be American. . . .
Read the entire essay at: http://www.
dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion
/texanofyear/.
__________________________________________
Yesterday, I attended a very useful conference sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women--Greater Dallas Section.
It was most instructive to hear a wide range of public officials and leaders, including Mayor Tom Leppert, County Commissioner Maurine Dickey, DISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and D Magazine publisher Wick Allison--a group covering a fairly wide political spectrum--all agree that our nation needs comprehensive immigration reform.
All called for the provision of a clear track to citizenship for undocumented persons currently living in the country.
All were critical of local government bodies and law enforcement taking on this issue without clear public policy support from the federal government.
At last, voices of reason!
Several of these leaders also denounced the silly idea of building a fence. I loved Mr. Allison's line harkening back to what Ronald Reagan once said about the Berlin Wall, "Mr. Bush don't build that wall!"
Clearly, most Americans favor reform that provides current immigrants an authorized way to stay in the U. S.--on the order of about 2 to 1. Politicizing the issue has only served to bring out extreme spokespersons, as has been the case in our nation's past.
Dr. Hinajosa made a compelling argument for developing an education track for immigrant youth to be trained as public school teachers who could then fill the hundreds of positions needing bi-lingual instructors.
I've always wondered why we Anglos didn't insist that our schools teach everyone Spanish. Students working on two languages together might actually help one another and build a stronger America. And, in the process, they would eliminate the need for Spanish classes in college. Everyone could study French, Chinese, Russian, Farsi or Classical Greek!
Why are we so afraid?
Why so faithless about our neighbors?
.
This year's choice was a shocker.
2007 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year: The Illegal Immigrant.
The feature article accompanying the announcement is definitely worth reading. Here's just a bit of it to whet your appetite for more:
He is at the heart of a great culture war in Texas – and the nation, credited with bringing us prosperity and blamed for abusing our resources. How should we deal with this stranger among us?
He breaks the law by his very presence. He hustles to do hard work many Americans won't, at least not at the low wages he accepts. The American consumer economy depends on him. America as we have known it for generations may not survive him. . . .
We can't seem to live with him and his family, and if we can live without him, nobody's figured out how. . . .
Given the public mood, there seems to be little middle ground in debate over illegal immigrants. Spectacular fights over their presence broke out across Texas this year, adding to the national pressure cooker as only Texas can.
To their champions, illegal immigrants are decent, hardworking people who, like generations of European immigrants before them, just want to do better for their families and who contribute to America's prosperity. They must endure hatred and abuse by those of us who want the benefits of cheap labor but not the presence of illegal immigrants.
Especially here in Texas, his strong back and willing heart help form the cornerstone of our daily lives, in ways that many of us do not, or will not, see. The illegal immigrant is the waiter serving margaritas at our restaurant table, the cook preparing our enchiladas. He works grueling hours at a meatpacking plant, carving up carcasses of cattle for our barbecue (he also picks the lettuce for our burgers). He builds our houses and cuts our grass. She cleans our homes and takes care of our children.
Yet to those who want them sent home, illegal immigrants are essentially lawbreakers who violate the nation's borders. They use public resources – schools, hospitals – to which they aren't entitled and expect to be served in a foreign language. They're rapidly changing Texas neighborhoods, cities and culture, and not always for the better. Those who object get tagged as racists.
Whatever and whoever else the illegal immigrant is, everybody has felt the tidal wave of his presence. According to an analysis of government data by the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies, Texas' immigrant population has jumped a whopping 32.7 percent since 2000, a period in which immigration to the United States has exceeded, in sheer numbers, all previous historical eras. Half the immigrants in the state – 7 percent of all Texans – are estimated to be here illegally.
Though many would agree that the status quo cannot be sustained – more illegal immigrants arrive each year than legal ones, a sure sign that the system is a joke – neither Texas nor the nation seemed nearer in 2007 to resolving this complex crisis. We can't deport 12 million people who already live here, but we can't leave our back door open indefinitely. Compromise comes hard because the issue is tangled up with the most basic aspects of everyday life, down to the core of what it means to be American. . . .
Read the entire essay at: http://www.
dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion
/texanofyear/.
__________________________________________
Yesterday, I attended a very useful conference sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women--Greater Dallas Section.
It was most instructive to hear a wide range of public officials and leaders, including Mayor Tom Leppert, County Commissioner Maurine Dickey, DISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and D Magazine publisher Wick Allison--a group covering a fairly wide political spectrum--all agree that our nation needs comprehensive immigration reform.
All called for the provision of a clear track to citizenship for undocumented persons currently living in the country.
All were critical of local government bodies and law enforcement taking on this issue without clear public policy support from the federal government.
At last, voices of reason!
Several of these leaders also denounced the silly idea of building a fence. I loved Mr. Allison's line harkening back to what Ronald Reagan once said about the Berlin Wall, "Mr. Bush don't build that wall!"
Clearly, most Americans favor reform that provides current immigrants an authorized way to stay in the U. S.--on the order of about 2 to 1. Politicizing the issue has only served to bring out extreme spokespersons, as has been the case in our nation's past.
Dr. Hinajosa made a compelling argument for developing an education track for immigrant youth to be trained as public school teachers who could then fill the hundreds of positions needing bi-lingual instructors.
I've always wondered why we Anglos didn't insist that our schools teach everyone Spanish. Students working on two languages together might actually help one another and build a stronger America. And, in the process, they would eliminate the need for Spanish classes in college. Everyone could study French, Chinese, Russian, Farsi or Classical Greek!
Why are we so afraid?
Why so faithless about our neighbors?
.
Monday, December 24, 2007
El Jesus, the illegal
Advent is a season embedded in the Christian calendar when we are taught lessons about waiting, a waiting that leads us to Christmas and the arrival of the child we've been longing to receive and greet.
Toward the chronological end of the narratives of the birth of Jesus we discover these words:
"When they had gone [the Magi], an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. 'Get up,' he said, 'take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.' So, he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod" (Matthew 2:13-15a).
King Herod, the Jewish leader, issued a binding executive order that all the male children two-years-old and under in the environs of Bethlehem be executed. No doubt, to defy such an order would have been illegal and likely a capital offense.
Border security being lacking between Israel and Egypt allowed Joseph to become a migrant refugee in a foreign nation that shared a border to the south with his homeland.
This story always reminds me of friends I made in New Orleans and here in Dallas who fled to the U. S., usually without documentation, seeking safety from the death squads of Guatemala and El Salvador in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Overall though, the story reveals that Jesus himself, as a very young child, was the equivalent of an undocumented immigrant in Egypt. In many ways he was illegal.
Somehow this Christmas I'm believing the story could be instructional for people of faith as we continue to consider the issues associated with undocumented residents of our communities who've come seeking better lives, safety and new hope.
What do you think?
.
Toward the chronological end of the narratives of the birth of Jesus we discover these words:
"When they had gone [the Magi], an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. 'Get up,' he said, 'take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.' So, he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod" (Matthew 2:13-15a).
King Herod, the Jewish leader, issued a binding executive order that all the male children two-years-old and under in the environs of Bethlehem be executed. No doubt, to defy such an order would have been illegal and likely a capital offense.
Border security being lacking between Israel and Egypt allowed Joseph to become a migrant refugee in a foreign nation that shared a border to the south with his homeland.
This story always reminds me of friends I made in New Orleans and here in Dallas who fled to the U. S., usually without documentation, seeking safety from the death squads of Guatemala and El Salvador in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Overall though, the story reveals that Jesus himself, as a very young child, was the equivalent of an undocumented immigrant in Egypt. In many ways he was illegal.
Somehow this Christmas I'm believing the story could be instructional for people of faith as we continue to consider the issues associated with undocumented residents of our communities who've come seeking better lives, safety and new hope.
What do you think?
.
Friday, December 07, 2007
America, the welcoming
The ongoing national debate over the fate and status of undocumented immigrants is an extremely noisy phenomenon. I mean, if you listen to the talk shows and lots of media interviews, you might get the feeling that the entire nation is ready to remove the inspirational inscription from the base of the Statue of Liberty!
I've decided that the majority of Americans do want to see the borders secured and the law, whatever its requirements, obeyed.
Fair enough.
What is being overlooked, I believe due to the rumble and chaos of most reports on the debate, is that most of us would like to see new, fair policy put in place that would allow immigrants from Mexico and other nations south of our national borders remain in the country permanently.
A recent Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll reveals this, in fact, is the case with the majority of U. S. citizens.
Sixty per cent (62% of Republican voters and 64% among Democrats) of those polled favor allowing the undocumented who have not committed crimes to stay in the country and become citizens if they pay fines, learn English and meet other requirements.
Forty-six percent believe that undocumented immigrants should be able to receive emergency medical treatment in our hospitals. Forty per cent agreed that immigrant children should be allowed to attend public schools. Almost one of four felt that some sort of limited driver's license might be a good idea.
Listening to a CNN report on the findings of this poll, I noted that most who called in or emailed opinions were vehemently opposed to the majority opinions expressed by those who took part in the poll. Out here in inner city communities where a growing number of immigrants reside, work and raise their families, we see the problem much differently than the angry callers who just want to "pack 'em up and send 'em back" to wherever.
Even the headline in my Dallas Morning News spun the data negative ("Many would deny illegal migrants social services," 14A, Thursday, December 6, 2007) in spite of the fact that most respondents favored more welcoming treatment of the undocumented.
A couple of weeks ago I opened my morning paper to read a front page story of a woman who I've known for years here in Dallas. She attended a Park Cities church for years and that is where I met her. She had organized an entire movement of "concerned citizens," many of them from local churches, to stand against the horrible threat of law-breaking, criminal immigrants and their deplorable children.
Disappointing, indeed, at least as I reflect on how my faith informs my heart regarding my response to immigrant residents of my city and my neighborhood. (Sorry, but the whole "what would Jesus do" question crosses my mind just here, as well as my father's stories about hard working Mexican farm hands drawn from his memory of experiences over 60 years ago.)
The recent poll gave me some new hope. Maybe most loyal Americans look at the issue much differently than my old friend from church.
.
I've decided that the majority of Americans do want to see the borders secured and the law, whatever its requirements, obeyed.
Fair enough.
What is being overlooked, I believe due to the rumble and chaos of most reports on the debate, is that most of us would like to see new, fair policy put in place that would allow immigrants from Mexico and other nations south of our national borders remain in the country permanently.
A recent Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll reveals this, in fact, is the case with the majority of U. S. citizens.
Sixty per cent (62% of Republican voters and 64% among Democrats) of those polled favor allowing the undocumented who have not committed crimes to stay in the country and become citizens if they pay fines, learn English and meet other requirements.
Forty-six percent believe that undocumented immigrants should be able to receive emergency medical treatment in our hospitals. Forty per cent agreed that immigrant children should be allowed to attend public schools. Almost one of four felt that some sort of limited driver's license might be a good idea.
Listening to a CNN report on the findings of this poll, I noted that most who called in or emailed opinions were vehemently opposed to the majority opinions expressed by those who took part in the poll. Out here in inner city communities where a growing number of immigrants reside, work and raise their families, we see the problem much differently than the angry callers who just want to "pack 'em up and send 'em back" to wherever.
Even the headline in my Dallas Morning News spun the data negative ("Many would deny illegal migrants social services," 14A, Thursday, December 6, 2007) in spite of the fact that most respondents favored more welcoming treatment of the undocumented.
A couple of weeks ago I opened my morning paper to read a front page story of a woman who I've known for years here in Dallas. She attended a Park Cities church for years and that is where I met her. She had organized an entire movement of "concerned citizens," many of them from local churches, to stand against the horrible threat of law-breaking, criminal immigrants and their deplorable children.
Disappointing, indeed, at least as I reflect on how my faith informs my heart regarding my response to immigrant residents of my city and my neighborhood. (Sorry, but the whole "what would Jesus do" question crosses my mind just here, as well as my father's stories about hard working Mexican farm hands drawn from his memory of experiences over 60 years ago.)
The recent poll gave me some new hope. Maybe most loyal Americans look at the issue much differently than my old friend from church.
.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Immigration
Anyone who would like to have a really cool button supportive of immigration reform that benefits the millions of Mexicans in this country today who need legal work status, please contact me at lmjread@aol.com.
I'll send you one free of charge on a first come first served basis!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Facts regarding immigrants and our health care system
Just the facts:
Documented immigrants--adults and children--must now wait 5 years after coming to the United States to apply for any public health benefits. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for public health benefits, except for some emergency Medicaid assistance at the point of service or emergency.
Five years after this rule changed, non-elderly, documented immigrant adults had experienced a 36% decline in health coverage.
From 1995 to 2005, the uninsured rate for citizen children declined to 15% from 19%, thanks to increases in Medicaid and CHIP enrollments.
During the same period, the uninsured rate for documented immigrant children rose to 48% from 44%, while Medicaid and CHIP coverage declined by 17% among these children.
Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia use state-only funds to provide basic health services to documented children and pregnant women who otherwise would be subject to the 5-year delay. States with high immigrant populations are among these states, including California, New York and Texas.
Many of the "new growth" states for immigrants, such as Arkansas, North Carolina and Iowa, do not offer these benefits.
The continuing belief that ineligible documented and undocumented immigrants are receiving massive public health benefits led to a provision in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 that now requires U. S. citizens to present proof of citizenship when applying or renewing for Medicaid benefits.
Only 16% of total medical costs for documented and undocumented immigrants were covered through public sources. In terms of taxes paid, the annual cost of health care for documented immigrants per American household is $56 and $11 for emergency Medicaid services for undocumented immigrants.
[Sources: Center on Budget and Public Policy Priorities and the Center for American Progress]
[Sources: Center on Budget and Public Policy Priorities and the Center for American Progress]
.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Washington, DC
Yesterday, I flew to Washington, DC to lobby our senators in support of the DREAM Act.
When planning the trip, it was my understanding that the bill would come before the U. S. Senate sometime in early November.
To everyone's surprise the bill came up yesterday for a "procedural" vote that would determine its near-term fate. To move forward the proposal needed 60 votes. It managed to receive 52. So, back to the drawing board.
Traveling with me were three delightful students from Dallas. Jose, Monica and Jesse--all would benefit from the relief provided by this immigration bill. Each of these wonderful young people were brought to this country when they were small children by parents who were not documented. None of them were consulted about the family move. Since coming to this country, all three have been great students, model citizens and hard workers. All three want to go to college--two are currently enrolled, in spite of the fact that when and if they graduate, they will not be able to work legally. One would like to join the U. S. Armed Forces.
During what turned out to be a long day, these students talked to top staff members in the office of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX).
Senator Hutchison worked hard to see the bill move forward. Had her efforts been successful, her staff was prepared to present a balanced set of changes to the bill to make it more acceptable to everyone. She exhibited great leadership, as she worked for a bi-partisan solution to the problem. It was also very clear that she understands the ethical and moral implications of the issues surrounding the debate, as well as of the problems facing these wonderful students.
She made us proud. Her staff assured us that they were not giving up.
I wish everyone could have heard these students explain their lives, their goals and their dreams. As they told their stories, tears flowed. It was moving just to be in the room with them.
Senator Cornyn would not allow the students in his offices, saying that he nor his staff would sit down with anyone in violation of federal law--never mind that the offense in question is a civil matter, not criminal. And never mind that these children did not knowingly violate any law when they were brought here.
His staff explained his "No" vote as the result of procedural/political concerns and the fear that the bill would not be open for amendment or debate if passed to the next step. We pointed out that Senator Hutchison, also a Republican, had reached a much different conclusion and, in fact, was waiting to deliver a bill with language and provisions that could break the logjam. We engaged in a heated debate and left with the promise to continue the conversation.
The Dallas Morning News published a story this morning by Washington Bureau reporter Dave Michaels quoting Senator Cornyn as saying the "sympathetic" nature of the issues surrounding the DREAM Act make it politically unwise to act now. He judges it better to use the legislation and the issue as a political tool in deciding on any comprehensive immigration reform down the road ("Migrant bill fails to pass Senate," 2A, October 25, 2007).
That may be smart politically, but it is terrible policy for the hundreds of thousands of students across the nation who are like my three young friends.
Why would we want to lose them to our national life and economy, especially at a time when we need more bi-ligual professionals than ever in our history? Why waste the investment we've already made in these young lives? Why keep them living in fear, needless fear?
The question here is not one of "sympathy," though surely we've not reached the place as a people where sympathy is a weak or negative value, have we? In fact, the question is about morality, good faith, fairness, justice and solving a horrible and pressing problem.
My young friends returned to Dallas a bit frustrated and a lot disappointed. They are concerned about their future. To be sent back to Mexico after 13 years in Dallas, with no family, no hometown, no idea what to do. . .those prospects would concern anyone.
They brought their cameras for the trip.
After our meetings in the Senate, we took a cab to the Lincoln Memorial. I wish everyone could have seen them. Standing where Dr. King stood. Gazing up at the amazing statue of President Lincoln. Watching the video presentation in the small museum space. They were so proud to be in Washington, the capitol city of the only nation they've known--the place they call home.
.
When planning the trip, it was my understanding that the bill would come before the U. S. Senate sometime in early November.
To everyone's surprise the bill came up yesterday for a "procedural" vote that would determine its near-term fate. To move forward the proposal needed 60 votes. It managed to receive 52. So, back to the drawing board.
Traveling with me were three delightful students from Dallas. Jose, Monica and Jesse--all would benefit from the relief provided by this immigration bill. Each of these wonderful young people were brought to this country when they were small children by parents who were not documented. None of them were consulted about the family move. Since coming to this country, all three have been great students, model citizens and hard workers. All three want to go to college--two are currently enrolled, in spite of the fact that when and if they graduate, they will not be able to work legally. One would like to join the U. S. Armed Forces.
During what turned out to be a long day, these students talked to top staff members in the office of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX).
Senator Hutchison worked hard to see the bill move forward. Had her efforts been successful, her staff was prepared to present a balanced set of changes to the bill to make it more acceptable to everyone. She exhibited great leadership, as she worked for a bi-partisan solution to the problem. It was also very clear that she understands the ethical and moral implications of the issues surrounding the debate, as well as of the problems facing these wonderful students.
She made us proud. Her staff assured us that they were not giving up.
I wish everyone could have heard these students explain their lives, their goals and their dreams. As they told their stories, tears flowed. It was moving just to be in the room with them.
Senator Cornyn would not allow the students in his offices, saying that he nor his staff would sit down with anyone in violation of federal law--never mind that the offense in question is a civil matter, not criminal. And never mind that these children did not knowingly violate any law when they were brought here.
His staff explained his "No" vote as the result of procedural/political concerns and the fear that the bill would not be open for amendment or debate if passed to the next step. We pointed out that Senator Hutchison, also a Republican, had reached a much different conclusion and, in fact, was waiting to deliver a bill with language and provisions that could break the logjam. We engaged in a heated debate and left with the promise to continue the conversation.
The Dallas Morning News published a story this morning by Washington Bureau reporter Dave Michaels quoting Senator Cornyn as saying the "sympathetic" nature of the issues surrounding the DREAM Act make it politically unwise to act now. He judges it better to use the legislation and the issue as a political tool in deciding on any comprehensive immigration reform down the road ("Migrant bill fails to pass Senate," 2A, October 25, 2007).
That may be smart politically, but it is terrible policy for the hundreds of thousands of students across the nation who are like my three young friends.
Why would we want to lose them to our national life and economy, especially at a time when we need more bi-ligual professionals than ever in our history? Why waste the investment we've already made in these young lives? Why keep them living in fear, needless fear?
The question here is not one of "sympathy," though surely we've not reached the place as a people where sympathy is a weak or negative value, have we? In fact, the question is about morality, good faith, fairness, justice and solving a horrible and pressing problem.
My young friends returned to Dallas a bit frustrated and a lot disappointed. They are concerned about their future. To be sent back to Mexico after 13 years in Dallas, with no family, no hometown, no idea what to do. . .those prospects would concern anyone.
They brought their cameras for the trip.
After our meetings in the Senate, we took a cab to the Lincoln Memorial. I wish everyone could have seen them. Standing where Dr. King stood. Gazing up at the amazing statue of President Lincoln. Watching the video presentation in the small museum space. They were so proud to be in Washington, the capitol city of the only nation they've known--the place they call home.
.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Racism and Xenophobia--immoral and stupid
Racism is immoral.
Xenophobia is immoral.
But, to be very practical, on top of this both are absurdly stupid and the doings of complete idiots.
Case in point: My father's stay in two hospitals and a skilled-nursing center (read here "nursing home") over the past three weeks.
After suffering a slight heart attack or mild stroke three weeks ago, my 87-year-old father made it through two tough surgeries and a week of rehabilitation.
He came home yesterday.
He was so happy to be back home!
During the illness that kept him from home and my mother, daddy received amazing care from the first minutes in the Emergency Room in Richardson, through the next three days (during which we almost lost him) in the hospital, to his dual surgery experience at a specialty hospital in Plano, to his discharge to the nursing facility and finally on to two different physicians' offices before landing back home.
All along he way, we enjoyed rich encounters with professional caregivers who really cared, were very concerned and did their jobs with class, expertise and joy. Yes, I said, joy.
Almost all of those who nursed and doctored my dad back to strength and his home were "ethnic minorities" and/or immigrants.
African Americans, African immigrants, Latinos, Mexican Americans, folks from the Caribbean, people from all over Asia, Middle Eastern people--my dad was cared for by people with all sorts of backgrounds, national origins and racial heritage.
If you are a racist or if you don't like immigrants, let me just say you are in a world of trouble! You see, the people caring for us when we can't care for ourselves are these good people of color from here and all over the world.
I am mighty glad they were there for my dad. I am thankful they will be there for me. People caring for people in a shrinking, increasingly crowded world.
As I watched them work so hard, with such patience and happiness (almost all of the time in challenging circumstances), it struck me that if things were just left to us ordinary folks, the world would be a much more peaceful and harmonious place.
There is simply no place left in our nation or our world for racism or xenophobia, thankfully.
And, when my dad walked into his home again on Friday, he was greeted first by a home health worker provided by Medicare. And, you guessed it, she happened to be both an immigrant and a person of color.
We were so glad to meet her.
Xenophobia is immoral.
But, to be very practical, on top of this both are absurdly stupid and the doings of complete idiots.
Case in point: My father's stay in two hospitals and a skilled-nursing center (read here "nursing home") over the past three weeks.
After suffering a slight heart attack or mild stroke three weeks ago, my 87-year-old father made it through two tough surgeries and a week of rehabilitation.
He came home yesterday.
He was so happy to be back home!
During the illness that kept him from home and my mother, daddy received amazing care from the first minutes in the Emergency Room in Richardson, through the next three days (during which we almost lost him) in the hospital, to his dual surgery experience at a specialty hospital in Plano, to his discharge to the nursing facility and finally on to two different physicians' offices before landing back home.
All along he way, we enjoyed rich encounters with professional caregivers who really cared, were very concerned and did their jobs with class, expertise and joy. Yes, I said, joy.
Almost all of those who nursed and doctored my dad back to strength and his home were "ethnic minorities" and/or immigrants.
African Americans, African immigrants, Latinos, Mexican Americans, folks from the Caribbean, people from all over Asia, Middle Eastern people--my dad was cared for by people with all sorts of backgrounds, national origins and racial heritage.
If you are a racist or if you don't like immigrants, let me just say you are in a world of trouble! You see, the people caring for us when we can't care for ourselves are these good people of color from here and all over the world.
I am mighty glad they were there for my dad. I am thankful they will be there for me. People caring for people in a shrinking, increasingly crowded world.
As I watched them work so hard, with such patience and happiness (almost all of the time in challenging circumstances), it struck me that if things were just left to us ordinary folks, the world would be a much more peaceful and harmonious place.
There is simply no place left in our nation or our world for racism or xenophobia, thankfully.
And, when my dad walked into his home again on Friday, he was greeted first by a home health worker provided by Medicare. And, you guessed it, she happened to be both an immigrant and a person of color.
We were so glad to meet her.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Lighting up Feliz Navidad or Farmers Branch revisited
Imagine my surprise at a television news report last Saturday night picturing the beginning of the Christmas season, and just as fall arrives!
According the the story, a Christmas lighting company has already begun hanging decorative holiday lights in Highland Park and in Farmers Branch. Millions of lights will be put in place over the next 10-12 weeks, the lighting company owner reported.
Highland Park Village and a public park in Farmers Branch were pictured as examples of the several places the work is underway.
Seems like the Christmas season arrives earlier every year.
But, that's not my point here.
Care to guess who was hard at work stringing those lights up in the branches of trees right there in the Farmers Branch park?
Mexican workers.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm sure all of those gentlemen had the proper papers to document their "legal status" in the country. What do you think?
Of course, I can think of nothing the political leadership in Farmers Branch needs more than a little of the Christmas spirit!
Feliz Navidad!
Turn on the light, and hurry!
________________________
Action item: Call your U. S. Senator today to urge passagge of "The Dream Act" that will allow immigrant children to gain "legal" status to stay in the U. S. while going on to pursue a college education or to serve in the U. S. Armed Forces. Find out the information you need here:
http://www.senate.gov/general/
contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
.
According the the story, a Christmas lighting company has already begun hanging decorative holiday lights in Highland Park and in Farmers Branch. Millions of lights will be put in place over the next 10-12 weeks, the lighting company owner reported.
Highland Park Village and a public park in Farmers Branch were pictured as examples of the several places the work is underway.
Seems like the Christmas season arrives earlier every year.
But, that's not my point here.
Care to guess who was hard at work stringing those lights up in the branches of trees right there in the Farmers Branch park?
Mexican workers.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm sure all of those gentlemen had the proper papers to document their "legal status" in the country. What do you think?
Of course, I can think of nothing the political leadership in Farmers Branch needs more than a little of the Christmas spirit!
Feliz Navidad!
Turn on the light, and hurry!
________________________
Action item: Call your U. S. Senator today to urge passagge of "The Dream Act" that will allow immigrant children to gain "legal" status to stay in the U. S. while going on to pursue a college education or to serve in the U. S. Armed Forces. Find out the information you need here:
http://www.senate.gov/general/
contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Jesse and Immigration Court
So, I met another wonderful teenager while I was in immigration court with Monica last week.
Jesse.
Graduated from Sunset High School in Dallas.
A very good young man.
High, high "moral character." Never in trouble of any kind.
Wonderful work ethic.
Great grades. Received an offer for a scholarship, but because he did not have a Social Security number, he didn't take the free ride to school, even though he wanted to.
"Since I don't have a Social Security number, I didn't think a degree would do me any good," he told me by phone when we talked later last week. "Why worry about college if I can't get a good job when I am done?"
Good thinking, Jesse.
So, the nation needs smart, bi-lingual laborers in every industry. So much so that we are recruiting in a number of Central and South American countries. But, in our brilliance, we are going to toss out kids who grew up here from the time they were babies and go recruit people we don't even know and in whom we have not invested a dime.
How utterly stupid!
Go ahead, Wyatt (that's my grandson). Put me in "time out."
Stupid.
Stupid.
Stupid.
We've found another great friend in this young man, and we will stick with him.
We are going to keep working to change the law that says he must go back to a nation he does not even know, one that he has never known. A very bad law that attempts to punish a very good young man.
Come meet Jesse and then, try to walk away from him.
I dare you!
Jesse.
Graduated from Sunset High School in Dallas.
A very good young man.
High, high "moral character." Never in trouble of any kind.
Wonderful work ethic.
Great grades. Received an offer for a scholarship, but because he did not have a Social Security number, he didn't take the free ride to school, even though he wanted to.
"Since I don't have a Social Security number, I didn't think a degree would do me any good," he told me by phone when we talked later last week. "Why worry about college if I can't get a good job when I am done?"
Good thinking, Jesse.
So, the nation needs smart, bi-lingual laborers in every industry. So much so that we are recruiting in a number of Central and South American countries. But, in our brilliance, we are going to toss out kids who grew up here from the time they were babies and go recruit people we don't even know and in whom we have not invested a dime.
How utterly stupid!
Go ahead, Wyatt (that's my grandson). Put me in "time out."
Stupid.
Stupid.
Stupid.
We've found another great friend in this young man, and we will stick with him.
We are going to keep working to change the law that says he must go back to a nation he does not even know, one that he has never known. A very bad law that attempts to punish a very good young man.
Come meet Jesse and then, try to walk away from him.
I dare you!
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Gerald Britt on the "Dream Act"
Gerald Britt serves as Vice-President of Public Policy and Community Program Development at Central Dallas Ministries.
The Dallas Morning News published his editorial essay on the "Dream Act" in yesterday's edition of the paper. I knew you'd want to read it. So, here it is:
I want to go on the public record as a supporter of the Dream Act. You may have never heard of it and, like me, would not have thought a great deal about it if you had. My support is provoked by two incidents that force me to confront an issue that finds me somewhat conflicted.
Two young Hispanic people, Monica and José, were picked up in Greenville at a senior skip day gathering earlier this year. However you feel about kids skipping school, senior skip day is an unofficial tradition that goes back to my ancient day.
The problem is, this brother and sister are not citizens. Their parents are undocumented, even though they have been in this country since Monica was 5. Now two young people – who have done nothing but go to school, prepare for a bright future and make their community proud – could be deported.
Similarly, young Victoria Chiwara is an immigrant from Zimbabwe. She and her family came to America seeking asylum. Her attorney missed a filing deadline, and this young lady, enrolled in community college in Tarrant County, with a scholarship to Baylor University, was threatened with deportation, until her friends and the media intervened.
The Dream Act legislation would provide temporary legal status to any child of undocumented immigrants who has no record of criminal activity and completes high school, enrolls in a two- or four-year institution of higher education or enlists in the armed forces. As I see it, this is legislation in the best interest of the children of undocumented immigrants and our country.
I understand anxiety among African-Americans that a focus on immigration reform comes at the expense of our own struggle for justice. The National Urban League's audit of black America's progress is a torrent of statistical social inequities showing that when it comes to poverty, employment, education, housing and incarceration, black people are not doing well.
But a commitment to total justice for black Americans cannot mean hatefulness toward others. The African-American legacy has always been the championing of human rights for all. Brown vs. Board of Education (1954), the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 opened the door to equality for all citizens. The hope inspired by these august achievements makes our country attractive to people from all across the globe.
We and our allies have challenged America to make room for all people. This cannot apply only to the sons and daughters of former slaves and slave owners; it must also apply to immigrants.
The rhetoric of some in our post-9/11 world suggests the "illegal" presence of immigrants represents a security threat. We must not be swayed by 9/11 paranoia and xenophobia that scapegoats the foreign born and those of foreign ancestry. Forgotten is the fact that the 19 hijackers who caused the devastation in New York entered the country legally. And the most horrible terrorist act prior to 9/11 wasn't committed by an undocumented alien but by an American named Timothy McVeigh.
The challenge of immigration is rooted in America's failure to deal with race. Thomas Jefferson, another conflicted American, said that dealing with race is "like holding a wolf by the ears, you did not like it much, but you dare not let it go." We must deal with racial injustice, class inequity and immigration.
The Dream Act isn't the total answer. It is, however, a meaningful start.
The Dallas Morning News published his editorial essay on the "Dream Act" in yesterday's edition of the paper. I knew you'd want to read it. So, here it is:
I want to go on the public record as a supporter of the Dream Act. You may have never heard of it and, like me, would not have thought a great deal about it if you had. My support is provoked by two incidents that force me to confront an issue that finds me somewhat conflicted.
Two young Hispanic people, Monica and José, were picked up in Greenville at a senior skip day gathering earlier this year. However you feel about kids skipping school, senior skip day is an unofficial tradition that goes back to my ancient day.
The problem is, this brother and sister are not citizens. Their parents are undocumented, even though they have been in this country since Monica was 5. Now two young people – who have done nothing but go to school, prepare for a bright future and make their community proud – could be deported.
Similarly, young Victoria Chiwara is an immigrant from Zimbabwe. She and her family came to America seeking asylum. Her attorney missed a filing deadline, and this young lady, enrolled in community college in Tarrant County, with a scholarship to Baylor University, was threatened with deportation, until her friends and the media intervened.
The Dream Act legislation would provide temporary legal status to any child of undocumented immigrants who has no record of criminal activity and completes high school, enrolls in a two- or four-year institution of higher education or enlists in the armed forces. As I see it, this is legislation in the best interest of the children of undocumented immigrants and our country.
I understand anxiety among African-Americans that a focus on immigration reform comes at the expense of our own struggle for justice. The National Urban League's audit of black America's progress is a torrent of statistical social inequities showing that when it comes to poverty, employment, education, housing and incarceration, black people are not doing well.
But a commitment to total justice for black Americans cannot mean hatefulness toward others. The African-American legacy has always been the championing of human rights for all. Brown vs. Board of Education (1954), the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 opened the door to equality for all citizens. The hope inspired by these august achievements makes our country attractive to people from all across the globe.
We and our allies have challenged America to make room for all people. This cannot apply only to the sons and daughters of former slaves and slave owners; it must also apply to immigrants.
The rhetoric of some in our post-9/11 world suggests the "illegal" presence of immigrants represents a security threat. We must not be swayed by 9/11 paranoia and xenophobia that scapegoats the foreign born and those of foreign ancestry. Forgotten is the fact that the 19 hijackers who caused the devastation in New York entered the country legally. And the most horrible terrorist act prior to 9/11 wasn't committed by an undocumented alien but by an American named Timothy McVeigh.
The challenge of immigration is rooted in America's failure to deal with race. Thomas Jefferson, another conflicted American, said that dealing with race is "like holding a wolf by the ears, you did not like it much, but you dare not let it go." We must deal with racial injustice, class inequity and immigration.
The Dream Act isn't the total answer. It is, however, a meaningful start.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Local Immigration Ordinances Cut Against Nation's Sense of Community
The folks out in Farmers Branch, Texas who crafted and led the effort that passed into law the local--underline just here "local"--ordinance that makes it illegal for landlords to lease apartments to individuals who do not have proof of legal residence in the United States received a near death blow last Thursday when U.S. District Judge James M. Munley struck down a similar ordinance passed in Hazelton, Pennsylvania.
The Hazelton ordinance was a symbol for the growing national movement among city and state officials across the nation to take immigration law and reform into their own hands. . . locally.
Bottom line, the judge's ruling establishes a clear principle: immigration law and enforcement is and must continue to be considered a federal issue. Judge Munley ruled in a 206-page decision that local authorities cannot go beyond federal law to impose penalties of their own making.
Hundreds of such ordinances have been enacted by local governments, as well as by state legislatures across the country.
Here are two of the judge's key conclusions:
"Allowing states or local governments to legislate with regard to the employment of unauthorized aliens would interfere with congressional objectives. . . ."
"We cannot say clearly enough that persons who enter this country without legal authorization are not stripped immediately of all their rights because of this single illegal act."
Munley's decision established the fact that immigration law involves much more than local issues, including factors related to the U. S. economy, labor, employers' rights to due process, international relations, and national security. Only federal authorities responsible for the direction of these larger, "national community" issues have the authority to pass legislation related to national immigration.
Communities like Farmers Branch, Texas and Hazelton, Pennsylvania may feel justified in taking immigration law into their own hands, but the interests of our national community will and should always trump local opinions and interests. If our history as a people teaches us anything, it teaches us this. Memories of the American Civil Rights Movement, national voting rights, fair housing rules, arguments about states' rights and even the nullification controversy preceding the U. S. Civil War come to mind just here.
The strength of our national life and the power of our national identity, our psyche as a people, resides in the fact that we are a national community. We do not act in isolation from one another. We live and we thrive as a community.
When our sense of community connection is gone, our unity and our collective strength will be gone as well.
A federal judge has ruled. The Farmers Branch City Council doesn't speak for our larger community as a nation.
Thank God.
The Hazelton ordinance was a symbol for the growing national movement among city and state officials across the nation to take immigration law and reform into their own hands. . . locally.
Bottom line, the judge's ruling establishes a clear principle: immigration law and enforcement is and must continue to be considered a federal issue. Judge Munley ruled in a 206-page decision that local authorities cannot go beyond federal law to impose penalties of their own making.
Hundreds of such ordinances have been enacted by local governments, as well as by state legislatures across the country.
Here are two of the judge's key conclusions:
"Allowing states or local governments to legislate with regard to the employment of unauthorized aliens would interfere with congressional objectives. . . ."
"We cannot say clearly enough that persons who enter this country without legal authorization are not stripped immediately of all their rights because of this single illegal act."
Munley's decision established the fact that immigration law involves much more than local issues, including factors related to the U. S. economy, labor, employers' rights to due process, international relations, and national security. Only federal authorities responsible for the direction of these larger, "national community" issues have the authority to pass legislation related to national immigration.
Communities like Farmers Branch, Texas and Hazelton, Pennsylvania may feel justified in taking immigration law into their own hands, but the interests of our national community will and should always trump local opinions and interests. If our history as a people teaches us anything, it teaches us this. Memories of the American Civil Rights Movement, national voting rights, fair housing rules, arguments about states' rights and even the nullification controversy preceding the U. S. Civil War come to mind just here.
The strength of our national life and the power of our national identity, our psyche as a people, resides in the fact that we are a national community. We do not act in isolation from one another. We live and we thrive as a community.
When our sense of community connection is gone, our unity and our collective strength will be gone as well.
A federal judge has ruled. The Farmers Branch City Council doesn't speak for our larger community as a nation.
Thank God.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
A Quick Quiz
A prominent American made the following statement about immigrants:
"Few of their children in the country learn English. . . .The signs of our streets have inscriptions in both languages. . . . Unless the stream of their importation could be turned they will soon so outnumber us that all the advantages we have will not be able to preserve our language, and even our government will become precarious."
Who was it?
A) Lou Dobbs, CNN journalist
B) Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO)
C) Tim O'Hare, Mayor Pro Tem and member of the Farmers Branch, Texas City Council
D) Benjamin Franklin
If you selected "D," you are correct.Franklin spoke disparagingly of the German immigrants of the 1750s.
Some things never change in this country.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Jose
Reality day.
This morning at 9:00 a.m. I, and several other people, will be sitting in the Dallas Immigration Court located in the federal courthouse at 1100 Commerce Street, Room 404.
We'll all be there for one reason: Jose, our friend.
Jose is a bright, 18-year-old young man whose always been a good guy. Never caused his parents any problems at all. Just finished high school. No drugs. No drinking. No gangs. No violence. No trouble with anyone.
Jose came to the United States as a much younger boy. His parents brought him here when they came from Mexico. They, like millions of others, came without proper documentation. They came to work, and they found jobs, plenty of work to do here. They came for a better life. No one stopped them. Lots of people hired them. They built a life in Dallas.
Earlier this spring, Immigration and Custom Enforcement officers arrested young Jose and his cousin, Monica at a high school "Senior Skip Day" party at a farm outside Greenville, Texas. [For more details on the troubling experiences of Jose and Monica, type "Monica" in the search feature above.]
Today Jose appears before the Immigration Court. He will be represented by an able attorney.
Our prayer list this morning includes three items: We are all hoping and praying that the judge will be lenient and delay any decision on Jose for several weeks or months.
Second, we are praying that the immigration prosecutor will exercise his/her administrative discretion, dismiss the charges and let the case die.
Third, we are working hard to convince the U. S. Congress to pass some version of "The Dream Act" that would provide protection for young people and children who have been in the country for many years, who have displayed good character and who want to continue their eduction.
Please remember Jose this morning. Remember his parents and his entire family. Remember the judge.
This morning at 9:00 a.m. I, and several other people, will be sitting in the Dallas Immigration Court located in the federal courthouse at 1100 Commerce Street, Room 404.
We'll all be there for one reason: Jose, our friend.
Jose is a bright, 18-year-old young man whose always been a good guy. Never caused his parents any problems at all. Just finished high school. No drugs. No drinking. No gangs. No violence. No trouble with anyone.
Jose came to the United States as a much younger boy. His parents brought him here when they came from Mexico. They, like millions of others, came without proper documentation. They came to work, and they found jobs, plenty of work to do here. They came for a better life. No one stopped them. Lots of people hired them. They built a life in Dallas.
Earlier this spring, Immigration and Custom Enforcement officers arrested young Jose and his cousin, Monica at a high school "Senior Skip Day" party at a farm outside Greenville, Texas. [For more details on the troubling experiences of Jose and Monica, type "Monica" in the search feature above.]
Today Jose appears before the Immigration Court. He will be represented by an able attorney.
Our prayer list this morning includes three items: We are all hoping and praying that the judge will be lenient and delay any decision on Jose for several weeks or months.
Second, we are praying that the immigration prosecutor will exercise his/her administrative discretion, dismiss the charges and let the case die.
Third, we are working hard to convince the U. S. Congress to pass some version of "The Dream Act" that would provide protection for young people and children who have been in the country for many years, who have displayed good character and who want to continue their eduction.
Please remember Jose this morning. Remember his parents and his entire family. Remember the judge.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Friends Matter, Friends Change Things. . .
The report on the arrest of 31 undocumented workers at a warehouse in North Dallas that operated as part of the Fossil Watch Company caught my eye as I enjoyed my morning Cherrios a couple of weeks ago. I thought of the story again today in the aftermath of the defeat of the proposed comprehensive immigration reform bill in the U. S. Senate yesterday.
What stood out to me as I read the story were the emotions reported among those apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
When discussing immigration reform and the current situation facing immigrant families, many of whom have been here for years, we seldom think of factors like these:
Tears.
Fear.
Anxiety over children and their continuing care.
Uncertainty and vulnerability.
As I read, I found my mind running back through many experiences with specific friends from Mexico--you know, people with unique faces and their own names and families-- who do not possess the documents they need to remain in the United States.
These good people find themselves under increasing pressure due to stepped up enforcement by ICE officials who are taking steps that over the past 15 years or so very rarely have been chosen. It is obvious to me that the political situation is driving the new approach on the ground.
I thought of what I experienced among my friends.
Tears.
Fear.
Anxiety over children and their continuing care.
Uncertainty and vulnerability.
But, also, honesty, hope, dreams, pride, self-respect, hurt and a desire to carry their own weight and to make a solid contribution to our community.
It is the emotional side of this struggle that won't let me forget it.
My friends and their families matter to me. My friends should not be placed in jail for a civil offense of this sort, at least not until those who employ them and all who benefit from their labor are carried away to the same punishment.
What stood out to me as I read the story were the emotions reported among those apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
When discussing immigration reform and the current situation facing immigrant families, many of whom have been here for years, we seldom think of factors like these:
Tears.
Fear.
Anxiety over children and their continuing care.
Uncertainty and vulnerability.
As I read, I found my mind running back through many experiences with specific friends from Mexico--you know, people with unique faces and their own names and families-- who do not possess the documents they need to remain in the United States.
These good people find themselves under increasing pressure due to stepped up enforcement by ICE officials who are taking steps that over the past 15 years or so very rarely have been chosen. It is obvious to me that the political situation is driving the new approach on the ground.
I thought of what I experienced among my friends.
Tears.
Fear.
Anxiety over children and their continuing care.
Uncertainty and vulnerability.
But, also, honesty, hope, dreams, pride, self-respect, hurt and a desire to carry their own weight and to make a solid contribution to our community.
It is the emotional side of this struggle that won't let me forget it.
My friends and their families matter to me. My friends should not be placed in jail for a civil offense of this sort, at least not until those who employ them and all who benefit from their labor are carried away to the same punishment.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Immigration facts. . .
As the U. S. Senate continues to debate a highly controversial immigration reform act this week, consider these interesting facts about immigration in the United States today:
15% of the U. S. labor force is foreign-born.
Immigrant workers account for 36% of all labor without a high school diploma.
Immigrant workers account for 41% of scientists with doctoral degrees.
Immigrants earn 77 cents for every 1 dollar earned by native workers, though this gap almost evaporates for those with college degrees.
Over 90% of native workers benefit from the influx of low-wage immigrants because these workers take jobs that complement the work of higher paid native workers. For example, immigrants who work in the roofing business lower costs for contractors and home builders, who create jobs for plumbers, electricians and others, while lowering the prices for houses that benefit consumers.
Some native workers who compete directly with immigrants may suffer in certain, unskilled labor areas, but not as much as they do thanks to other factors, such as technological advances, globalization and minimum wage levels.
____________________________
Final thought regarding the impact of immigrants on our nation's workforce:
"There's this aversion to immigration, but people should be much more averse to computers. They are much more responsible for the bad effects."
Giovanni Peri
Professor of Economics
University of California at Davis
15% of the U. S. labor force is foreign-born.
Immigrant workers account for 36% of all labor without a high school diploma.
Immigrant workers account for 41% of scientists with doctoral degrees.
Immigrants earn 77 cents for every 1 dollar earned by native workers, though this gap almost evaporates for those with college degrees.
Over 90% of native workers benefit from the influx of low-wage immigrants because these workers take jobs that complement the work of higher paid native workers. For example, immigrants who work in the roofing business lower costs for contractors and home builders, who create jobs for plumbers, electricians and others, while lowering the prices for houses that benefit consumers.
Some native workers who compete directly with immigrants may suffer in certain, unskilled labor areas, but not as much as they do thanks to other factors, such as technological advances, globalization and minimum wage levels.
____________________________
Final thought regarding the impact of immigrants on our nation's workforce:
"There's this aversion to immigration, but people should be much more averse to computers. They are much more responsible for the bad effects."
Giovanni Peri
Professor of Economics
University of California at Davis
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Torn between the law and low prices
Does anyone think much about the plight, the personal plight of the undocumented workers among us today?
The debate rages between two waring parties.
On one side there are those who insist on immigrants from south of our border obeying our current, very inadequate legal provisions for allowing eager immigrants to secure legal work.
On the other side are employers--large and small--who argue that we face a growing labor shortage in the U. S. that only these workers will and can fill. We all benefit from this labor supply because it keeps costs down for a growing number of consumer goods and services.
Caught in the middle are real men, women and children. All have names. All have dreams, aspirations and hopes. Each one has an unique story worth hearing.
But, we seldom hear these stories. As a consequence, we seldom pause to understand the human dimensions behind the current debate. We choose to focus on law or labor instead of the people caught in the middle.
The solution will be found when we turn our eyes toward the people. It is usually that way in life. And, in this case, there is something to be gained and won for everyone.
Take the "law and order" folks. Monica and her family need to be provided a pathway to legal residency and, if they desire it, a process that ends in citizenship. It need not be careless or swift. It should require work, sacrifice and diligence--she and her loved ones would want it no other way. But, we need to find a way to allow the law to embrace them fully, as they step up to the process.
Or, consider those who need unskilled laborers. Any reform should make it clear to employers that unfair wages--those below minimum--will not be tolerated. There is a cost of doing business and a price for the goods and services that we all use and consume. Flushing the underground labor market out into the light of day will serve everyone better. Employers or employees that don't abide by the new process should be punished, but the major responsibility should be on business, not labor.
Good people like Monica and her family should not have to live in fear. Their ambitions and hard work should be rewarded. They should abide by the system and the process that is put in place. But, they shouldn't carry the entire burden of blame for our current situation, a situation we've all helped create.
Border security should be addressed in a comprehensive fashion. That's a separate issue that must be faced and its challenges solved.
But, Monica and her family are people, people caught in between. We need to start paying more attention to her, her family and to the millions of others who have served so many of us so well for so long.
It's always about people and all people matter.
.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Immigrants and the Hebrew Bible
As has been true throughout the history of our nation, religion and values emerging from faith continue to play a significant role in shaping American politics and public policy.
So, given the current national debate over immigration and comprehensive immigration reform, it seems logical that people of faith would turn to the Bible in search of insight and direction. The narratives of our faith tradition make it clear that the people of God have lived as immigrants and "aliens" in various strange lands. This fact largely defined the experience of the Jewish people in biblical times and beyond. Jesus spent time as an immigrant during his early childhood when his parents fled with him to Egypt.
What does the Bible say about immigrants? What follows is a listing of some of the texts that speak of "aliens" and how they should be regarded:
"I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens." (Exodus 6:4)
"Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt." (Exodus 22:20-22)
"Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt." (Exodus 23:8-10)
"The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 19:34)
'The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. (Leviticus 25:23)
"And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:19)
". . .so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands." (Deuteronomy 14:29)
"And rejoice before the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, the Levites in your towns, and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows living among you." (Deuteronomy 16:11)
"Be joyful at your Feast—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns." (Deuteronomy 16:14)
"And you and the Levites and the aliens among you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household. (Deuteronomy 26:11)
"Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law." (Deuteronomy 31:12)
"All Israel, aliens and citizens alike, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing those who carried it—the priests, who were Levites. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel." (Joshua 8:33)
"So David gave orders to assemble the aliens living in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God." (1 Chronicles 22:2)
"Solomon took a census of all the aliens who were in Israel, after the census his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. (2 Chronicles 2:17)
"The LORD will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Aliens will join them and unite with the house of Jacob. (Isaiah 14:1)
"You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. (Ezekiel 47:22)
"So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me," says the LORD Almighty." (Malachi 3:5)
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household. (Ephesus 2:19)
"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth." (Hebrews 11:13)
"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul." (1 Peter 2:11)
Conclusions? Here are a couple I've come up with.
1) God expects that "strangers" or immigrants be treated fairly, with compassion and justice. In fact, the faith of God's people is demonstrated by how they treat the outsider. Jesus once said, "I was a stranger and you welcomed me."
2) People of faith regard themselves as "aliens" or immigrants making their way through life and, as a result, should naturally identify with others who are living here far from their homelands.
I'd love to hear your reactions.
So, given the current national debate over immigration and comprehensive immigration reform, it seems logical that people of faith would turn to the Bible in search of insight and direction. The narratives of our faith tradition make it clear that the people of God have lived as immigrants and "aliens" in various strange lands. This fact largely defined the experience of the Jewish people in biblical times and beyond. Jesus spent time as an immigrant during his early childhood when his parents fled with him to Egypt.
What does the Bible say about immigrants? What follows is a listing of some of the texts that speak of "aliens" and how they should be regarded:
"I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens." (Exodus 6:4)
"Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt." (Exodus 22:20-22)
"Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt." (Exodus 23:8-10)
"The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 19:34)
'The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. (Leviticus 25:23)
"And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:19)
". . .so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands." (Deuteronomy 14:29)
"And rejoice before the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, the Levites in your towns, and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows living among you." (Deuteronomy 16:11)
"Be joyful at your Feast—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns." (Deuteronomy 16:14)
"And you and the Levites and the aliens among you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household. (Deuteronomy 26:11)
"Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law." (Deuteronomy 31:12)
"All Israel, aliens and citizens alike, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing those who carried it—the priests, who were Levites. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel." (Joshua 8:33)
"So David gave orders to assemble the aliens living in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God." (1 Chronicles 22:2)
"Solomon took a census of all the aliens who were in Israel, after the census his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. (2 Chronicles 2:17)
"The LORD will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Aliens will join them and unite with the house of Jacob. (Isaiah 14:1)
"You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. (Ezekiel 47:22)
"So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me," says the LORD Almighty." (Malachi 3:5)
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household. (Ephesus 2:19)
"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth." (Hebrews 11:13)
"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul." (1 Peter 2:11)
Conclusions? Here are a couple I've come up with.
1) God expects that "strangers" or immigrants be treated fairly, with compassion and justice. In fact, the faith of God's people is demonstrated by how they treat the outsider. Jesus once said, "I was a stranger and you welcomed me."
2) People of faith regard themselves as "aliens" or immigrants making their way through life and, as a result, should naturally identify with others who are living here far from their homelands.
I'd love to hear your reactions.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Immigration: The Long View
Anyone interested in understanding the current immigration debate raging in our culture, in the U. S. Congress, and closer to home here in Dallas, ought to read Robert Draper's informative and extremely personal essay published recently in Texas Monthly ("Made in America," May 2007, pages 146ff or on the web at: http://www.texasmonthly.com/preview/2007-05-01/feature3).
Draper's essay is especially helpful in providing some historical perspective on immigration and our southern border.
Draper tells the story of Vicente Martinez, an undocumented Mexican laborer who crossed the border and ended up as one of the key hands and horse trainers who worked on the family ranch owned by his grandfather, none other than Houston attorney and former Watergate special prosecutor Leon Jaworski.
Martinez came to the Jaworski's ranch at Wimberley, Texas in 1969, "long before 'illegal' was a dirty, demagogued word." Three years later Jaworski saw to it that Martinez's pregnant wife and three small sons were reunited with the hard-working husband and father on the ranch.
Draper's tale is moving, amusing, down-to-earth and personal. Thirty-five years after the family was reunited on the ranch, all are productive, legal residents of the U. S. The Martinez children, all three boys and their younger sister, are well-educated and successful, thanks to the determined sacrifice of their father and mother who came here for one reason and only one reason: to give their children a better life.
Draper's point is clear: the outcomes for millions of immigrants like the Martinez family are good for everyone--the immigrants and the nation. What was true thirty years ago, we should expect to be true today.
To his credit, Draper doesn't gloss over the injustice or the exploitation bound up in the American immigrant experience, especially for Mexican workers. One of the reasons why I find the current "conversation" about comprehensive immigration reform so ugly and disingenuous is its blatant hypocrisy. While there are a few voices in the current debate arguing on behalf of American labor, the fact is, with or without immigrant laborers, the weakened labor movement in the U. S. is of little concern to most people. Consumers want low prices. Period. Concerns for what labor may suffer to deliver the goods at the lowest price possible are minimal at best among most of us.
Undocumented immigrants have always worked for less than other American workers. It has been their sacrifice that has kept prices down for all the rest of us in industries we depend on and take advantage of thoughtlessly: housing, dining, service, landscaping, housekeeping, etc. I can understand the outcry of organized labor against the current system.
But, as I say, most opponents of reform are not labor activists! There is undoubtedly a racist undercurrent at work in much of the anti-immigrant sentiment we are hearing these days.
Draper makes it very clear that we are all implicated in the "illegalities" of the current situation, just as was the case with his grandfather. Turning all of the fury, the rhetoric and the animosity against the undocumented worker demonstrates the worst sort of our nation's hypocritical denial.
Draper's words need to be heard and remembered today:
"I have seen men who have done better, and so has Vicente. They were my grandfather's friends: lawyers, judges, newspaper publishers, oilmen. During hunting season, they would roll up to Circle J Ranch in their Cadillacs and Lincolns, driving on smoothly paved private country roads, past rows of immaculately carved heart-cedar-post fences--all the handiwork of Mexican migrant workers. A member of the Texas Rangers often showed up to my grandfather's ranch and casually observed the laborers at work. It's fair to say that the Ranger did nothing to discourage the activity, just as friendly immigration authorities had done Royce [the man who transported the family out of Mexico] the favor of turning the other way when he drove Vicente's family into America in 1972. The civic titans of Texas who visited my grandfather's ranch were aware of what was going on. Men like these saw to it that the border, and the laws governing it, would remain a joke.
"These men would shoot their hunting rifles all day long and then sit under the stars and drink while Vicente plucked the turkeys or skinned the deer. The men admired Vicente's old-world comportment. The keenness in his stare, the sureness of his grip. They comforted themselves with the belief that the Mexican seemed to find even lowly work ennobling, and they would tip him well. And the next morning they would go home to their mansions, whose lawns were tended by other uncomplaining Hispanic gentlemen, each of whom would probably be doing this type of work forever so that his children would not have to.
"That was the catch in Vicente's voice I was picking up on at his dinner table. He was not an idiot. A horse trainer, attuned to the elemental, he knew condescension when he saw it. And he knew that, though the opportunity here was far superior to the choices he faced in Mexico, he was not getting paid what a white man might. Both sides understood that this inequality--made possible by the transaction's unlawfulness--was key to the deal. Because of the cheap labor offered by migrants of modest yet unsinkable ambition like Vicente Martinez, men of means but not of obscene wealth could afford fine lawns, fine ranches, loyal domestic help. And a man like my grandfather could buy thirty broodmares and a stud, churn out foals, and then rely on a Mexican trainer horse whisperer to transform each unruly baby into a poised nine-month-old commodity. Hay, tack, barn equipment--the horse operation would ripple through the economy in a variety of ways, and no one would be hurt by it.
"Men like Vicente were the straws stirring the drink. Yet men are what they were--bored and lonely, with families down south. They had but one chip to play: I accept my lot if you will help me give my children a better one" (page 290).
The story is partly disgusting. The story is extremely sad. Mr. Martinez endured exploitive injustice and blatant racism at his work. At the same time, he exhibited the very qualities we champion as ideal in every corner of this nation: heroic, sacrificial, courageous, parental devotion.
I find it very difficult suddenly to regard Mexican immigrants, coming to this country seeking only a better life for their children, as the culprits in our current immigration chaos.
Hard-working folks willing to make sacrifices for their families--sorry, but that sounds an awful lot like the stuff of classic American mythology to me.
And, why focus such hostility and punishment on them now?
They come seeking what the generation before sought and the one before that.
Dismissing their contributions out of hand--current and historic--as insignificant and inconsequential, we now must appear to be arbitrarily changing the rules of a game we've all been playing for a long, long time.
We need to get real. We need to face the facts.
We need to get beyond the racism.
Most of all, we need to work together for a fair and just solution that will include the 12 million-plus undocumented workers and their families who are here today and, if we are wise, will be tomorrow.
.
Draper's essay is especially helpful in providing some historical perspective on immigration and our southern border.
Draper tells the story of Vicente Martinez, an undocumented Mexican laborer who crossed the border and ended up as one of the key hands and horse trainers who worked on the family ranch owned by his grandfather, none other than Houston attorney and former Watergate special prosecutor Leon Jaworski.
Martinez came to the Jaworski's ranch at Wimberley, Texas in 1969, "long before 'illegal' was a dirty, demagogued word." Three years later Jaworski saw to it that Martinez's pregnant wife and three small sons were reunited with the hard-working husband and father on the ranch.
Draper's tale is moving, amusing, down-to-earth and personal. Thirty-five years after the family was reunited on the ranch, all are productive, legal residents of the U. S. The Martinez children, all three boys and their younger sister, are well-educated and successful, thanks to the determined sacrifice of their father and mother who came here for one reason and only one reason: to give their children a better life.
Draper's point is clear: the outcomes for millions of immigrants like the Martinez family are good for everyone--the immigrants and the nation. What was true thirty years ago, we should expect to be true today.
To his credit, Draper doesn't gloss over the injustice or the exploitation bound up in the American immigrant experience, especially for Mexican workers. One of the reasons why I find the current "conversation" about comprehensive immigration reform so ugly and disingenuous is its blatant hypocrisy. While there are a few voices in the current debate arguing on behalf of American labor, the fact is, with or without immigrant laborers, the weakened labor movement in the U. S. is of little concern to most people. Consumers want low prices. Period. Concerns for what labor may suffer to deliver the goods at the lowest price possible are minimal at best among most of us.
Undocumented immigrants have always worked for less than other American workers. It has been their sacrifice that has kept prices down for all the rest of us in industries we depend on and take advantage of thoughtlessly: housing, dining, service, landscaping, housekeeping, etc. I can understand the outcry of organized labor against the current system.
But, as I say, most opponents of reform are not labor activists! There is undoubtedly a racist undercurrent at work in much of the anti-immigrant sentiment we are hearing these days.
Draper makes it very clear that we are all implicated in the "illegalities" of the current situation, just as was the case with his grandfather. Turning all of the fury, the rhetoric and the animosity against the undocumented worker demonstrates the worst sort of our nation's hypocritical denial.
Draper's words need to be heard and remembered today:
"I have seen men who have done better, and so has Vicente. They were my grandfather's friends: lawyers, judges, newspaper publishers, oilmen. During hunting season, they would roll up to Circle J Ranch in their Cadillacs and Lincolns, driving on smoothly paved private country roads, past rows of immaculately carved heart-cedar-post fences--all the handiwork of Mexican migrant workers. A member of the Texas Rangers often showed up to my grandfather's ranch and casually observed the laborers at work. It's fair to say that the Ranger did nothing to discourage the activity, just as friendly immigration authorities had done Royce [the man who transported the family out of Mexico] the favor of turning the other way when he drove Vicente's family into America in 1972. The civic titans of Texas who visited my grandfather's ranch were aware of what was going on. Men like these saw to it that the border, and the laws governing it, would remain a joke.
"These men would shoot their hunting rifles all day long and then sit under the stars and drink while Vicente plucked the turkeys or skinned the deer. The men admired Vicente's old-world comportment. The keenness in his stare, the sureness of his grip. They comforted themselves with the belief that the Mexican seemed to find even lowly work ennobling, and they would tip him well. And the next morning they would go home to their mansions, whose lawns were tended by other uncomplaining Hispanic gentlemen, each of whom would probably be doing this type of work forever so that his children would not have to.
"That was the catch in Vicente's voice I was picking up on at his dinner table. He was not an idiot. A horse trainer, attuned to the elemental, he knew condescension when he saw it. And he knew that, though the opportunity here was far superior to the choices he faced in Mexico, he was not getting paid what a white man might. Both sides understood that this inequality--made possible by the transaction's unlawfulness--was key to the deal. Because of the cheap labor offered by migrants of modest yet unsinkable ambition like Vicente Martinez, men of means but not of obscene wealth could afford fine lawns, fine ranches, loyal domestic help. And a man like my grandfather could buy thirty broodmares and a stud, churn out foals, and then rely on a Mexican trainer horse whisperer to transform each unruly baby into a poised nine-month-old commodity. Hay, tack, barn equipment--the horse operation would ripple through the economy in a variety of ways, and no one would be hurt by it.
"Men like Vicente were the straws stirring the drink. Yet men are what they were--bored and lonely, with families down south. They had but one chip to play: I accept my lot if you will help me give my children a better one" (page 290).
The story is partly disgusting. The story is extremely sad. Mr. Martinez endured exploitive injustice and blatant racism at his work. At the same time, he exhibited the very qualities we champion as ideal in every corner of this nation: heroic, sacrificial, courageous, parental devotion.
I find it very difficult suddenly to regard Mexican immigrants, coming to this country seeking only a better life for their children, as the culprits in our current immigration chaos.
Hard-working folks willing to make sacrifices for their families--sorry, but that sounds an awful lot like the stuff of classic American mythology to me.
And, why focus such hostility and punishment on them now?
They come seeking what the generation before sought and the one before that.
Dismissing their contributions out of hand--current and historic--as insignificant and inconsequential, we now must appear to be arbitrarily changing the rules of a game we've all been playing for a long, long time.
We need to get real. We need to face the facts.
We need to get beyond the racism.
Most of all, we need to work together for a fair and just solution that will include the 12 million-plus undocumented workers and their families who are here today and, if we are wise, will be tomorrow.
.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Graduation/Immigration: Monica, Up Close
Okay, I'll admit it.My take on the current immigration debate continues to be shaped in large part by my experiences and relationships with some incredible friends who live here without proper documentation.
In my view, we need immigration reform so that my friends can "get legal" and remain in the U. S. The debate going on today in the U. S. Senate ought to be shaped in large part by the stories and the lives of the people who will be affected by any new legislation.
I've told Monica's story here in some detail in the past (just search "Monica" to refresh your memory or understand more).
Monica has been living in Dallas since she was 5-years-old.
This year she graduated from Skyline High School! She is a good student and a great person--exactly the sort of person we need in our community.
The picture of her graduation ceremony with her class is a testimony to her hard work and to the quality of life she enjoys in her home. Her parents are hard working people whose home is so full of love that no one escapes it without health, hope and prospects for a bright, bright future.
The picture of her graduation ceremony with her class is a testimony to her hard work and to the quality of life she enjoys in her home. Her parents are hard working people whose home is so full of love that no one escapes it without health, hope and prospects for a bright, bright future.
Unfortunately, due to recent events, Monica may be deported to Mexico later this year. She has an immigration hearing set for August 1.
Last week I accompanied her, her sister and her cousin to the Dallas office of member of the U. S. House of Representatives, Eddie Bernice Johnson. Our purpose was to determine what, if anything, the Congress woman could do to help Monica.
As Monica answered all of the questions that were asked of her, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. So honest. So straightforward. So authentic. So exactly what this nation needs.
Representative Johnson will write a letter of support. That's about all she can do.
One of her assistants advised us to pray that the judge would exercise discretion and mercy in the case.
The immigration debate is personal for me. I know Monica and her family.
As a result, I know what needs to be done. A comprehensive immigration reform bill needs to be passed so that Monica and people like her and her family can remain in the U. S. and continue to help it be a better place in which to live.
Just ask Dr. Janet Morrison, Director of Children's Education here at CDM, pictured here with Monica. She'll tell you the same thing.
Pray for the judge.
Pray for Monica, her cousin, Jose and their great families.
Pray for Monica, her cousin, Jose and their great families.
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