1. Immigrants come to this country today for the same reasons people have come for the last 400 years – economic, religious and political freedom.  Many have fled civil war in their countries or economic conditions so desperate that they risk everything to come to the U.S.

 

2. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that the undocumented immigrant population living in the U.S. as of January 2009 was 10.8 million. Between 2000 and 2009, the undocumented population grew by 27%.  From 2000-2009, North Carolina experienced a 43% increase in the unauthorized immigrant population.  With roughly 370,000 undocumented immigrants, North Carolina now ranks eighth among states with the largest undocumented populations.

 

Immigrants & The Economy

3. Opponents of comprehensive immigration reform argue that the undocumented are taking American jobs and draining the nation’s economy.  However, undocumented workers contribute more to the economy (in the form of taxes, economic growth provided by undocumented labor, and consumer spending) than they receive in benefits from various governments.

 

4. All undocumented workers pay sales taxes, property taxes (through rent or home ownership), and many also pay social security and income taxes.

 

5. Immigrants tend to complement the native workforce, rather than compete with it.

 

6. Studies show that legalization would likely improve wages for all workers.

 

7. Immigrants contribute to the Social Security system.

• Studies show that undocumented immigrants provide a net gain of $7 billion to the Social Security system each year.
• Undocumented immigrants cannot receive any Social Security benefits.

8. How has the economic downturn impacted immigrants?

• Non-citizen immigrants are much more vulnerable to fluctuations in the economy.  The median annual income of non-citizen immigrant households fell 7.3 percent from 2006-2007.  In contrast the median annual income of all U.S. households increased 1.3 percent during the same period.

9. Not all immigrants are farmworkers, and not all farmworkers are immigrants.  But, our agricultural system has always relied on the labor of displaced people that do not have the benefit of full citizenship in this country – whether indentured servants, slaves, sharecroppers, or undocumented immigrants.  Click here for more information on farmworkers and immigration: http://www.ncfarmworkers.org/?download=FMC%20-%20Farmworkers%20and%20Immigration.

 

Immigrants & Legal Status

10. Over the last 50 years, immigration laws have become increasingly strict. In the past, many waves of immigrants passed relatively freely through ports of entry such as Ellis Island.  Since the U.S. has tightened its borders, most of these same families would be turned away today.

 

11. Undocumented immigrants are not all criminals just because of their immigration status.  While entering this country illegally may be a crime, coming to the country legally and then overstaying a visa is a regulatory, or civil, violation, but is not a crime.

 

12. Under the current system, people typically enter the US legally based on family relationships and employment relationships.

• The family-based system requires a sponsor (either a US citizen or permanent resident).  These cases all result in a green card (legal permanent residency).
• The beneficiary must be within the “nuclear family” of the sponsor, so aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces are not eligible.

13. Usually, the family-based system entails very long waiting periods – up to 20 years in some cases – because of a very strict quota system.

 

14. There are no temporary visas for “unskilled,” “essential” workers who fill year-round jobs.

 

15. Under our current system, for the vast majority of workers, there is no “line” to stand in to enter the U.S. legally.

 

Language About Immigrants

16. In the public sphere there are numerous terms used to describe immigrants, but it is important to think about the negative connotation these terms carry.

• The terms “illegal” and “illegal immigrant” automatically criminalize the person, instead of the action they are purported to have committed.  Shortening the term in this way also stereotypes undocumented people who are in the United States as having committed a crime.
• An estimated 40 percent of all undocumented people living in the U.S. entered the country legally and then overstayed their visas.
• It is degrading to use the terms “alien” and “illegal alien,” which describe undocumented immigrants as inhuman outsiders who come to the U.S. with questionable motivations.

 Local Enforcement of Immigration Laws

17. Immigrant communities throughout North Carolina are living increasingly in a state of fear and insecurity due to programs in which local law enforcement agencies are actively enforcing federal immigration laws.  These programs have led to the deportation of thousands of undocumented immigrants statewide, often separating hardworking parents from their children.  The Major Cities Chiefs – a national organization of police chiefs – note that “Immigration enforcement by local police would likely negatively effect and undermine the level of trust and cooperation between local police and immigrant communities.”

 

Comprehensive Immigration Reform – What Reforms Are Needed?

• Provide A Path To Citizenship – Workers currently living in the U.S. should have the opportunity to adjust their status so that they can achieve permanent residence and citizenship.
• Protect Workers – The nation needs a worker visa program that adequately protects the wages and working conditions of U.S. and immigrant workers and provides a path to permanent status.
• Reunite Families – Families wanting to reunite should have their admission expedited, and those admitted on work visas should be able to keep their nuclear families intact.
• Restore The Rule Of Law & Enhance Security – Enforcement only works when the law is realistic and enforceable.

 

SOURCES

1. Jeff Carr, “Welcoming the Stranger” in Sojourners—Welcoming the Stranger: Christians and
Immigration Discussion Guide, 2007.

2. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population
Residing in the United States: January 2009,” http://www.dhs.gov/files/statistics/immigration.shtm.

3. The Perryman Group, “An Essential Resource: An Analysis of the Economic Impact of Undocumented
Workers on Business Activity in the US with Estimated Effects by State and by Industry,”http://www.americansforimmigrationreform.com/files/Impact_of_the_Undocumented_Workforce.pdf.

4. Immigration Policy Center, “Assessing the Economic Impact of Immigration at the State and Local Level,”http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/images/File/factcheck/State%20and%20Local%20Study%20Survey
%20FINAL%201-15-08.pdf.

5. Daniel T. Griswold, “When employment lines cross borders,” CATO Institute, Center for Trade 
Policy Studies, April 21, 2008, available atwww.freetrade.org/node/866.

6. Raul Hinojosa Ojed, Comprehensive Migration Policy Reform in North America: The Key to 
Sustainable and Equitable Economic Integration, Los Angeles, California:  North American Integration
and Development Center, School of Policy and Social Research, UCLA, August 2000.

7. Testimony of Patrick P. O’Carroll, Jr., Inspector General of the Social Security Administration,
before the U.S. Senate, Committee on Finance, regarding “Administrative Challenges Facing the Social 
Security Administration,” March 14, 2006.

8. Rakesh Kochhar, “Sharp Decline in Income for Non-Citizen Immigrant Households, 2006-2007,”
Pew Hispanic Center, available at http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=95.

10. Gerry Chapman, “Legal Issues,” unpublished article, Chapman Law Firm (Greensboro, NC), 
www.chapman-immig.com; additional information provided by Kate Woomer-Deters, NC Justice
Center (Raleigh, NC), www.ncjustice.org, and Marty Rosenbluth, Southern Coalition for Social 
Justice (Durham, NC), www.southerncoalition.org.

11. Ibid.

12. Ibid.

13. Ibid.

14. Ibid.

15. Ibid.

16. National Association of Hispanic Journalists, “NAHJ Urges News Media to Stop Using 
Dehumanizing Terms When Covering Immigration,”http://www.nahj.org/nahjnews/articles/2006/March/immigrationcoverage.shtml.

17. Marty Rosenbluth, “Local Enforcement of Immigration Laws,” unpublished article, 
Southern Coalition for Social Justice (Durham, NC), www.southerncoalition.org.  
Major Cities Chiefs, “M.C.C. Immigration Committee Recommendations,” available athttp://www.houstontx.gov/police/pdfs/mcc_position.pdf.