Immigrants and Politics Blog

[KR: Why aren’t there more undocumented immigrants in Canada? Is it the weather? Distance from Mexico? Or the smaller number of low-skill jobs? Or better enforcement? In order to rule out the former two, I made a bet with a colleague: I bet that there are more undocumented workers in Alaska (per worker, but perhaps even in total) than in Canada. It looks like the figures quoted in this story support my bet.

With that aside, here is a story on public opinion towards deportation and undocumented immigration in Canada, sent by Irene Bloemraad. I love the quote about Canada being a civil society!]

Canadians want illegal immigrants deported: poll
By Jack Aubry
The CanWest News Service (Canada), October 20, 2007
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=f86690ed-a2ed-447c-8be8-21ba5a3dd922

Ottawa — A majority of Canadians believe immigrants who are in the country illegally or after their visas expire should be deported, even if they have family ties in the country, a newly released government poll shows.

Conducted for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the national poll revealed that respondents didn’t make a distinction between ‘undocumented workers’ and ‘workers without the proper work permits,’ with nearly two-thirds of Canadians coming down hard on illegal immigrants because they did not follow the rules.

‘Half say that they feel the same way about immigrants who have studied in Canada and have the potential to contribute to this country but who are now here illegally because their visas have run out,’ said the poll summary. As well, a slight majority said immigrants who did not go through the proper application process should be deported despite the existence of family members already in the country.

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[Interesting and important report by Margaret Gray on farmworkers in New York and the need for greater labor protections. Story below as reported in the New York Times, and the full report can be downloaded at the following link: http://events.adelphi.edu/news/farmworkers/ ]

Study Finds Farmworkers Unaware of Job Protections
October 24, 2007
LISA W. FODERARO, New York Times

Farmworkers in the Hudson Valley toil long hours for little pay and are largely unaware of the few protections and services available to them, according to a report released yesterday by researchers at Adelphi University and Bard College.

The report, a portrait of the state’s agricultural work force, claims to be the first such study in three decades. It describes a substantial shift in the racial and ethnic makeup of farmworkers in the Hudson Valley since the 1980s, from mostly black to predominantly Hispanic.

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[KR: Many local governments have attempted to control immigrant settlement through various ordinances, with “landlord” ordinances being particularly popular. Excellent illustration of how local governments are ultimately creatures of state governments, who hold the authority to over-rule local ordinances. What was surprising with the CA legislation was how little press it received as it made its way to bill passage. Conservatives still have the option of over-ruling this bill through a ballot initiative, although it is unlikely that such a move will succeed statewide today.]

Calif. law bars landlords from asking tenants’ immigration status
By JULIANA BARBASSA, Associated Press
October 12, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO—California is again forging its own path on immigration reform by becoming the first state to prohibit landlords from asking tenants’ immigration status.

Amid frustration over the federal government’s failure to reform immigration laws, cities across the country have taken their own action to keep out illegal immigrants, including barring property from being rented to undocumented tenants.

The law signed this week by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenneger elicited a sigh of relief among landlord associations concerned that without it, they’d be forced to take on the cost and the liability of enforcing federal laws as “de-facto immigration cops,” said Nancy Ahlswede, executive director of the Apartment Association, California Southern Cities.

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[KR: Irene Bloemraad flagged this story that highlights the similarities and differences between Indians and Jews in terms of human capital, homeland politics, secularism, political organization, and discrimination here in the United States. This reminds me of a forum I attended at the Kennedy school 10 years ago on South Asian activism when an organization leader proclaimed “we need to be like the Jews” when it comes to political organization. He meant having a political voice despite being a small part of the electorate in most cities. Perhaps a “Jews Then, Indians Now” book can be a followup to Perlmann’s study “Italians Then, Mexicans Now”.]

In Jews, Indian-Americans See a Role Model in Activism
By NEELA BANERJEE
New York Times, October 2, 2007

When Anil Godhwani and his brother, Gautam, looked into creating a community center for Indian-Americans in Silicon Valley, they turned to the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco as a model.

When the Hindu American Foundation began, it looked to groups like the Anti-Defamation League and the Simon Wiesenthal Center for guidance with its advocacy and lobbying efforts.

Indian-Americans, who now number 2.4 million in this country, are turning to American Jews as role models and partners in areas like establishing community centers, advocating on civil rights issues and lobbying Congress.

Indians often say they see a version of themselves and what they hope to be in the experience of Jews in American politics: a small minority that has succeeded in combating prejudice and building political clout.

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[KR: An oped by an old friend and law professor at Santa Clara University. He urges a conversation about whether it is a good thing for immigration policies to become more local. A worthy question, but also worth asking how the current policy and normative debates are different from the debates during the mid-1990s when state governments were the relevant battlegrounds (and remain so even today). Also worth noting books such as those by Ron Hayduk (Democracy For All) which note that progressive policies towards immigrants in the United States, including voting rights, were historically found at the local and state levels first.

Mr. Gulasekaram’s oped ends on a fairly optimistic note. The evidence today indicates that the majority of immigrants live in politically progressive cities. However, there are more jurisdictions today who have passed explicitly restrictive ordinances versus sanctuary ones, although high legal and economic costs may slow the advancement of Hazleton-like ordinances. Still, it may be little comfort to an undocumented immigrant in a restrictive state or locality to know that there are other places in the U.S. with more liberal policies.]

THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE: Coming Soon - A City ID?
‘Both sides might consider focusing on their shared faith in local action.’

Pratheepan Gulasekaram
San Francisco Chronicle, September 30, 2007

While immigration has been historically cast as a federal responsibility, state and city governments have seized upon the U.S. government’s immigration deadlock by stepping in to fill the void. In the first eight months of 2007, local jurisdictions passed more than 170 immigration-related laws - more than doubling the number from 2006.

Not surprisingly, San Francisco has entered the fray. Having already declared the city a symbolic haven for undocumented immigrants, the Board of Supervisors recently proposed issuing municipal ID cards to all city residents. These cards would help undocumented people apply for jobs, access city services and open bank accounts - all to ensure that the immigrant population is employed, educated, willing to report crimes and treated with dignity.

Yet lurking behind the ID proposal is a fundamental constitutional issue. Opponents of the plan argue that the city’s proposal violates the U.S. Constitution because it frustrates principles of federal supremacy and power with regard to immigration matters.

Although the opposition’s claim has legal merit, it is not without irony. Just a few months ago, pro-immigrant forces used the same argument to persuade a federal court to overturn a restrictive ordinance against illegal immigrants in Hazelton, Pa. That measure would have denied such immigrants employment, social services and housing.

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