January, 2010

Q&A on the Texas Convention

By lgilot  

Register for the Texas Convention here.

What is the Texas Convention for Immigrant Integration?

The Texas Convention will be a historic moment when hundreds of Texas immigrant families, civil rights advocates, students, business representatives, unions, and local and federal elected officials will come together in the Capital of the State (Austin) to recognized the contributions of immigrants to the well-being and greatness of the state of Texas and the nation.

What is the goal of the Texas Convention?

All participants and represented sectors at the convention will make an unequivocal call to reform our obsolete immigration system and to establish a comprehensive policy that: 1) will bring out of the shadows millions of immigrant workers; 2) integrates efficiently immigrant families to the economic, social, cultural and political fabric of our society; 3) develops and implements accountable, humane and responsible border and interior enforcement policies; 4) provides long-term solutions for immigration flows based on the needs of our economy, the dignity and rights of immigrant workers and the realities of the global migration process.

What are the objectives of the Texas Convention?

The leadership of the US Congress and the Obama administration have expressed their commitment to start meaningful discussions to reform our current immigration system in the first half of 2010. In this context, the Texas Convention aims to unify the voices of Texans that favor comprehensive immigration reform. Furthermore, the Texas Convention aims to place Texas, the second state in the nation with the most immigrant families and the largest border state, in a leadership role in the national discussions. In Texas, we believe that a thoughtful overhaul of the immigration system is good for our economy, for our families and for our community security.

Who is convening and organizing the Texas Convention?

The Texas Convention is convened and organized by the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA), a statewide coalition integrated by immigrant and human rights organizations, service providers, workers’ unions and faith-based institutions. The Border Network for Human Rights (based in El Paso) coordinates the logistics and communications of RITA, and the RITA Executive Committee, composed by RITA’s founding organizations from several cities in Texas, has the role of developing our statewide strategies and work plans.

Who can participate at the Texas Convention?

Any organization, institution, group and individual that shares the goal and objectives of the Texas Convention is invited to participate.

How can I participate at the Texas Convention?

Organizations and individuals may attend the Convention free of charge. Please register.

The agenda of the Convention will reflect the different sectors in Texas that support sensible immigration reform. If your group would like to provide testimony on the impact of the current immigration laws on families, businesses, or congregations, please contact Adriana Cadena, RITA Coordinator, at 915-577-0724 or acadena@bnhr.org.

Direct media inquiries to Louie Gilot, Communications Director of the Border Network, at lgilot@bnhr.org.

Who can I contact in my region to coordinate my participation?

Austin: Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition • 512-476-2472  • info@autinirc.org

El Paso: Border Network for Human Rights  • Betty Tercero  •

915-577-0724 • btercero@bnhr.org

Dallas: Catholic Charities of Dallas • Catarina Torres • 214-520-6590 X124 • ctorres@central.catholiccharitiesdallas.org

Forth Worth: Coalition for Immigration Reform of Dallas/Ft.Worth & North Texas • 817-922-0280 • proyectoinmigranteics@yahoo.com

Stephenville: Welcoming Immigrants Network • Dean Reed •

254-485-5832 • rdr17@me.com

Houston: Mi Familia Vota Civic Participation Campaign •

Thomas Servello • 713-296-1623 • thomas@mifamiliavota.net

Brownsville: Movimiento del Valle por los Derechos Humanos • Maria Cordero • 956-832-4989 • mariaranchoalegre@yahoo.com

San Juan: La Union del Pueblo Entero • Marta Sanchez  •

956-584-3636  • martas@lupenet.org

Where will the Convention be held and what time will it start?

The Convention will be held at the Travis County Expo Center, located on 7311 Decker Lane in Austin, TX  78724, from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm.

What should I take to the Texas Convention?

U.S. & Texas flags, photos of family members affected by immigration laws, and banners and t-shirts of organizations.

Filed in: alliances

Legalizing unocumented immigrants would help the economy

By lgilot  

UCLA study says legalizing undocumented immigrants would help the economy

By Anna Gorman
Los Angeles Times

January 7, 2010

Even during the ongoing recession, immigration reform legislation that legalizes undocumented immigrants would boost the American economy, according to a new study out of UCLA.

The report said that legalization, along with a program that allows for future immigration based on the labor market, would create jobs, increase wages and generate more tax revenue. Comprehensive immigration reform would add an estimated $1.5 trillion to the U.S. gross domestic product over 10 years, according to the report.

“If we are going to create a solid recovery with good wages, we have to fix this hole that we have at the bottom of the labor market,” said the author, Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda, an associate professor with the UCLA Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies. “This is not about bringing in a lot of workers. This is about your neighbors and if we are better off where everybody in the economy has the ability to fight for their families and to contribute more to the economy rather than staying in the shadows.”

Hinojosa-Ojeda based the study in part on surveys done after 1986 legislation that resulted in the legalization of nearly 3 million undocumented immigrants. Those surveys showed that immigrants who became legal moved on to better-paying jobs and became more educated, resulting in more spending and more tax revenue. That legislation was passed during a similar economic downturn, he said.

The study, being released today, comes shortly after a renewed commitment by the Obama administration to back legislation this year that would provide a path to citizenship for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. The study is being released by two Washington-based immigrant rights organizations, the Immigration Policy Center and the Center for American Progress.

Hinojosa-Ojeda also projected that the economy would benefit from a temporary worker program, by raising the GDP by $792 billion. And the economy would suffer if the U.S. deported all illegal immigrants, which he acknowledged was an unlikely option. Mass deportation, he concluded, would reduce the GDP by $2.6 trillion over 10 years.

Immigration reform advocates said linking economic recovery and immigration reform seems counterintuitive, but the report shows that they are closely connected.

“You can’t build a strong, robust economy on top of a broken immigration system,” said Angela Kelley, vice president of immigration policy and advocacy for the Center for American Progress. “In fact, if you fix our immigration system, it makes our economy stronger and more robust.”

But Federation for American Immigration Reform spokesman Ira Mehlman said that even with legal status, many immigrants would continue to work in low-wage jobs, meaning their tax revenue wouldn’t make much of a difference to the economy. Also, legalization would flood the labor market and drive down wages rather than increase them, he said.

Mehlman said those supporting amnesty know they have a difficult sell because of the state of the economy.

“They are trying to portray this as an economic shot in the arm,” he said. “But I am not sure the American public is going to buy it.”

anna.gorman@latimes.com Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times

Filed in: Economy