Civic engagement is thus both a barometer of our public life and a focal point for action when we want to improve it. While regular citizen-to-citizen communication has always been a central part of democracy, public deliberation is just starting to be defined as a field of thought and practice. In this article we focus on face-to-face democratic deliberation as a means of enhancing civic

By Joe Bauman
Deseret Morning News

Published: January 28, 2008

An enforcement-only approach to immigration does not work and is unjust, according to Bishop John C. Wester of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City. Instead, the law should be reformed so that presently illegal immigrants have a path to citizenship, he said.

Bishop Wester spoke Sunday at the St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center, 170 S. University, giving the Catholic center's annual Aquinas Lecture. He cited the gospel mandate to "welcome the stranger" and quoted from positions taken by the U.S. Catholic bishops on reaching out to immigrants.

"Jesus himself was a refugee who fled the terror of Herod" in the family's flight to Egypt, he said. During his ministry on Earth, Jesus was an itinerant preacher. Today, when Catholics see needy immigrants, they see the face of Christ, he added.

The Catholic Church could say of itself, "Immigrants 'R' Us," Bishop Wester said.

Half of Earth's residents are in poverty, he said. On this continent, impoverished people live in the United States, Mexico and Latin America. Meanwhile, America is much wealthier than the other countries, drawing migrants who are trying to survive and care for their families.

"The overwhelming majority of migrants simply want to work, and they work hard," he added. They make important contributions to the U.S. economy, paying taxes and producing goods.

Undocumented immigrants pay $700 million a year in Social Security tax and do not get Social Security returns, he said. They pay about $3 billion in income tax.

"They contribute more than they consume," he said. Bishop Wester said he agrees with a statement in a recent letter to the editor in the Salt Lake Tribune: Immigrants "come here with little, work for little, and ask for little."

In 1998, an estimated 5 million illegal immigrants were in the United States. Today, after expenditure of billions of dollars in enforcement, the total is about 12 million. "It is clear that an enforcement only system does not work," Bishop Wester said.

At the same time, federal law allows only 5,000 non-skilled workers from Mexico to legally migrate to the United States each year. In recent years, 3,000 migrants have died in the deserts trying to enter the country illegally, he said.

"While we post a no-trespassing sign at the border, we erect a help-wanted sign at the workplace," Bishop Wester added. This creates what seems a permanent under-class of illegal workers who can be exploited. He said American citizens can't really want such an unfair system.

"The political season has begun," and some politicians are using the illegal immigration discussion for personal gain, he charged. In some of these attacks, he thinks there is racism and xenophobia.

A "bishops' letter" taking positions on immigration issues says people have a right to migrate when there are just reasons for it, he said. At the same time, the letter points out that countries have a right to protect their borders.

However, he added, these positions are not absolute. A wealthy country like the United States should seek to accommodate immigration as much as possible, according to Bishop Wester. And seeking to survive and care for one's family is a just reason, he believes.

He called for this country to set up a legalization system that would allow an illegal immigrant to become a citizen with the payment of a fine or fees and after working for six or more years.

Commentators have attacked such a program, calling it an amnesty. But Bishop Wester said amnesty is a gift, and a person who pays such penalties as outlined is not getting a gift.

"I would say that we want Americans who are willing to sacrifice for citizenship," he said.

Also, punishment should fit the severity of the law-breaking in terms of the person's intent to harm and the actual harm done. In the case of illegal immigrants seeking to survive and to help their families, there is no intent to hurt Americans and once in this country, they help the economy.

Bishop Wester said the position does not support open borders, but a more humane way to handle immigration for legitimate purposes. If that could happen, Border Patrol agents could focus attention more on drug smuggling and those who would do the country harm, he added.

He does not advocate civil disobedience, Bishop Wester said, but the current immigration laws are unjust.

Bishop Wester asked listeners to write to their U.S. senators to advocate for the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, the "DREAM Act" under which illegal immigrants who are high school students can attend college or enter the military and have eligibility to become legal.

The Utah Legislature earlier enacted a bill that has similarities to the DREAM Act in that it allows undocumented immigrant college students to pay in-state tuition. However, a bill has been introduced in the Legislature to repeal it.

Another state bill could do away with the driving privilege cards issued to undocumented residents in lieu of driver's licenses so that they can drive legally. He quoted Tony Yapias, director of Proyecto de Latino de Utah, that an audit shows "that undocumented immigrations are doing their best to obey the law" concerning these cards.

Saying that local law enforcement should not be enforcing immigration law, Bishop Wester added, "It is important that our Utah legislators hear from us."

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© 2008 Deseret News Publishing Company | All rights reserved

Crime Rates Have Declined as Immigration Has Increased

Even as the undocumented population has doubled to 12 million since 1994, the violent crime rate in the United States has declined 34.2 percent and the property crime rate has fallen 26.4 percent. Cities with large immigrant populations such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Miami also have experienced declining crime rates during this period.

Immigrants Have Lower Incarceration Rates than Natives

Among men age 18-39 (who comprise the vast majority of the prison population), the 3.5 percent incarceration rate of the native-born in 2000 was 5 times higher than the 0.7 percent incarceration rate of the foreign-born. The foreign-born incarceration rate in 2000 was nearly two-and-a-half times less than the 1.7 percent rate for native-born non-Hispanic white men and almost 17 times less than the 11.6 percent rate for native-born black men. Native-born Hispanic men were nearly 7 times more likely to be in prison than foreign-born Hispanic men in 2000, while the incarceration rate of native-born non-Hispanic white men was almost 3 times higher than that of foreign-born white men. Foreign-born Mexicans had an incarceration rate of only 0.7 percent in 2000—more than 8 times lower than the 5.9 percent rate of native-born males of Mexican descent. Foreign-born Salvadoran and Guatemalan men had an incarceration rate of 0.5 percent, compared to 3.0 percent of native-born males of Salvadoran and Guatemalan descent. Foreign-born Chinese/Taiwanese men had an extremely low incarceration rate of 0.2 percent in 2000, which was three and-a-half times lower than the 0.7 percent incarceration rate of native-born men of Chinese/Taiwanese descent. The incarceration rate of foreign-born Laotian and Cambodian men (0.9 percent) was the highest among Asian immigrant groups in 2000, but was more than 8 times lower than that of native-born men of Laotian and Cambodian descent (7.3 percent). With the exception of Laotians and Cambodians, foreign-born men from Asian countries had lower incarceration rates than those from Latin American countries, as did their native-born counterparts. This is not surprising given that immigrants from India, Taiwan, China, South Korea, and the Philippines are among the most educated groups in the United States, while immigrants from Cambodia, Laos, Mexico, and Central American countries are among the least educated.

Immigrants Have Lower Incarceration Rates than Natives among High-School Dropouts

For all ethnic groups, the risk of imprisonment was highest for men who were high-school dropouts. But among the foreign-born, the incarceration gap by education was much narrower than for the native-born. The highest incarceration rate among U.S.-born men who had not finished high school was seen among non-Hispanic blacks, 22.3 percent of whom were imprisoned in 2000—more than triple the 7.1 percent incarceration rate among foreign-born black high-school dropouts. The incarceration rate of native-born Hispanic men without

a high-school diploma in 2000 (12.4 percent) was more than 11 times higher than the 1.1 percent rate of foreign-born Hispanic high-school dropouts. Foreign-born Mexicans without a high-school diploma had an incarceration rate of 0.7 percent in 2000—more than 14 times less than the 10.1 percent of native-born male high school dropouts of Mexican descent behind bars. Only 0.6 percent of foreign-born Salvadoran and Guatemalan high-school dropouts in 2000 were in prison, which was nearly 8 times lower than the 4.7 percent incarceration rate among native-born men of Salvadoran and Guatemalan descent who lacked high-school diplomas. The 0.9 percent incarceration rate of foreign-born Vietnamese high-school dropouts in 2000 was vastly lower than the 16.2 percent rate of native-born high-school dropouts of Vietnamese descent. The incarceration rate of native-born high-school dropouts of Indian descent (6.7 percent) was far greater than the 0.3 percent rate among foreign-born Indian high-school dropouts.

The Paradox of Assimilation

The higher rate of imprisonment for native-born men than foreign-born men highlights a darker side to assimilation than is commonly recognized. The process of assimilation often involves the acquisition by immigrants and their descendants of English-language proficiency, higher levels of education, valuable new job skills, and other attributes that ease their entry into U.S. society and improve their chances of success in the U.S. economy.

However, other aspects of assimilation are not as positive. For instance, immigrants, especially those from Latin America, have lower rates of adult and infant mortality and give birth to fewer underweight babies than natives despite higher poverty rates and greater barriers to health care. But their health status—and that of their children—worsens the longer they live in the United States and with increasing acculturation. The children and grandchildren of many immigrants—as well as many immigrants themselves the longer they live in the United States—become subject to economic and social forces, such as higher rates of family disintegration and drug and alcohol addiction, that increase the likelihood of criminal behavior among other natives. The risk of incarceration is higher not only for the children of immigrants, but for immigrants themselves the longer they have resided in the United States. However, even immigrants who had resided in the United States for 16+ years were far less likely to be incarcerated than their native-born counterparts.

Civic Bulletin, No. 50 November 2007, from the Center for Civic Innovation at the Manhattan Institute, Published by the Manhattan Institute - This bulletin is adapted from a transcript of a Manhattan Institute forum held in New York City on May 15, 2007.

This brief excerpt describes the participants and a brief overview of the conversation.

America is a nation of immigrants. Today, as we welcome the largest influx of newcomers since the turn of the twentieth century, we again face the question of how best to incorporate them and their families into the American social fabric. There is broad consensus that taking effective and vigorous steps to include them is crucial if America is to remain a vibrant and successful nation. The question is how. How has the nation handled immigrant absorption in the past? What are the best means at our disposal today? What is likely to be the most effective strategy? In this bulletin, a distinguished panel of experts discusses how best to meet the challenge of helping today’s newcomers become Americans.

Overview of Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Programs

Excerpt from Guide to Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Programs

© 2002 National Immigration Law Center – 4th ed.

This table provides an overview of immigrant eligibility for the major federal public assistance programs. Some

states provide assistance to immigrants who are not eligible for federally funded services. (TABLE UPDATED Mar. ’05)

By Jennifer McFadyen, About.com

The southern border of the United States is shared with Mexico and spans almost 2,000 miles. Fences are being built along one-third, or approximately 670 miles, of the border to secure the border and cut down on illegal immigration. The price tag currently sits at $1.2 billion dollars with lifetime maintenance costs estimated close to $50 billion.

Recent polls show that Americans are split on the border fence issue. While most people are in favor of increasing the security of the borders, others are concerned that the negative impacts do not outweigh the benefits. In any case, the U.S. government views the Mexican border as an important part of its overall homeland security initiative.

Read more . . .
 

SB1070 refers to a piece of legislation that was titled the "Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act." SB1070 was passed by the Arizona legislature on April and signed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer on April 23, 2010. Arizona police have broad new powers to question and arrest anyone suspected of being in the country illegally.The legislature has passed a billed that would make it a crime under state law to be in the country illegally, and would require police officers to question individuals about their immigration status if they form a reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country without authorization 

Arizona Senate Bill 1070

Fact Sheet for S.B. 1070

ACLU of Arizona Section By Section Analysis of SB 1070 Immigration; Law Enforcement; Safe Neighborhoods”