Jaula de Oro: The gilded cage

(The bars we don’t have)

The privileges of being documented: Unpacking La Mochila

 

1.       When I turn 16, I can look forward to getting my driver’s license.

2.       When I turn 16, I can look forward to getting my first real job.

3.       If I’m a valedictorian, I can look forward to receiving scholarships to go to college.

4.       When I get sick or a member of my family, I know that I can get health insurance.

5.       If I choose to go on vacation, I can travel anywhere I want in the country.

6.       When I drive my car, I worry about an accident or ticket, but never possible deportation.

7.       I go through school not worrying that school officials or employers will ever find out I’m undocumented.

8.       I can be an active voice in my local or national political debate.

9.       We all learned that we were different at some point through the difference of race, class, or gender, etc., but never had the realization that the country I grew up in is trying to deport me and considers me as an illegal alien.

10.   I come home each day living in comfort that my family has not been deported.

 

De-mystifying Undocumented Immigrants

      Myth about the youth *Pew Hispanic Center Report 2005; Passel, 2005*

      5 million  youth under the age of 18 are either undocumented or have a parent who is undocumented

      Of these 5 million, 2 million children are undocumented themselves

 

      Myth about paying taxes *Immigration Policy Center, 2005; Porter, 2005*

      Undocumented immigrants pay between 6-7 billion dollars  in social security

      All undocumented immigrants pay sales tax and property taxes

      Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for most state & federal benefits

 

      Myth about employment *Migration Policy Institute, 2005; National Council of La Raza, 2006*

      Over 90% of undocumented immigrant males are employed

      Nearly 40% of all undocumented immigrants entered legally

      Over 9 million undocumented immigrants fill jobs in the U.S. for cheap labor

 

       Myth about Crime *LA Prison Times, 2007, Immigration Policy Center, 2000*

      $9,538 per pupil is spent on educating a child vs. $43,287 per prisoner in CA

       3.5 percent of American-born men aged 18 to 39 were incarcerated in jails or prisons in 2000 5 times higher compared to 0.7 percent of foreign-born men

      While the undocumented population has doubled since 1995, violent crime rates have fallen by 34% and property crime rate by 24%

      The average wait time to become legal is 10 years

 

       Myth about becoming a citizen *United States Citizenship & Immigration Services*

      Only 3 ways: Birth in the U.S.,  naturalized after 5 years with permanent resident or before child’s 18^th birthday whose parent has naturalized

      Waiting in line means 90% of the cases are in family based or employment immigration  that has  a  7% limit per country (25,000) legal entry visa so  the waitlist is minimum 5 years