Making the Economic Case for Immigration Reform
New America Media, News Report, Suzanne Manneh, Posted: Aug 24, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO — The future of the United States economy depends on immigrants, and this economic argument is precisely what the American public overlooked in the immigration debate. "We need to appeal to the larger base of voters about the economic power of the immigrant workforce," asserted pollster Sergio Bendixen of Bendixen & Associates, a public opinion research firm in Coral Gables, Fla. Speaking before journalists from the ethnic media, Bendixen outlined a new strategy for immigration reform at an Aug. 23 briefing organized by New America Media.
The immigration reform bill failed despite seemingly solid bipartisan support. The bill was backed by President George W. Bush, as well as Democrat majority leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. It was also strongly supported by institutions such as CBS, the New York Times, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and one of the nation's largest unions, the SEIU.
The bill failed, Bendixen said, in part because the 10 million Hispanic voters were outnumbered by the 25 million voters who were vehemently anti-immigrant. It will take until 2050 for the number of Hispanic voters to reach 25 million, according to Bendixen, "so becoming citizens and registering to vote is important, but it's not the answer." To pass immigration reform, he stressed, its supporters must win over the larger public by making an economic case for immigration, one that has been largely absent from the national discourse.
Without a continuing annual influx of 1 to 1.5 million immigrants, Bendixen argues, the United States will face a substantial shortage of unskilled workers in the next 10 years.
"We'll need 28 million unskilled workers that so many industries like hotels, construction companies, and agriculture industries rely on to keep them from falling apart," explained Bendixen. "Only 15 million of our population will fill these positions, so we'll need 13 million immigrants to fill these slots." If the United States is unable to attract and retain these workers, he added, the economic implications are far-reaching, affecting everything from the price of a head of lettuce to the ability of hotels to keep their rooms clean after losing their housekeeping staff.
"Migrants may be the most important 'commodity' of the 21st Century," he said. The United States is already losing immigrants to countries like Spain, Italy and Portugal, and may soon be competing for these workers, Bendixen predicts. In the 1990s, for example, 85 percent of Ecuadorian immigrants came to the United States; by 2003, this percentage dropped to 38 percent.
Another factor that is often overlooked is the fact that fertility rates in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East are increasing, while that of the United States is decreasing. The U.S. fertility rate, currently 1.9, must be at least 2.1 to maintain the current work force, according to Bendixen.
With anti-immigrant sentiment on the rise, especially in the Midwest and the South, some view immigrants as criminals, and a threat to American cultural identity. Much of this, Bendixen suggests, can be attributed to the negative, anti-immigrant, and racist media coverage, from Lou Dobbs on CNN to Bill O'Reilly on FOX News.
Racism against immigrants is palpable, says Bendixen, who received an email from a man who wrote, "We should build a divide along the Mexican border, and stop their invasion. I don't care if the Mexicans pile up like tumbleweeds in the Santa Ana winds."
Evelyn Sanchez, executive director of the Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition, added that she received an email from a woman who compared undocumented immigrants to murderers. "She said, 'We're getting told to pardon undocumented immigrants, so should we start to pardon murderers now, too?' People are in fear. They fear that the immigrants are coming and they can't sustain their families, and misdirect their fears through such acts."
These sentiments have a direct effect on the daily lives of immigrants. "It's a relief to see my mom come home from work at night and know she didn't get deported," recounted panelist Adrian Ramirez, an activist and writer for Silicon Valley De-Bug. "To us it's not about numbers; we keep getting promised thing after thing after thing, and we get let down. We just want anything to happen," he said. Immigrants don't want anything to be given to them, he added. "I want to earn it as much as anyone else."
The anti-immigration ordinance that originated in Hazleton, Penn., barring undocumented immigrants from access to housing and employment – and the multiple "copy-cat" ordinances that it has generated across the country – demonstrates what can happen when anti-immigrant sentiment is converted into legislation, explained panelist Lucas Guttentag of the ACLU Immigrant Rights Project.
One of the most critical actions, Guttentag said, is the "no-match" initiative, whereby the Social Security Administration (SSA) informs employers of a mismatch, or inconsistency, between their employee names and the social security numbers in the SSA database. The Social Security Administration is now forcing employers to terminate employees who have mismatched numbers, and are presumed undocumented. A state law adhering to this model has been signed by the governor if Arizona.
"All of these ordinances, acts, initiatives, have the same goal, and that is to drive people out of jobs, out of society, and out of the country," asserted Guttentag.
The most effective response to anti-immigrant forces, according to Bendixen, is the argument that immigrants are a necessity for the country's economic future. "The undocumented workers are here to work," Bendixen said. "They have to work, they are desperate, and there is no one else to do the job."
Related Stories:
Download Sergio Bendixen's Presentation (PPT)
Mexicans Send Less Cash Home, Bad News For All
Poll Says Immigrants Would Heed Bill
NAM Poll of Undocumented Provokes Criticism and Praise Report Ethnic Media
The immigration reform bill failed despite seemingly solid bipartisan support. The bill was backed by President George W. Bush, as well as Democrat majority leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. It was also strongly supported by institutions such as CBS, the New York Times, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and one of the nation's largest unions, the SEIU.
The bill failed, Bendixen said, in part because the 10 million Hispanic voters were outnumbered by the 25 million voters who were vehemently anti-immigrant. It will take until 2050 for the number of Hispanic voters to reach 25 million, according to Bendixen, "so becoming citizens and registering to vote is important, but it's not the answer." To pass immigration reform, he stressed, its supporters must win over the larger public by making an economic case for immigration, one that has been largely absent from the national discourse.
Without a continuing annual influx of 1 to 1.5 million immigrants, Bendixen argues, the United States will face a substantial shortage of unskilled workers in the next 10 years.
"We'll need 28 million unskilled workers that so many industries like hotels, construction companies, and agriculture industries rely on to keep them from falling apart," explained Bendixen. "Only 15 million of our population will fill these positions, so we'll need 13 million immigrants to fill these slots." If the United States is unable to attract and retain these workers, he added, the economic implications are far-reaching, affecting everything from the price of a head of lettuce to the ability of hotels to keep their rooms clean after losing their housekeeping staff.
"Migrants may be the most important 'commodity' of the 21st Century," he said. The United States is already losing immigrants to countries like Spain, Italy and Portugal, and may soon be competing for these workers, Bendixen predicts. In the 1990s, for example, 85 percent of Ecuadorian immigrants came to the United States; by 2003, this percentage dropped to 38 percent.
Another factor that is often overlooked is the fact that fertility rates in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East are increasing, while that of the United States is decreasing. The U.S. fertility rate, currently 1.9, must be at least 2.1 to maintain the current work force, according to Bendixen.
With anti-immigrant sentiment on the rise, especially in the Midwest and the South, some view immigrants as criminals, and a threat to American cultural identity. Much of this, Bendixen suggests, can be attributed to the negative, anti-immigrant, and racist media coverage, from Lou Dobbs on CNN to Bill O'Reilly on FOX News.
Racism against immigrants is palpable, says Bendixen, who received an email from a man who wrote, "We should build a divide along the Mexican border, and stop their invasion. I don't care if the Mexicans pile up like tumbleweeds in the Santa Ana winds."
Evelyn Sanchez, executive director of the Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition, added that she received an email from a woman who compared undocumented immigrants to murderers. "She said, 'We're getting told to pardon undocumented immigrants, so should we start to pardon murderers now, too?' People are in fear. They fear that the immigrants are coming and they can't sustain their families, and misdirect their fears through such acts."
These sentiments have a direct effect on the daily lives of immigrants. "It's a relief to see my mom come home from work at night and know she didn't get deported," recounted panelist Adrian Ramirez, an activist and writer for Silicon Valley De-Bug. "To us it's not about numbers; we keep getting promised thing after thing after thing, and we get let down. We just want anything to happen," he said. Immigrants don't want anything to be given to them, he added. "I want to earn it as much as anyone else."
The anti-immigration ordinance that originated in Hazleton, Penn., barring undocumented immigrants from access to housing and employment – and the multiple "copy-cat" ordinances that it has generated across the country – demonstrates what can happen when anti-immigrant sentiment is converted into legislation, explained panelist Lucas Guttentag of the ACLU Immigrant Rights Project.
One of the most critical actions, Guttentag said, is the "no-match" initiative, whereby the Social Security Administration (SSA) informs employers of a mismatch, or inconsistency, between their employee names and the social security numbers in the SSA database. The Social Security Administration is now forcing employers to terminate employees who have mismatched numbers, and are presumed undocumented. A state law adhering to this model has been signed by the governor if Arizona.
"All of these ordinances, acts, initiatives, have the same goal, and that is to drive people out of jobs, out of society, and out of the country," asserted Guttentag.
The most effective response to anti-immigrant forces, according to Bendixen, is the argument that immigrants are a necessity for the country's economic future. "The undocumented workers are here to work," Bendixen said. "They have to work, they are desperate, and there is no one else to do the job."
Related Stories:
Download Sergio Bendixen's Presentation (PPT)
Mexicans Send Less Cash Home, Bad News For All
Poll Says Immigrants Would Heed Bill
NAM Poll of Undocumented Provokes Criticism and Praise Report Ethnic Media
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| Sergio Bendixen of Bendixen and Associates with Maria Cardona of Dewey Square Grou |
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Come Together and Create!
Peter S. Lopez ~aka:Peta
Sacramento, California, Aztlan
Email: sacranative@yahoo.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Humane-Rights-Agenda/
C/S
1 comment:
any changes coming ?
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