Immigration
A New Opportunity For Young Undocumented Immigrants
by Ralph Scharnau
The United States is a country in the midst of a seismic demographic shift. According to some estimates, those with Hispanic, black, Asian, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders heritages will together outnumber whites by 2040. The Census Bureau recently announced that for the first time in the country’s history white births no longer constitute a majority.
Given the historically contested intersection of race and class in the U.S., immigrants without papers bring highly charged debates over immigration restriction. Undocumented immigrants in the United States number around 12 million people. The vast majority of them have been living in the U.S. for seven years or longer. Though roughly 60% of these folks are from Mexico, the rest come from Asia, the Pacific Islands, South America, Europe, and other places.
Undocumented immigrants are in many ways already citizens. They hold jobs, pay taxes, and consume goods and services. They live in our communities as family members, friends, and neighbors as well as co-workers, schoolmates, and fellow worshippers. As President Obama stated, “They are Americans . . . in every single way but one: on paper.”
In 2010, undocumented immigrants paid over $11 billion in local and state sales and property taxes as well as paying into Social Security and Medicare. They hold agriculture, meat-processing, construction, landscaping, hospitality, manufacturing, or wholesale and retail trade jobs. Their consumer spending helps produce jobs. Their compensation, however, usually falls under that of other workers, and they are more likely to be victims of wage and hour theft.
In 2010, a bill called the DREAM Act, short for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, would grant permanent resident status for young people who came to the United States undocumented but graduated from college or served in the military. The DREAM Act received majorities in the House and Senate, but a minority in the Senate that included 36 Republicans and 5 Democrats blocked it.
In fiscal 2011, the Obama administration deported a record of nearly 400,000 people. At the same time immigrants’ rights activists continued to push for the DREAM Act. In the face of congressional inaction, they won a major victory on June 15 of this year when President Obama announced his administration will halt deportations of undocumented youth. Nearly two-thirds of likely voters indicated they approved his executive decision.
Under the new policy, DREAM-eligible individuals, called DREAMers, will be eligible to receive “removal relief” for two years (subject to renewal) and work authorization if they meet the following criteria: arrived in the U.S. before age l6: are younger than 30; have been in the U.S. for at least five continuous years; graduated from a US high school or earned a GED or served in the US armed forces; and have not been convicted of a crime or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.
This plan will impact an estimated 800,000 individuals who came to this country as children, in some cases infants. Many came through no fault of their own and without a real understanding of their undocumented status. For years, DREAMers lived in constant fear of deportation.
The President’s executive directive, based on prosecutorial discretion, is a temporary measure. It grants no legal status or pathway to citizenship. Only Congress can confer these rights. Yet it allows DREAMers to continue living and working as Americans in the only country they call home.
Although a step in the right direction, Obama’s executive authority is no substitute for comprehensive immigration reform. We need an immigration system that addresses fairness and adequacy issues by cutting the visa backlog, increasing the number of green cards, and overhauling the naturalization process.
Ralph Scharnau teaches U. S. history at Northeast Iowa Community College, Peosta. He holds a Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University. His publications include articles on labor history in Iowa and Dubuque. Scharnau, a peace and justice activist, writes monthly op-ed columns for the Dubuque Telegraph Herald.
Romney Lies? Who’da Thunk It?
How do you know he’s lying? His lips are moving!
Paul Krugman in his blog says what many people have been waiting for someone to say:
“I mean, is there anything at all in Romney’s stump speech that’s true? It’s all based on attacking Obama for apologizing for America, which he didn’t, on making deep cuts in defense, which he also didn’t, and on being a radical redistributionist who wants equality of outcomes, which he isn’t. When the issue turns to jobs, Romney makes false assertions both about Obama’s record and about his own. I can’t find a single true assertion anywhere.”
Couldn’t agree with him more.Sometimes I have wanted to scream at some reporter “Are you just going to let him lie and not say a thing? What is your job? Secretary?
The human costs of Republican administrations
Seems like every Republican administration moves the clock for equality backwards in this country. Well, at least since Nixon who signed the Title IX provisions that have given young women many opportunities that never would have happened left to their own devices.
I simply can’t understand why taking citizenship rights from groups of people is not only tolerated, but voted for. Why can’t gays have the same rights as others? Why can’t all citizens vote?
We fall further behind every year
In a poll released the other day, Americans overwhelmingly stated they believescience is the key to the future.
Yet at election time, from school boards to the state house and the US congress, they continue to vote in candidates who cut the hell out of education and try to force schools to equate science with religion.
As our youth is less and less educated in science, America’s once formidable lead in this area has drastically shrunk. The telling point may not come for another 25 years, but we all know this will cost us dearly.
Sears going ….. going …..?
Thursday Sears was put in the position of essentially paying up front for vendor shipments. The ability for vendors to make ‘loans’ was cut off.
Maybe I am wrong but it looks like that vaunted staple of America free enterprise – competition – is about to take another shot in the chops. Slowly we will be forced to shop in stores like Walmart and Target. It is sad.
She sold the WHAT? And she wants to BUY IT BACK???
Governor Jan Brewer may have hit a new high (low?) in fiscal mismanagement in Arizona. First they sold the state capitol to pick some quick cash ($81 million) and now, little over a year later she wants to buy it back. And it will cost a cool $105 million. That is a $24 million mark-up in a year. Take some more money out of education.
You need to read this
And now to endear himself with Latinos
Mitt Romney got an endorsement from Kansas Secretary of State Kris Koback. Koback is the author of model anti-immigrant legislation fro ALEC after which Arizona’s repugnant SB1070 and Alabama’s new anti-immigrant laws are modeled. Despite trying, Romney was unable to get the endorsement of Maricopa County, Arizona’s notorious Joe Arpaio. Arpaio went for Rick Perry.
Winter is finally cold and LIHEAP is won’t be helping much
I heard Jerry McKim speaking about LIHEAP on IPR yesterday. Real winter cold is just settling in. LIHEAP money has been slashed by congress and on down the line awards for those who apply will be cut. McKim said there will be something for all that apply, but with less money, higher costs for fuel and now real winter temps it probably won’t help the way it was intended. (See here for previous story)
Since no one can have their heat cut until April 1, most people will be okay. The problem comes next year when anyone who has an outstanding debt to whoever sells them heat will not be allowed to be hooked up again. Reminder that much of the so-called debt reduction is on the backs of those it will hurt most.
Gas going higher?
Let’s face it, if one thing could kill any recovery and at the same time kill an Obama run for re-election, it would be a huge spike in the price of gas. And the rumors are already floating about a major run up in price this spring. I have believed that much of the pricing of oil has been manipulated for many years. No one has yet had the political will to take on the oil companies assertions on their prices. This could really blindside Americans and make voters quite angry.
Tags: arizona state capitol, krugman, liheap, Romney endorsement | 
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Do Iowans Seek a “Movement” on Immigration Reform?
Do Iowans Seek a “Movement” on Immigration Reform?
When President Obama spoke about tackling complex social issues, like immigration reform, in El Paso last Tuesday, he hit the nail on the head, “When an issue is this complex, when it raises such strong feelings, it’s easier for politicians to defer the problem until the next election. And there’s always a next election.”
Whether the Obama administration can reform the federal government's role in immigration seems doubtful, with any hope residing in his statement about how to get it done,
But this change ultimately has to be driven by you, the American people. You’ve got to help push for comprehensive reform, and you’ve got to identify what steps we can take right now — like the DREAM Act, like visa reform — areas where we can find common ground among Democrats and Republicans and begin to fix what’s broken.
So I’m asking you to add your voices to this debate. You can sign up to help at whitehouse.gov. We need Washington to know that there is a movement for reform that’s gathering strength from coast to coast. That’s how we’ll get this done.”
There is no doubt that to get anything done through our government in 21st century America, advocacy is required. Yet, advocacy is often part of the problem more than a solution.
During trips to meet with Iowa's congressional delegation and their staff in Washington, one notices the hallways of the Capitol and related office buildings teem with lobbyists, each one advocating a position, attempting to influence the outcome of the 112th Congress and beyond. What is noteworthy about Obama's statement in El Paso is that he does not refer to advocacy, he spoke of a “movement for reform.” This usage represents a significant difference and an approach that is mentioned by members of the administration more frequently of late.
While standing on a corner with a small group of demonstrators, we got to talking about being part of a group of activists. A septuagenarian said to me, “I don't want to be an activist, I want to be part of a movement.”
What she meant was that we all advocate for something from our government, but being part of a movement is bigger than any single issue. A movement is comprised of people of diverse backgrounds who find common ground in support of an issue that transcends political beliefs and ideology. A movement attracts large numbers of people to rally in support of resolving a social issue like our broken immigration system. With all due respect to the President, it seems unlikely that a movement will spring from his statement that one is needed.
So where does this leave us?
During a recent trip to Colorado, while helping someone move to a new apartment, I asked another laborer what he thought of former U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo's views on immigration. Tancredo represented Colorado's 6th Congressional District and made immigration a campaign issue during the run-up to the 2008 Iowa Precinct Caucuses. A constituent of the congressman, he said, “I agree with Representative Tancredo.”
It being a 15 minute trip between the old and new apartment, I asked him why and heard his explanation. There was little time for anything else, as before we knew it, it was time to move the furniture up three flights of stairs. Therein is my point.
Until we are willing and able to set aside our toil for economic sustainability and focus on issues like immigration reform, we can expect politicians to accomplish very little, or perhaps, make the situation worse.
President Obama made the case why we should engage in immigration reform. With so many things competing for our attention, creating or joining a movement to push our federal government for immigration reform seems a low priority. Trouble is, if we don't work on it as a society, what the President said Tuesday is that politicians are unlikely to do so, and we may be the less for lack of action.
It is an open question whether we are willing to add immigration reform to our basket of projects. The next step is up to each of us.
~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend editor of Blog for Iowa. E-mail Paul Deaton
Immigrants On An Iowa Roof
Immigrants On An Iowa Roof
While walking in the neighborhood last fall it was hard not to notice a gang of 21 roofers working on a neighbor's house. The job of removing and replacing the shingles took about 5 hours. It looked like there was not enough room for all of them up on that roof. I tracked down the foreman and asked him to price my roof and after a few measurements, he quoted a very low price. He worked as a subcontractor during the week and on weekends he sought additional direct work to keep his crew busy.
On Wednesday, nine people were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers in Hiawatha, Iowa at a roofing job site. They could not produce paperwork indicating their immigration status, were detained and then charged with immigration violations. All of them were from Mexico. We have yet to hear about what may be the real crime in this incident.
According to the news story, Eastern Iowa Construction (EIC) sub-contracted the Hiawatha roofing job to a business in Iowa City. What this means is that EIC made a sales commission on the job and did not perform the actual work. Photographs in the news story showed that the equipment on the site belonged to EIC. They likely received financial consideration for that as well. Nothing wrong here as that is what business is about, buying low and selling dear. Did EIC know the sub-contractor engaged undocumented workers to perform the labor? Hard to image they did not.
The question is about the sub-contractor. Did he comply with Federal Immigration law? Obviously not adequately. Did the sub-contractor pay the minimum wage? Maybe. But do the math on a roofing job. There is not enough to pay for the supplies, disposal of the old shingles, the sales commission, the subcontractor's gross margin and a living wage for nine workers. This is the untold crime in the news story, the exploitation of undocumented workers.
While negotiating a new roof on our house, the author refused to sign a contract as long as the roofer kept language that he could sub-contract the work. He told me he needed to keep this option open, and it seemed most of his customers did not question that provision. I gave the job to someone who would do the work themselves without subcontracting.
We live in a society of law and crimes should be punished. Some portray ICE agents as the bad guys, when they are doing their job. Where are the unions in this picture? Where are the home owners to specify contractors who comply with the law instead of taking a lowest price based on worker exploitation?
One hopes the nine workers arrested by ICE make it home safely, and that in Iowa, home owners will start being concerned with the rights of workers as much as they are concerned with trying to maintain a life style in a time of austerity. It is easy to blame our problems on undocumented immigrants, on ICE and a host of others. These problems can literally be solved much closer to home.
~Paul
Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend
editor of Blog for Iowa. E-mail
Paul Deaton
Iowa State Capitol News – Weekend Recap
Iowa
State Capitol News – Weekend Recap
State Capitol News – Weekend Recap
by Paul Deaton
[Editors'
Note: Following is a weekly recap of stories from Des Moines that
came through the Weekend Editor's in-box in the seventh week of the
legislative session. Check out the House Democrats page for a
different take on the week here.
Senate Democrats are here.
Watch for this feature every Saturday while the legislature is in
session.]
Funnel Madness
Legislators are waking up to the fact of the first funnel on March 4 and the decisions it will bring. One can imagine them looking in the closet and trying to decide what to wear to the next tent meeting, cocktail party, bike and bar crawl or committee meeting. “Should I take the Smith and Wesson for the debate on HF 7, the castle doctrine bill?” “Should I wear the Versace silk scarf or the JC Penney pashmina to the debate on HF 330, the ban of same sex marriage until a vote on an amendment to define marriage in the Iowa constitution takes place?” So many decisions, so little time. Although there was time on Friday for HR 15 which resolved that February 26 would be recognized as Iowa Bacon Day.
HF 45 Voice Vote
The Senate diligently and thoughtfully amended Kraig Paulsen's (R-35) signature savings bill HF 45, “The Taxpayers First Act” and messaged it back to the House of Representatives where the slash and burn Republican Majority, ready for battle on these important, landmark issues said…”never mind” and passed the Senate version on a voice vote. Now that's the big spending Republicans we know and love.We Are One Rally Labor and friends of labor rallied in support of Wisconsin public employees at the Iowa state capitol this week where HSB 117 was a subject of the rally speakers. The lone Democrat on the labor subcommittee working on the bill, Representative Nate Willems (D-29), was seen on the capitol with a 102 degree fever, looking a bit pale. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Representative Willems. The full labor committee moved the bill on Friday, so a house debate will be coming up soon. Check out Iowa Independent's coverage here.
Branstad in Action In separate press releases, Governor Branstad announced his nominations to fill the Iowa supreme court vacancies from the nine nominees. The Sioux City Journal reported that local favorite among the nominees, Sioux City attorney John Gray, was not selected. Apparently Gray contributed only $1,175 to the Branstad-Reynolds campaign, whereas Thomas Waterman contributed $7,500 and was given the nod.
In an “open for business” story, the Branstad administration released a copy of a letter from the governor to Defense Secretary Gates on February 1, lobbying the defense department to award Boeing Company a contract to refurbish the Air Force's fleet of aerial re-fueling tankers. Blog for Iowa determined that Governor Branstad fell short of the first rule of sales, which is “ask for the business.” The governor instead focused on his personal characteristic of “strong pursuit” of “opportunities in the best interest of the state.” He should ask for the jobs next time. Maybe he will eventually get the hang of this governor thing.
Does Iowa Want an Arizona-style Immigration Bill? This is the question some Republican lawmakers will be taking back to their districts from Des Moines this week. One supposes that since there is little public interest on the topic this year, they had better check with constituents before wasting committee time on another silly bill during the last week before the funnel. Hopefully even the TEA partiers will realize we don't want a big government program to enforce federal immigration regulations in Iowa. Even the big spending Republicans realize it is getting on apple tree and grape vine pruning season and those are jobs most Iowans don't want unless it is in the backyard of their home. This, despite Iowa's high unemployment. Some landscaping entrepreneurs can't afford to pay a living wage, and immigrants are so willing to take the work. BFIA will be watching this one next week to see if there is traction for the measure.
~Paul
Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend
editor of Blog for Iowa. E-mail
Paul Deaton
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Iowa Progressives and the Reagan Centennial
Iowa Progressives and the Reagan Centennial
When Ronald Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act near the Statue of Liberty in 1986, the new law required employers to attest to their employees' immigration status and granted amnesty to some 3 million undocumented residents of the United States. Reagan said, “the legalization provisions in this act will go far to improve the lives of a class of individuals who now must hide in the shadows, without access to many of the benefits of a free and open society. Very soon many of these men and women will be able to step into the sunlight and, ultimately, if they choose, they may become Americans.” Fans of the conservative president are not likely to be talking about that as the February 6th 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth approaches.
Reagan's views on immigration were pragmatic. American businesses required labor (in some cases fruit was literally rotting on trees for lack of workers), employers should be held accountable for ensuring eligibility to work of their employees, and Reagan believed there was a limit to how many immigrants, who sought to come to the United States for economic reasons, could be accepted.
If Reagan granted amnesty to millions, he also sought to bring illegal immigration to an end and ultimately his was a failed policy. Yes, the Gipper didn't make it into the end zone on this one. Undocumented residents in the United States recently numbered more than 12 million, although that number has receded with our declining economy.
In the Book, Reagan, In His Own Hand, he wrote what many of us believe, “…it makes one wonder about the illegal alien fuss. Are great numbers of our unemployed really victims of the illegal alien invasion or are those illegal tourists actually doing work our own people won't do?”
Last June, former Reagan speechwriter Peter Robinson opined about what Reagan would do in the current immigration debate. He said, “Reagan would have inclined toward reforms like those President George W. Bush proposed in 2006. Under these proposals, illegal immigrants who wished to remain in this country permanently would have received a long but explicit path to citizenship. Those who wished instead to return eventually to their countries of origin would have received the right to register as guest workers. Virtually all illegal immigrants would thus have been dealt with generously. Reagan would have found such a resolution satisfying.”
Here's my point. Ronald Reagan holds an imagined allure as he pretended to be something he was not. There is scarcely a mention of immigration in Reagan's autobiography or in his published letters. There is no mention of immigration in his presidential diary as edited by Douglas Brinkley. For liberals or conservatives to conjure a Reagan who is consistent with our views today is more about us than it may be about the former president.
During the run up to the June primaries last summer, 15 Republicans filed nominating papers to challenge incumbent Democrats Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack and Leonard Boswell in the midterm elections. Almost every one of them, to varying degrees, esteemed Reagan, spoke of American exceptionalism and wanted to be tough on immigration. What they did was take the present and try to make it resemble their image of Reagan, making him out to be something he wasn't, and that's the problem.
If progressives seek to advance our agenda, then regardless of the misinformation thrown out by politicians who have fallen under the spell of media bias like last spring's 15 Republican challengers, we have to be grounded in the truth.
We should not succumb to the temptation to re-invent the past to support our current views. Many fans of Ronald Reagan are wont to do this and this rhetorical exercise retards our ability to deal with current problems, as it did the 111th Congress. It delays resolution of issues vital to society, like economic security, energy policy, human rights and everything else that is important to us all.
The saintly glow from Reagan hagiography reflects on a city whose shining light has dimmed. In the light of day, society in Reagan's wake is revealed for its barrenness. It is a society reduced to a commons being exploited for private good, working Iowans fending for themselves and the wealthy getting richer with each passing day.
Reagan was no saint, and the more we frame his legacy in its harsh realities, the better it serves a progressive agenda. Happy birthday Mr. President, some of us won't be missing you hardly at all.
~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend editor of Blog for Iowa. E-mail Paul Deaton
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Immigration in Iowa After the Midterms
Immigration in Iowa After the Midterms
“What can Iowa expect regarding immigration after the 2010 midterms? Spineless politicians and more of the same.“
In his book, The Audacity of Hope, then Senator Barack Obama recounted the story of how in 2006, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley and he worked together on immigration reform. According to Obama,
The reasonableness of this story makes it seem more like a fairy tale than actual behavior of US Senators in the context of the 111th Congress. This 2006 legislation was the last effort of the federal government to address the issue of undocumented immigrants through legislation. Congress failed to act on undocumented immigrants, and even if our poor economy has reduced their numbers (according to the Department of Homeland Security), employers continue to seek immigrant labor and that gives reason for immigrants to enter the country illegally, creating issues for Iowa communities. The federal government did not have the political will to address undocumented immigrants during the 2010 midterm election campaign and nothing has changed to indicate that it might in the near future.
Absent federal action, some wacky things have been going on around the country. On Wednesday, Arizona's Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio signed up his 60th Immigration Posse to help combat the supposed threat of undocumented immigrants. What tilts this posse into crazy land is that the new 56 member posse is comprised of celebrities that include actors Steven Seagal, Lou Ferrigno (The Amazing Hulk) and Peter Lupus (Mission Impossible). In addition to Hollywood actors, the posse includes the nephew of Wyatt Earp and a retired Chicago police official named Dick Tracy.
In a press release, Arpaio said, “These guys are busy with their acting careers so I don’t expect them to be here on duty very often. But they can be instrumental in heightening public awareness of the immigration issue and encouraging others to join the posse’s effort to help reduce the flow of illegal immigrants into our communities.” Presumably, if this posse ever went out on a ride, they would be rounding up people with brown skin.
In Iowa, Representative Steve King (R-Kiron) is expected to be the Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on immigration. King has a proposal on undocumented immigrants, “every time we grant amnesty for an illegal alien, we deport a liberal.” While Senator Chuck Grassley has not gone as far as King, he too views the idea of amnesty as unacceptable and has used a two word lightning rod, “no amnesty,” as his response to questions about immigration reform.
Since the midterms, King has indicated in public statements that he will crack down on undocumented immigrants, notably proposing to withhold federal funding from communities with “Sanctuary City” ordinances on the books. With the balance of power in Washington, King's proposed crackdown is little more than vapor as it is unlikely to make its way through legislation into law.
Don't look for immigration reform from Governor-elect Terry Branstad. During his debate with Governor Culver in Cedar Rapids, one of the few points of agreement they had was that immigration reform and enforcement is a federal responsibility.
What can Iowa expect regarding immigration after the 2010 midterms? Spineless politicians and more of the same.
We will hear about the coyote caught with a vehicle full of undocumented immigrants along the I-35 and I-80 corridors.
We will hear of I-9 raids where employers are inspected and required to produce evidence of their verification of eligibility to work process.
We will hear of immigrants being abused by employers using their undocumented status to threaten them.
We will hear of labor brokers who withhold an unjust share of wages from their workers.
We will hear of mothers of US citizens unable to seek health care in the community because of their undocumented status and an inability to pay.
Or maybe we won't hear about any of this. Not because it does not happen, but because like the politicians, the corporate media does not have the will to report on these stories either. The majority of immigrants blend into the Iowa landscape without trouble, adding benefits to the state through the taxes they pay and the work they contribute. A lack of attention from politicians and media may be a good thing for Iowa.
~Paul Deaton is a
native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend editor of
Blog for Iowa. E-mail
Paul Deaton
Immigration: The Non-issue in the Iowa Midterms
Immigration: The Non-issue in the Iowa Midterms
“Crimes should be prosecuted, but living in peace with our neighbors is no crime.“
Whether undocumented immigrants living in Iowa are an issue in the 2010 midterms is an open question. During debates, forums and editorial board meetings, members of the media raise the issue, but the questions almost always fall flat. The candidate responses have been middle of the road, safe and uncontroversial. Iowans seem more concerned about their economic future than about who is cleaning motel rooms, roofing their house or picking the melon served for breakfast.
Ever since former Colorado Congressman and presidential hopeful Tom Tancredo made immigration reform part of his Iowa campaign, there has been turbulence, but no real storm. In the spring of 2007, at places like the Johnson County Republicans' Spaghetti Supper in Iowa City and the Hawkeye Downs gun show in Cedar Rapids, Tancredo used the phrase “no amnesty” to represent the way to handle residents who entered the United States illegally. The usage gained currency then, but when Senator Chuck Grassley uses the same phrase today, it serves as a lightning rod to gain a brief amount of attention when most Iowans clearly are not engaged.
At this week's debate between the major gubernatorial candidates at Coe College, it was a point of agreement between Governor Chet Culver and challenger Terry Branstad that enforcement of immigration law was a federal responsibility. Perhaps the state of Iowa does not have resources to enforce federal immigration law. More likely, Iowans are just not engaged in the notion that the presence of undocumented immigrants in Iowa is a substantive issue. It also seems unlikely that the partisan gang of 435 U.S. house members and 100 senators will take up immigration reform in a lame duck session or in the 112th Congress.
Immigration rose to the surface as an Iowa issue after the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on Agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa on May 12, 2008. 389 immigrants were arrested that day, about 300 students were absent from school and lives were disrupted throughout the small community. It is a two sided problem. Congressman Bruce Braley (D-IA) said at the time, “until we enforce our immigration laws equally against both employers and employees who break the law, we will continue to have a problem.” Neither the government nor most of the politicians running for office this year have the will to do both. The storm of Postville has passed, and like the aftermath of the December 2006 immigration raid on Marshalltown, foreign workers have returned to staff the meatpacking plant operations and the community is repairing the damage.
Some candidates for office talk about securing “all four of our borders.” This language presumes that only the lower 48 states need securement and like most conservative language on immigration reform, serves a limited, “what's in it for me” perspective and offers no viable solution. When we think about it, the conservative notion of “finishing the fence” along the southern U.S. border seems quite like the idea China had to build the great wall to keep intruders out. An unintended consequence of the Great Wall of China was to keep innovation out and we should learn from that.
The reality of undocumented immigrants present in Iowa is that the “crime” of illegal entry becomes an issue only when it is associated with other crimes. While prosecuting the crime of illegal entry would create a number of new jobs in law enforcement, the will to expand the government payroll does not exist. What does exist is a need for tolerance of the people with whom we live, regardless of immigration status. Crimes should be prosecuted, but living in peace with our neighbors is no crime.
As time goes by, undocumented immigrants increasingly become part of the fabric of Iowa culture, part of a status quo that is more accepted than not. More of value to our economy than a problem to be addressed. Perhaps this is why immigration reform has not been a substantive campaign issue in 2010.
~Paul
Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend
editor of Blog for Iowa. E-mail Paul
Deaton
Go to IowaDemocrats.org to find out where and how to vote early in your county.
Iowa's Relationship with Mexico
Iowa's Relationship with Mexico
“That
Iowa agribusiness is supported by federal subsidies, reliant on cheap energy, and dependent upon producing large quantities of row crops of corn
and soybeans with very few farm workers is a characteristic of Iowa
exports that makes it hard for Mexican farmers to compete.“
Iowans don't think much about our relationship with Mexico, but maybe we should. The number of Iowans of Hispanic or Latino origin has grown to more than 135,000 people and comprises 4.5% of Iowa's population, making Hispanics the largest minority population in the state. While Iowa lags the national average in percentage of Hispanic residents, most people recognize the increased numbers in the state in the form of the challenges of delivering public services, competition for certain construction jobs, and the highly visible immigration raids in Marshalltown and Postville. Our relationship with Mexico is more complex than what is obvious to all.
What we don't hear about is the way Iowa is tied to the Mexican economy and the importance of improved U.S.-Mexican relations to agriculture. According to the United States Department of Commerce, during the first six months of 2010, Iowa exported agriculture and livestock products valued at $417,712,094 and 73.4% ($306,773,989) of that went to Mexico. If we add in agricultural and livestock exports to Canada, these two countries make up 82% of Iowa's export market. Iowa and its agribusiness have been a primary beneficiary of NAFTA.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, in 2008 there were 108,072 acres in Iowa in organic crops, rangeland and pasture. Compare that to the 30,747,550 acres that make up Iowa farmland and it is easy to see that industrial agriculture is the primary beneficiary of good relations with Mexico. That Iowa agribusiness is supported by federal subsidies, reliant on cheap energy, and dependent upon producing large quantities of row crops of corn and soybeans with very few farm workers is a characteristic of Iowa exports that makes it hard for Mexican farmers to compete. Some say that the surge in immigration from Mexico to the United States after NAFTA was driven partly by Mexican farmers being driven out of business by cheap imports from the US.
During the 2010 midterm elections, immigration has become an issue discussed at newspaper editorial boards across the state. Among most Iowans, there appears to be common ground in that most say we should enforce the law, protect the borders and hold businesses who knowingly employ undocumented workers accountable. Critics point to the Mexican trade in methamphetamine and coyotes trafficking in people along interstates 80 and 35 as significant social problems. The
truth about this is that undocumented immigrants perform work that
Iowans don't want to do like harvesting produce, pruning apple trees and
grape vines and working in packing houses. It is the economic benefits
of living in the United States that pulls Mexican workers here. As long
as that continues to be the case, and employers need the labor and won't
comply with the law, immigration reform seems unlikely.
According to Iowa Public Television, “Mexican immigration to the United States has occurred for several generations, but the permanent settling of Mexican immigrants in Iowa is a recent phenomenon. The relationship between these immigrants and their hometowns in Mexico remains strong, especially among first generation newcomers. Direct phone communication, the availability of Spanish language media and the proximity of Mexico to the United States means that immigrants are often in daily contact with family, friends and neighbors back home. Annual trips back and forth across the border are not uncommon. Latino newcomers in Iowa often provide crucial financial assistance to their families, communities and churches back in Mexico.”
Iowa's ties to Mexico are becoming increasingly strong. Like with many immigrant groups, there is an insularity of culture that ties Hispanic communities in Iowa together. To the uneducated, it can raise suspicion that our immigrant populations are up to no good. This is not borne out by the facts. When we consider the entire relationship between Iowa and Mexico, it is clear there is a symbiosis without which life in Iowa would be more difficult, regardless of from where our ancestors came or in which segment of the economy we make our living. For Iowans, time spent on understanding our relationship with Mexico can lead to mutual tolerance and respect that can only be good for ourselves and our communities.
~Paul
Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend
editor of Blog for Iowa. E-mail Paul
Deaton
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