National Nurses United

Immigration 7/25/06 12:30 AM Page 21 selves overwhelmingly immigrants, honored the call and refused to transport goods on May Day. But labor activists around the world did take notice of the first major action in the U.S. on International Labor Day since the holiday's inception as a result of the May 1, 1886 general strike and subsequent repression in, ironically, Chicago. Meanwhile, on May 25, the Senate passed what it touted as a compromise bill (referring to McCain-Kennedy, which was viewed as too soft) sponsored by Republican senators Chuck Hagel and Mel Martinez. In addition to militarizing the border, this bill proposes to divide undocumented immigrants into three groups, based on how long they have been working in the U.S. Those here for more than five years who pass background checks and pay a substantial fine could apply for legal residency. Those here for two to five years would have to leave and could apply to return as guest workers. And those here for fewer than two years would be required to leave, as they are ostensibly required to do now. Six million—or roughly half—of all undocumented workers in the U.S. are in the latter two categories. While some labor groups, such as SEIU (which refused to endorse the May 1 "Day Without an Immigrant" boycott), called the Senate bill a "step in the right direction," the nation's main labor federation responded sharply to this new development. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said that the Hagel-Martinez bill would create "an undemocratic, unjust, and unworkable three-tiered society that denigrates and marginalizes millions of families." Unworkable, indeed. You don't need to be an undocumented worker to be suspicious of a policy that calls for the already marginalized to present themselves for deportation, based on the slim prospect of reentry as a registered guest worker. But perhaps Sweeney was being a bit too diplomatic, for it is absurd to think that undocumented parents of children born in the United States—who also number in the millions—would willingly choose to abandon their families. The AFL-CIO, to its credit, has adopted a policy that attempts to resolve current injustices and protect the rights of both the documented and the undocumented. The crux of this policy is the interconnectedness of all workers, regardless of immigration status, and the principle that a systemic disenfranchisement of one segment of the workforce brings down standards for all. Specifically, the labor federation calls for a path to legalization for all those currently working in the U.S., visas for legal entry of foreign workers based on objective measures of labor shortage and who must be paid prevailing wage rates, as well as strict sanctions for employers that violate immigration laws and illegally recruit foreign labor. To its credit, the CNA/NNOC Board of Directors has endorsed and adopted this policy. With the Senate and House bills headed to committee for reconciliation, the legislative fixes to this deep problem are unlikely to offer a solution that will benefit working America. Instead, corporate America is likely to get its fix of cheap, powerless labor, while millions continue living with their current illegal status—and millions more, driven by desperation, risk their lives to cross the border and join their ranks. Marches and demonstrations will continue; an empowerment movement for the undocumented worker is blossoming. One more partial amnesty will not stop the movement's progress any more than it will solve the underlying social problems that necessitated it. It will be up to the movement, its organizations, and progressive labor allies such as the AFL-CIO and CNA/NNOC to see that a comprehensive solution for workers is won. ■ Fernando Losada is assistant director of national organizing for CNA/NNOC. J U LY 2 0 0 6 Top Six Myths About Undocumented Immigrants Undocumented immigrants come to the United States to get welfare. Undocumented men come to the United States almost exclusively to work. In 2003, more than 90 percent of undocumented men worked—a rate higher than that for U.S. citizens or legal immigrants. Undocumented men are younger, less likely to be in school, and less likely to be retired than other men. Moreover, undocumented immigrants are ineligible for welfare, food stamps, Medicaid, and most other public benefits. 1 Undocumented immigrants all crossed the Mexican border. Between 60 and 75 percent of the more than 10 million undocumented immigrants entered illegally and without inspection—mostly across the Mexican border. The other 25 to 40 percent entered legally and subsequently overstayed visas or otherwise violated the terms of their admission. 2 Undocumented immigrants are all single men. Over 40 percent of undocumented adults are women, and the majority (54 percent) of undocumented men live in married couples or other families. Fewer than half of undocumented men are single and unattached. 3 Most children of the undocumented are unauthorized. In fact, two-thirds of all children with undocumented parents (about 3 million) are U.S.-born citizens who live in mixed-status families. 4 5 A large share of schoolchildren are undocumented. Nationally in 2000, only 1.5 percent of elementary schoolchildren (enrolled in kindergarten through 5th grade) and 3 percent of secondary children (grades 6–12) were undocumented. Slightly higher shares—5 percent in elementary and 4 percent in secondary schools—had undocumented parents. Undocumented immigrants do not pay taxes. Undocumented immigrants pay the same real estate taxes—whether they own homes or taxes are passed through to rents—and the same sales and other consumption taxes as everyone else. The majority of state and local costs of schooling and other services are funded by these taxes. Additionally, the U.S. Social Security Administration has estimated that three-quarters of undocumented immigrants pay payroll taxes, and that they contribute $6–7 billion in Social Security funds that they will be unable to claim. 6 Produced in October 2005 by Randy Capps of The Urban Institute and Michael Fix of the Migrant Policy Institute. Reprinted courtesy of The Urban Institute, a nonpartisan economic and social policy research organization based in Washington, D.C. W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G REGISTERED NURSE 21

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