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Immigration and Security
Youth Informed, Split on Immigration Reform Bill
By Daniela Perdomo
Sunday, June 17, 2007
With the comprehensive immigration reform bill set to be revived on the Senate floor, it seems pertinent to ask how today’s young people view the situation.
The bipartisan bill aims to increase border security, crack down on those who knowingly employ undocumented immigrants, create a guest-worker program, and make the legalization process easier for the 12 million undocumented people living in the United States.
In short, if it were to pass, it has the potential to affect the life of every U.S. citizen and resident—and today’s youth would inherit its effects.
One political blogger, Peggie Brown, 56, the author of Katablog.com, wrote in an e-mail: “I’m not sure the young people are watching and are informed.”
Ify Mora, 24, an incoming student to Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, for one, does not fit that young-and-apathetic role. In fact, she believes immigration is a big-deal policy issue among her peer age group.
Even so, Gilbert Martínez, 28, a doctoral student at Stanford and former chair of the College Democrats’ Hispanic Caucus, believes that few people—of any age—really understand the bill and are aware of the facts regarding immigration.
“While there is a very slight negative effect on U.S. workers who do not have a high school diploma, the overall economic effect of immigration seems to be positive,” Martínez said. “But I don’t see this talked about as much as it should be.”
He believes that if more people knew the straight facts, and did not rely so heavily on punditry, the immigration bill would not be at the impasse it finds itself in now.
“If the dubious economic arguments are taken out of the debate, it seems that the real issue is on whether or not we should let unskilled workers into the country as a matter of principle and if those currently in the U.S. without appropriate visas who are working should be allowed to stay,” Martínez said.
With regards to support of the bill, young people seem split.
“It’s the first step in the right direction. The bill presented was one that brought a lot of hope to many even though it had many flaws,” Mora said. “I think many of my peers would agree that it is impractical to think of deporting or criminalizing millions of undocumented immigrants. They, as do I, want there to be a more practical solution that takes into account the many benefits our nation enjoys as a result of the work of our immigrant population, both documented and undocumented, and the very real challenges immigrants face in the United States.”
Frank Cabrera, 27, a senior at the University of Florida, supports the bill in general—he is glad, for example, that under the bill, refugees will continue to benefit from Temporary Protected Status (TPS)—but is bothered by the way it calls for increased border security.
“Building fences is not the way to go about strengthening U.S.-Mexican relations and will send the wrong message to all our Latin American friends,” Cabrera said. “Those arguing for bigger and badder fences are usually the ones furthest from the border and with the least experience with border policy and we should be listening more to those who deal with this on a daily basis. Even border guards believe a fence would do little to nothing to curtail immigration and see a double fence as a double waste of money.”
Lucas Recchione, 22, an undergraduate at Boston’s School of the Museum of Fine Arts, does not support the overall bill because he is wary of the provision that could lead to the legalization of undocumented immigrants.
“I don’t have an alternate solution but amnesty for millions of people seems impractical and a bad long-term plan,” he said. “I’ll be closely watching what happens in the Senate next.”
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