Reasons to March, Reasons to Run

By Gardenia Casillas, Maria-Elena Young, and Daniel Madrigal

Joaquin Luna came to the US as an infant.  In high school he began applying to college with a dream of becoming an architect or civil engineer. In his application he is confronted with many questions: Are you a US citizen? No. A Resident? No. Social Security number? None. The pressure to support his family through an education and not being able to afford it are overwhelming. At 18 he takes his own life.

José Antonio Elena Rodríguez walks along the US-Mexico border in Nogales, Mexico. At the same time local US Border Patrol agents are chasing two drug dealers. In the chaos, the agents fire several shots towards the border. Six bullets tear through his body, leaving him dead.

Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez, a pregnant 17-year old pruned vineyards in Lodi, CA. One particularly hot day, the sun is too much. She loses consciousness into the arms of her fiancée who works with her. The job did not provide basic safety protections including drinking water, shade, or training on how to deal with heat. She dies of heat stroke.

As public health professionals our goal is to keep people healthy and we often believe that everyone has the right to be healthy – that neither a person’s race, gender, nor socioeconomic status should be a predisposition to good health. There are many factors that prevent this ideal from being attained. Sometimes, laws and policies are the factors that prevent good health. US immigration policy is one example of a factor that creates an underclass of people with fewer rights, fewer resources, and less safety. Joaquin, Jose and Maria are victims of US immigration policy.

On a daily basis, immigration policy shapes the social and political environments in which immigrants and their families live. Yet, as the public debate over immigration continues, rarely do we hear discussion of the enormous impact of immigration policy on the health of immigrants.  Policies influence the circumstances of immigrant’s lives, specifically their rights, resources, and safety.  Take a minute to answer the following questions for yourself:

> Can immigrants access appropriate and affordable health care services?
> Are there protections for the rights of immigrant workers to ensure fair wages and safe workplaces?
> Are immigrant children able to attend schools and universities?
> Do immigrants feel respected and safe in their communities?

All of these questions are decided by specific federal, state, and local policies that expand or limit the rights and resources that determine the opportunities for immigrants and their families, as well as their overall safety in this nation as they pursue those opportunities.  When protective factors – such as access to health and educational services – align, immigrants will experience greater health and well-being. The lack of any or all three of these, such as limited access to employment and educational opportunities, stress and fear due to discrimination and anti-immigrant legislation, or vulnerability to violence, result in significant health risks.

On April 17th, 2013, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 was officially introduced in the United States Senate.  This bill, if passed, would significantly change our current immigration policy context.  It has the potential to offer a pathway, albeit a long one, to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the US.  However, it also introduces harsh enforcement measures, such as increased militarization of the US-Mexico border and mandatory implementation of an electronic employment verification system.  The National Immigrant Law Center provides an excellent overview and analysis on their website.

Immigration policy is health policy, and those interested in working to create healthy and strong communities should pay attention. Given the potential positive and negative impacts of the proposed immigration bill, this is the time for public health professionals to be active in the policy process, making critical assessments of how existing and proposed policies may protect or harm the health of our nation’s immigrants!

Creating just policies that provide a pathway to citizenship will provide immigrants with rights, resources, and safety. It means that undocumented individuals and their family members will be able to live without being afraid that their immigration status will backfire and that they will be deported. It means that undocumented students no longer have to hide in the shadows, it means that farm workers will be able to bargain wages sitting as equals at the negotiation table, it means that youth and community members will be able to stand up against toxic hazards.

Fortunately, the Bay Area is a hub of activity with many passionate individuals fighting for a more equal system. We encourage you to stand in solidarity with immigrants is to finally address the systemic exclusion. First, on Wednesday May 1st, there will be a large parade winding through Oakland. It will start at Fruitvale BART Station at 3:30pm.. The second event will be a 5k Run/Walk for Migrant Justice put on by 67 Sueños, a youth led organization out of Oakland. The event will take place May 4th at 11AM at Lake Merritt’s at the Pergola. For more details check out run.67suenos.org.

If you think the system is unfair, unjust, and unhealthy, come out to support the movement for equity. Let your voice be heard!

Republicans submit faux-DREAM Act proposal, the Plight of Domestic Workers, and the History of US Immigration Laws

Senators Jon Kyl and Kay Bailey Hutchison (Getty Images)

Post-presidential election paths to immigration reform are emerging

In the presidential election Mr.Obama won the Latino and Asian vote by a large margin. Post-election analysis has suggested that Mr. Romney’s hard line approach to immigration was a major factor for the gap. He was never able to present a convincing argument to these constituencies and maintain his “self-deportation” strategy. There now appears to be consensus between the two major political parties that immigration reform should be a priority. Democrats may feel like they have a mandate, while Republicans understand they won’t be able to win elections without receiving more of the Latino and Asian vote.

Republicans are pushing forward two immigration measures, the ACHIEVE ACT and the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Bill. The ACHIEVE Act was introduced by Jon Kyl of Arizona and Kay Bailey Hutchison and would create a new visa for undocumented youth. The ACHIEVE act requires that applicants arrive before the age of 14, instead of age 16 as specified in the DREAM act. The visa holders would also be prohibited from federal student loans or any other kind of public benefits. Another bill the Republicans are pushing is the STEM Bill which would create visas for advanced degree graduates. These visas would be taken from another program that promotes immigration from low-immigration countries. There will likely be many months of wrangling between Republicans and Democrats before we see the new immigration reforms. These policies continue to offer minimal relief, and would end up causing many more problems in the long term.

Immigration status and affects domestic workers’ pay

A new report on pay and working conditions from the National Domestic Workers Alliance has found that undocumented domestic workers are worse off than citizen domestic workers. Undocumented workers on average receive 20% less pay, are more likely to be required to do strenuous work, more likely to be injured on the job, and more likely to work while injured. The current immigration policies weaken worker protections and create situations across the country where immigration status is exploited by employers.

23 moments of immigrant policy in the United States
ABC News and Univision have created summary of 23 pieces of legislation that have shaped the US’s current immigration policy, starting with the Naturalization Act of 1790. The article is a glimpse into the complicated and shameful history of US immigration law.

Boycott to Mi Pueblo and ICE’s Silent Raid, Immigration at the Presidential Debate, First Wave of Deferred Action Applicants Approved , 10/8-10/19

Oakland Immigrant Rights Activists to Boycott Mi Pueblo Foods

On Saturday immigrant rights activists will be demonstrating outside of grocery store chain Mi Pueblo. The chain has become the target of ICE’s “silent raid,” where employee immigration records will be audited. The chain has said that they will be dismissing employee’s that do not have valid work documents. This will likely result in the dismissal of many long standing employees. Recognizing the impact this will have on the immigrant communities that frequent the 3,000 employee, 21 store-chain, Saturday’s protest aims to drum up attention for economic harm that will impact immigrant communities that host Mi Pueblo stores.

Click here for a flier to the picket on Saturday in front of Mi Pueblo in Oakland

Presidential Debate Speaks on Immigration

President Obama and Governor Romney both had a chance to share their views on immigration at Tuesday’s presidential debate. While self-deportation Romney has tempered his remarks as he pivots to the center, he still presents the anti-immigrant candidate. Obama rightly pointed out that Romney’s immigration advisor has been Kris Kobach, the author of SB1070, and the nation should be concerned, Romney accurately replied that Obama has little room to comment on immigration when he has failed to enact immigration reform. Neither one is talking about 400,000 people who are deported every year; it seems they have  come to an understanding on deportation policy. Obama referred to those being deported as gangbangers, insinuating that these are people causing trouble, and that this country would be better off without them, further criminalizing immigrant communities. This is the big problem, on one sideThe big problem with the presidential race is that the only option are a man with a terrible record, and his challenger who promises to be even more cruel.

First Wave of Deferred Action Appicants Approved

4,591 undocumented youth who have submitted applications to receive a work permit have been processed. In addition to the lengthy application and $450 application fee, youth have had to a biometrics appointment. 180,000 applications have been submitted so far and almost 2,000 are going to be sent letters of “Intent to Reject,” those who receive these letters will have a period of time where they can provide missing documents, or fix other gaps in their applications. The Pew Hispanic center has estimated that 1.7 million will be eligible, meaning there are still 1.5 million youth who could apply to this program.