カテゴリーアーカイブ: Immigrant

Attorneys at Golden State Law Group React to Study Regarding Immigrant Workers

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SAN DIEGO, CA–(Marketwired – Feb 3, 2014) – The San Diego immigration attorneys at the Golden State Law Group represent clients facing several different types of legal challenges that include issues relating to visas, green cards, status adjustments, family immigration, asylum, naturalization, deportation cases and business immigration. The attorneys at the firm have recently reviewed a study that was published regarding the effect of immigrant high-tech workers on the number of jobs held by Americans and they would like to alert the public to these findings.

Specifically, the study is entitled, “Skilled Immigration and the Employment Structures of US Firms” and a link to the Executive Summary can be found here. The research was completed because of collaboration between professors at Harvard University, Wellesley College and Johns Hopkins University. It concerned the notion that skilled immigrant workers in the technology field were forcing American citizens from high-tech jobs. The study concluded that this notion is false.

The conclusions of the analysis were three-fold. First, the study concluded that hiring skilled immigrant workers raised the overall employment of skilled workers at the firm. Secondly, the study found that hiring skilled immigrant workers increased the immigrant share of these workers. Finally, the study found that hiring skilled immigrant workers reduced the overall number of skilled workers under the age of 40. 

Overall, the researchers concluded that the hiring of a high number of skilled immigrant workers within the technology field did not force Americans out of jobs, but instead slightly increased the number of skilled jobs necessary for a company in order to continue to grow. The study also concluded that in general, the workforce within the technology field is getting younger, regardless of whether new workers being hired are immigrants or Americans. 

The San Diego immigration lawyers at the Golden State Law Group have represented many skilled immigrant workers who have pursued and obtained what are known as H1-B visas. These visas allow skilled foreign workers to remain in the United States if that person’s employer can demonstrate the necessity to hire that person. ”Skilled immigrant workers are not pushing Americans out of jobs,” said David Weil, an attorney with the Golden State Law Group. ”This notion needs to be revisited by people who believe it and people who are experiencing problems with their H1-B visas need to make sure that they get those problems resolved,” Weil added.

About the Golden State Law Group

The Golden State Law Group is a team of San Diego immigration lawyers who have been helping clients with several immigration-related issues for several years including helping with their visas, their asylum statuses, deportation defense issues, family integration matters and many others. The firm also provides legal representation for people in need of help with bankruptcy cases and with personal injury matters.

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http://www.goldenstatelawgroup.com/
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Attorneys at Golden State Law Group React to Study Regarding Immigrant Workers
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Immigrant reform might raise price of citizenship

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Hilda Vasquez squirreled away the money for her U.S. citizenship application by selling batches of homemade tamales at South Texas offices. Carmen Zalazar picked up extra babysitting jobs at night after caring for kids all day in Houston.

The women scrimped and saved for months to pay for the $680 application, but for other applicants in the future, it might not be enough.

As President Barack Obama renews his quest for immigration reform, some proposals would impose fines of $2,000 on top of application fees, making the financial hurdles much taller for people who are here illegally.

“You have more rights when you are a citizen, like to vote,” said Zalazar, a legal resident. As soon as she started a citizenship class, “I started to save because I knew otherwise it won’t be possible.”

The struggle is familiar to millions of immigrants. A 2012 survey by the Pew Hispanic Center showed that only 46 percent of Hispanic immigrants eligible to become citizens had done so. The top two reasons were lack of English skills and lack of money to pay for the application.

Manuel Enrique Angel made learning English his first priority upon arriving in Houston from his native El Salvador two years ago. He now speaks English clearly and deliberately and plans to apply for citizenship as soon as he becomes eligible later this year.

Trained as a lawyer in El Salvador, the 28-year-old works as a cook in a Houston burger joint. His wife, an American citizen, is a hair stylist. He estimates it will take him up to eight months to save the money for the citizenship application.

“It’s really hard when you have to pay rent around $600, when you have car notes for $300 and $500,” Angel said.

Republican supporters of the proposed fines say penalties are necessary to defend against any appearance that creating a pathway to citizenship amounts to amnesty.

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington-based think tank that supports tighter immigration controls, said if immigrants who are in the country illegally are allowed to seek citizenship, they should have to pay the costs, which will increase if millions of applications need to be processed.

However, he said, the costs should not be so high that people can’t afford them.

“It’s stupid to price people out of the market,” Krikorian said.

Angel plans to take advantage of a program at a Houston credit union that offers small low-interest loans specifically to help clients become citizens. The Promise Credit Union partners with Neighborhood Centers Inc., a nonprofit network of community centers in the Houston area that cater to immigrants.

Credit union President Randy Martinez said the program began as a pilot in 2012 and only officially started last fall.

“We don’t want that to become an obstacle for them not to become citizens, just because they don’t have the entire fee to pay,” he said.

The credit union’s $455 loans include $380 toward the citizenship process plus a $75 processing fee for the loan application. They carry a fixed 5 percent interest rate for a 12-month term, so the monthly payments work out to about $38.

Applicants must contribute $300 of their own money. They are all pre-screened by the Neighborhood Centers legal team to make sure they qualify for citizenship and have all the necessary documentation.

The credit union has already discussed expanding the loans if Congress approves a reform package that offers people in the country illegally a costlier path to citizenship, Martinez said.

An immigration reform bill passed by the Senate in June did not set the costs of the proposed 13-year path to citizenship. Lawmakers left that up to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, with the idea that fees would make the system self-sustaining.

While the fees remain unspecified, the Senate bill lays out penalties totaling $2,000 to be paid at various steps along the way. The legislation would create a new status called “registered provisional immigrant” and require anyone with that status to pay taxes.

During the 13-year wait, immigrants would be “working on the books, and you will hopefully be able to make a better income and be progressing in your life,” said Ellen Battistelli, a policy analyst with the National Immigration Law Center, who has argued against making the process too costly.

“There are so many requirements and financial burdens, this is a very rigorous path to go,” especially for low-wage workers, Battistelli said.

On Thursday, the House released its immigration-reform principles, which included no special path to citizenship for the 11 million people already in the U.S. illegally but would make those here illegally “pay significant fines and back taxes” to gain legal status.

In an interview with CNN broadcast Friday, the president signaled that he may consider legislation that does not offer a path to citizenship _ a noticeable shift from his previous position, which was that it “doesn’t make sense” to leave that aspect of immigration unresolved.

On Friday, Obama reiterated his preference for a concrete route to citizenship but said he doesn’t want to “prejudge” what might land on his desk.

Vasquez and Zalazar, both legal residents in their 50s, did not have to work in the shadows, and both took citizenship classes.

During Zalazar’s classs at the Baker-Ripley Community Center in Houston’s diverse Gulfton neighborhood, teacher Crystal Gonzalez asked the class how much it cost to become a U.S. citizen. Several hands shot up.

“How many of you have $680 that you can spend tomorrow?” Gonzalez asked.

No hands, just a few nervous giggles and rubbing of temples.

“We’re already telling people to start saving money with regard to the reform,” Gonzalez said later. “We don’t want people to be held back because they don’t have the money.”

___

Sherman can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/chrisshermanAP. Plushnick-Masti can be followed at https://twitter.com/RamitMastiAP.

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Immigrant groups might accept legalization without automatic path to citizenship

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“To see the Republicans moving from self-deportation to legalization is a major shift,” said Clarissa Martinez of the National Council of La Raza in Washington. “There is a big chasm between saying ‘no special path’ and shutting the door to citizenship entirely. It could mean a lot of things. There is no clarity or definition yet, but it is a start and we are definitely encouraged.”

Democrats in Congress and President Obama have signaled a willingness to listen to an emerging House GOP proposal, which would offer limited legal status. At the same time, Richard L. Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor union, said such a plan would be a “nonstarter” and would not receive union backing.

Frank Sharry, executive director of the immigrant advocacy group America’s Voice, said neither advocates or Democratic legislators would accept proposals that “create a permanent underclass” of noncitizens, but that they might accept legislation that allowed many undocumented immigrants to obtain some form of legal status and “most, if not all” to achieve citizenship through “normal channels.”

“The details matter hugely, and we don’t know what they will be,” Sharry said. But if ideas being discussed among Republicans evolve into concrete proposals, including citizenship for student “Dreamers,” work permits for some adults, and green card sponsorship for spouses and parents of U.S. citizens, he said, “that might meet our demands.”

According to a study released this month by the National Foundation for American Policy in Arlington, between 4.4 million and 6.5­­ million illegal immigrants — mostly parents of U.S.-born children — could gain eventual U.S. residency under approaches being discussed informally in the House. The bipartisan Senate bill that passed last year would have allowed about 8 million people to gain residency.

While the new flexibility among House Republicans on immigration reform largely reflects a pragmatic realization that they will need to attract the rapidly growing number of Latinos and immigrant voters, the less adamant insistence on citizenship among immigration advocates reflects a more practical attitude among many undocumented immigrants themselves.

According to a recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center, a majority of Hispanics in the United States believe that being able to live and work in the country legally, without fear of being deported, is more important for illegal immigrants than having a pathway to citizenship. The report said that 59 percent of foreign-born Hispanics expressed fear that they, a relative or close friend might be deported. Pew called these findings a potential “opening for legislative compromise. “

The study found that 55 percent of Hispanics, a group that accounts for three-quarters of unauthorized immigrants in the United States, see legal protection as a higher priority than citizenship. It also noted that many immigrants do not choose to seek citizenship when they have the opportunity, and that only 44 percent of legal Hispanic immigrants have become citizens.

In interviews this week in the Washington area, a variety of undocumented immigrants expressed similar views to the Pew survey, calling citizenship a distant dream that paled in comparison with their urgent desire to be able to work legally and without fear.

“Why do we have all these marches and speeches about citizenship for 10 million people? Why don’t they focus on what we all want, which is to be able to work?” said Jose Joya, 36, a maintenance worker from El Salvador who lives in the District. “If you get a work permit, you can buy a car and pay your taxes and spend money without thinking you could be arrested. What we want is to be legal.”

Adrian Maldonado, 57, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who was looking for a day-labor job in Annandale, Va., last week, said that he had entered the United States numerous times to do construction work, but that he always returned to his family.

“For me, the absolute priority is to work,” he said. “I know some American people don’t like us being here, but if you are honorable and do not go into the streets and steal and drink, you deserve to be allowed to work. It would be beautiful to be a citizen, but what is more beneficial to me is a work permit. I ask nothing more of this country.”

Immigration advocates said there were a number of ways illegal immigrants could be given legal status that could lead to citizenship under certain circumstances, such as sponsorship by employers or relatives, but that would not automatically offer them that chance. It is the notion of such an automatic offer, or “special path,” that has aroused such ardent opposition among many House Republicans.

Angela Kelley, an immigration expert at the Center for American Progress, said the “palpable political thaw” among Republicans was creating “balmy conditions” for compromise. In a telephone news conference by advocates Wednesday, she described one area of compromise that legislators could pursue.

“Congress could create a program where people who meet certain requirements and qualifications can get work authorization that permits them to be in the U.S. for a period of time, and then renew it, and be protected from deportation,” Kelley said. “It would permit you to travel but not give you status like a green card that you could adjust to naturalize and become a citizen.”

The two other major categories of immigrants who could be legalized through legislative compromise, in many cases by expanding or modifying legal channels that exist, are those who were brought here as children, known as “Dreamers,” and parents or spouses of U.S. citizens.

According to the study by the National Foundation for American Policy, between 800,000 and 1.5 million immigrants are Dreamers who came to the United States illegally as children, and at least an additional 4 million are undocumented parents or spouses of U.S. citizens. Congress could conceivably grant such individuals the right to be sponsored for residency by their citizen relatives, and it could remove multi-year legal barriers for them to return to the country if deported.

“If the proposals are generous with the Dreamers, offer people without criminal problems a chance to stay and work, and allow those with close family members or jobs to be sponsored for green cards, then it would be realistic to have a compromise with the Senate position,” said Stuart Anderson, a former federal immigration official and the author of the study.

Obama has ordered a legal amnesty for qualified members of the Dreamer generation who arrived in the United States before they turned 16, but some advocates said it should be expanded to include slightly older people as well.

“If Republicans are saying that citizenship is okay for some people under some conditions but not for everyone, then it raises an immediate question,” said Gustavo Andrade, who works with young immigrants at the advocacy group CASA of Maryland. “If someone now aged 29 can qualify for citizenship, why not someone aged 32?” he asked. “How do you decide who is deserving and who isn’t?”

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Immigrants lobby to keep NM driver's license law

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NM immigrant licenses

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – Immigrant workers urged lawmakers on Wednesday to focus on improving New Mexico’s economy rather than considering Republican Gov. Susana Martinez’s proposal to stop the state from issuing driver’s licenses to immigrants living in the country illegally.

Members of an immigrant rights group brought 5,000 petitions to the Capitol and planned to deliver them to lawmakers and the governor along with 100 plastic hard hats signed by immigrant oil field workers and more than 700 small milk cartons with photos of immigrant families.

“We are tired of being attacked, and we don’t want to be the victim of political bullying anymore,” Arturo Donlucas of Lovington, who’s worked in a diary for 12 years, said at a news conference.

He spoke in Spanish and his comments were translated into English at what organizers billed as an “immigrant day of action” at the Capitol.

The governor’s license proposal has failed in the Democratic-controlled Legislature since Martinez took office in 2011, but the governor wants lawmakers to again consider it during their 30-day session.

As Martinez has pushed to restrict licenses for immigrants in New Mexico, a growing number of other states are moving in the opposite direction.

Eight states, including California, Illinois, Nevada and Colorado, enacted laws last year to grant immigrants the privilege to drive. However, some of those states haven’t started issuing licenses.

Unlike a New Mexico driver’s license, the newly enacted driving privilege cards and licenses in other states can’t be used for identification, such as boarding an airliner or entering a federal building

New Mexico and Washington have the broadest policies in the country because the same license granted to a U.S. citizen is available to immigrants, including those here illegally.

Rep. Paul Pacheco, an Albuquerque Republican, is sponsoring a bill backed by the governor that would allow temporary driver’s licenses for certain immigrant youths but stop the state from granting licenses to other foreign nationals without proper immigration documents.

The temporary licenses would be for immigrants covered by a federal policy deferring deportation. However, those licenses couldn’t be used as identification to meet federal requirements, such as at airports.

The current licensing system has been in place since 2003.

“The right thing is to repeal it,” Pacheco said in an interview. “It’s a public safety issue.”

At the news conference outside the Capitol, oil field worker Angel Escarcega of Lovington said he and his immigrant co-workers need driver’s licenses for their jobs.

Lawmakers who support the governor’s proposal, he said, are “letting the politics of fear and divisiveness get in the way of doing what’s right for our local community.”

Hagerman restaurant owner Leticia Mendoza, who recently became a citizen, said, “How does taking licenses away from immigrants help people like me start and grow small businesses, create more jobs and jumpstart my local economy?”

“Rural communities are dying in New Mexico. We need a vision for New Mexico, not fear mongering,” she said.

___

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Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Immigrants lobby to keep NM driver's license law

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NM immigrant licenses

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – Immigrant workers urged lawmakers on Wednesday to focus on improving New Mexico’s economy rather than considering Republican Gov. Susana Martinez’s proposal to stop the state from issuing driver’s licenses to immigrants living in the country illegally.

Members of an immigrant rights group brought 5,000 petitions to the Capitol and planned to deliver them to lawmakers and the governor along with 100 plastic hard hats signed by immigrant oil field workers and more than 700 small milk cartons with photos of immigrant families.

“We are tired of being attacked, and we don’t want to be the victim of political bullying anymore,” Arturo Donlucas of Lovington, who’s worked in a diary for 12 years, said at a news conference.

He spoke in Spanish and his comments were translated into English at what organizers billed as an “immigrant day of action” at the Capitol.

The governor’s license proposal has failed in the Democratic-controlled Legislature since Martinez took office in 2011, but the governor wants lawmakers to again consider it during their 30-day session.

As Martinez has pushed to restrict licenses for immigrants in New Mexico, a growing number of other states are moving in the opposite direction.

Eight states, including California, Illinois, Nevada and Colorado, enacted laws last year to grant immigrants the privilege to drive. However, some of those states haven’t started issuing licenses.

Unlike a New Mexico driver’s license, the newly enacted driving privilege cards and licenses in other states can’t be used for identification, such as boarding an airliner or entering a federal building

New Mexico and Washington have the broadest policies in the country because the same license granted to a U.S. citizen is available to immigrants, including those here illegally.

Rep. Paul Pacheco, an Albuquerque Republican, is sponsoring a bill backed by the governor that would allow temporary driver’s licenses for certain immigrant youths but stop the state from granting licenses to other foreign nationals without proper immigration documents.

The temporary licenses would be for immigrants covered by a federal policy deferring deportation. However, those licenses couldn’t be used as identification to meet federal requirements, such as at airports.

The current licensing system has been in place since 2003.

“The right thing is to repeal it,” Pacheco said in an interview. “It’s a public safety issue.”

At the news conference outside the Capitol, oil field worker Angel Escarcega of Lovington said he and his immigrant co-workers need driver’s licenses for their jobs.

Lawmakers who support the governor’s proposal, he said, are “letting the politics of fear and divisiveness get in the way of doing what’s right for our local community.”

Hagerman restaurant owner Leticia Mendoza, who recently became a citizen, said, “How does taking licenses away from immigrants help people like me start and grow small businesses, create more jobs and jumpstart my local economy?”

“Rural communities are dying in New Mexico. We need a vision for New Mexico, not fear mongering,” she said.

___

Follow Barry Massey on Twitter at https:/twitter.com/bmasseyAP

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Immigrants lobby to keep NM driver's license law

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NM immigrant licenses

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – Immigrant workers urged lawmakers on Wednesday to focus on improving New Mexico’s economy rather than considering Republican Gov. Susana Martinez’s proposal to stop the state from issuing driver’s licenses to immigrants living in the country illegally.

Members of an immigrant rights group brought 5,000 petitions to the Capitol and planned to deliver them to lawmakers and the governor along with 100 plastic hard hats signed by immigrant oil field workers and more than 700 small milk cartons with photos of immigrant families.

“We are tired of being attacked, and we don’t want to be the victim of political bullying anymore,” Arturo Donlucas of Lovington, who’s worked in a diary for 12 years, said at a news conference.

He spoke in Spanish and his comments were translated into English at what organizers billed as an “immigrant day of action” at the Capitol.

The governor’s license proposal has failed in the Democratic-controlled Legislature since Martinez took office in 2011, but the governor wants lawmakers to again consider it during their 30-day session.

As Martinez has pushed to restrict licenses for immigrants in New Mexico, a growing number of other states are moving in the opposite direction.

Eight states, including California, Illinois, Nevada and Colorado, enacted laws last year to grant immigrants the privilege to drive. However, some of those states haven’t started issuing licenses.

Unlike a New Mexico driver’s license, the newly enacted driving privilege cards and licenses in other states can’t be used for identification, such as boarding an airliner or entering a federal building

New Mexico and Washington have the broadest policies in the country because the same license granted to a U.S. citizen is available to immigrants, including those here illegally.

Rep. Paul Pacheco, an Albuquerque Republican, is sponsoring a bill backed by the governor that would allow temporary driver’s licenses for certain immigrant youths but stop the state from granting licenses to other foreign nationals without proper immigration documents.

The temporary licenses would be for immigrants covered by a federal policy deferring deportation. However, those licenses couldn’t be used as identification to meet federal requirements, such as at airports.

The current licensing system has been in place since 2003.

“The right thing is to repeal it,” Pacheco said in an interview. “It’s a public safety issue.”

At the news conference outside the Capitol, oil field worker Angel Escarcega of Lovington said he and his immigrant co-workers need driver’s licenses for their jobs.

Lawmakers who support the governor’s proposal, he said, are “letting the politics of fear and divisiveness get in the way of doing what’s right for our local community.”

Hagerman restaurant owner Leticia Mendoza, who recently became a citizen, said, “How does taking licenses away from immigrants help people like me start and grow small businesses, create more jobs and jumpstart my local economy?”

“Rural communities are dying in New Mexico. We need a vision for New Mexico, not fear mongering,” she said.

___

Follow Barry Massey on Twitter at https:/twitter.com/bmasseyAP

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Immigrant a guest of first lady

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Cristian Avila, 23, here with director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Cecilia Muñoz, was invited to sit in Michelle Obama's viewing box for the State of the Union as part of the President's message to

(CNN) — Sitting in the first lady’s box listening to the President Barack Obama push for movement on immigration reform, Cristian Avila no longer had to keep his head down and live in fear of being deported.

While the President dedicated only a brief part of his State of the Union address to immigration, his message went beyond his speech, and the evidence was sitting among the guests invited to join the first lady in the viewing box.

“I feel honored and excited to be here. If it wasn’t for receiving my DACA last summer I wouldn’t have been able to attend the State of the Union,” Avila told CNN.

The 23-year-old and his siblings are just one of the many thousands of recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Avila was illegally brought into the United States with his younger brother and sister when he was 9 years old

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DACA is a government program enacted in 2012 that stopped deporting some undocumented young people and instead granted them temporary work authorization and a two-year reprieve from deportation.

Obama hits the road to push State of the Union message

The recipients have become one of the most visible groups advocating for immigration reform.

Avila caught the attention of the Obama administration during his 22-day fast on the National Mall in support of immigration reform last November. And, for the last two years, Avila’s been working as a voter engagement coordinator for Mi Familia Vota, a non-profit Latino civic engagement program.

“At the time, immigration reform seemed like it was dead. We won the hearts of the American people. We revived the conversation,” Avila said.

Obama pleaded for cooperation and pointed out how getting immigration reform done this year was important for the country’s recovering economy.

“If we are serious about economic growth, it is time to heed the call of business leaders, labor leaders, faith leaders, and law enforcement — and fix our broken immigration system,” Obama said.

Without attacking House Republicans, the President described how both parties in the Senate passed a comprehensive bill last summer and said both parties in the House want to do the same. He said immigration reform would not only help the economy but shrink the deficit by almost $1 trillion in the next two decades.

“When people come here to fulfill their dreams — to study, invent, contribute to our culture — they make our country a more attractive place for businesses to locate and create jobs for everybody. So let’s get immigration reform done this year,” he said.

Obama spoke of immigration reform in broad strokes but that might have something to do with the plans of House Republican leaders to outline their principles for immigration reform at a party meeting this week.

Opinion: Can Obama deliver action on inequality?

“We’re going to outline our standards, principles of immigration reform and have a conversation with members,” House Speaker John Boehner said during a news conference after a party meeting.

Obama steered clear of specific immigration reform policies. There was no mention of stopping the deportations of undocumented immigrants without criminal records, despite countless pleas from activists all over the country.

Avila and his siblings no longer live in fear of being deported but his parents face that threat every time they leave their homes for work.

“I grew up with the fear of being deported. My mom would always tell me to put my head down,” Avila said.

“I still have the constant fear of my parents being deported. They are fearful and targeted even though they earn their living in an honest way,” said Avila, “One of the reasons that I keep strong is for them.”

Still, Avila remains optimistic that immigration reform will happen in 2014.

“We are closer than ever before. It shouldn’t take any longer,” Avila said.


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Immigrants lobby to keep driver's license law

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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – Immigrant workers urged lawmakers on Wednesday to focus on improving New Mexico’s economy rather than considering RepublicanGov. Susana Martinez’s proposal to stop the state from issuing driver’s licenses to immigrants living in the country illegally.

Members of an immigrant rights group brought 5,000 petitions to the Capitol and planned to deliver them to lawmakers and the governor along with 100 plastic hard hats signed by immigrant oil field workers and more than 700 small milk cartons with photos of immigrant families.

“We are tired of being attacked, and we don’t want to be the victim of political bullying anymore,” Arturo Donlucas of Lovington, who’s worked in a diary for 12 years, said at a news conference.

He spoke in Spanish and his comments were translated into English at what organizers billed as an “immigrant day of action” at the Capitol.

The governor’s license proposal has failed in the Democratic-controlled Legislature since Martinez took office in 2011, but the governor wants lawmakers to again consider it during their 30-day session.

As Martinez has pushed to restrict licenses for immigrants in New Mexico, a growing number of other states are moving in the opposite direction.

Eight states, including California, Illinois, Nevada and Colorado, enacted laws last year to grant immigrants the privilege to drive. However, some of those states haven’t started issuing licenses.

Unlike a New Mexico driver’s license, the newly enacted driving privilege cards and licenses in other states can’t be used for identification, such as boarding an airliner or entering a federal building

New Mexico and Washington have the broadest policies in the country because the same license granted to a U.S. citizen is available to immigrants, including those here illegally.

Rep. Paul Pacheco, an Albuquerque Republican, is sponsoring a bill backed by the governor that would allow temporary driver’s licenses for certain immigrant youths but stop the state from granting licenses to other foreign nationals without proper immigration documents.

The temporary licenses would be for immigrants covered by a federal policy deferring deportation. However, those licenses couldn’t be used as identification to meet federal requirements, such as at airports.

The current licensing system has been in place since 2003.

“The right thing is to repeal it,” Pacheco said in an interview. “It’s a public safety issue.”

At the news conference outside the Capitol, oil field worker Angel Escarcega of Lovington said he and his immigrant co-workers need driver’s licenses for their jobs.

Lawmakers who support the governor’s proposal, he said, are “letting the politics of fear and divisiveness get in the way of doing what’s right for our local community.”

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Immigrants lobby to keep driver's license law
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Immigrants lobby to keep driver's license law

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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – Immigrant workers urged lawmakers on Wednesday to focus on improving New Mexico’s economy rather than considering RepublicanGov. Susana Martinez’s proposal to stop the state from issuing driver’s licenses to immigrants living in the country illegally.

Members of an immigrant rights group brought 5,000 petitions to the Capitol and planned to deliver them to lawmakers and the governor along with 100 plastic hard hats signed by immigrant oil field workers and more than 700 small milk cartons with photos of immigrant families.

“We are tired of being attacked, and we don’t want to be the victim of political bullying anymore,” Arturo Donlucas of Lovington, who’s worked in a diary for 12 years, said at a news conference.

He spoke in Spanish and his comments were translated into English at what organizers billed as an “immigrant day of action” at the Capitol.

The governor’s license proposal has failed in the Democratic-controlled Legislature since Martinez took office in 2011, but the governor wants lawmakers to again consider it during their 30-day session.

As Martinez has pushed to restrict licenses for immigrants in New Mexico, a growing number of other states are moving in the opposite direction.

Eight states, including California, Illinois, Nevada and Colorado, enacted laws last year to grant immigrants the privilege to drive. However, some of those states haven’t started issuing licenses.

Unlike a New Mexico driver’s license, the newly enacted driving privilege cards and licenses in other states can’t be used for identification, such as boarding an airliner or entering a federal building

New Mexico and Washington have the broadest policies in the country because the same license granted to a U.S. citizen is available to immigrants, including those here illegally.

Rep. Paul Pacheco, an Albuquerque Republican, is sponsoring a bill backed by the governor that would allow temporary driver’s licenses for certain immigrant youths but stop the state from granting licenses to other foreign nationals without proper immigration documents.

The temporary licenses would be for immigrants covered by a federal policy deferring deportation. However, those licenses couldn’t be used as identification to meet federal requirements, such as at airports.

The current licensing system has been in place since 2003.

“The right thing is to repeal it,” Pacheco said in an interview. “It’s a public safety issue.”

At the news conference outside the Capitol, oil field worker Angel Escarcega of Lovington said he and his immigrant co-workers need driver’s licenses for their jobs.

Lawmakers who support the governor’s proposal, he said, are “letting the politics of fear and divisiveness get in the way of doing what’s right for our local community.”

Source Article from http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/29/immigrants-to-lobby-for-nm-drivers-license-law/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS
Immigrants lobby to keep driver's license law
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/29/immigrants-to-lobby-for-nm-drivers-license-law/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS
http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/rss?p=immigrant
immigrant – Yahoo News Search Results
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Immigrants lobby to keep driver's license law

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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – Immigrant workers urged lawmakers on Wednesday to focus on improving New Mexico’s economy rather than considering RepublicanGov. Susana Martinez’s proposal to stop the state from issuing driver’s licenses to immigrants living in the country illegally.

Members of an immigrant rights group brought 5,000 petitions to the Capitol and planned to deliver them to lawmakers and the governor along with 100 plastic hard hats signed by immigrant oil field workers and more than 700 small milk cartons with photos of immigrant families.

“We are tired of being attacked, and we don’t want to be the victim of political bullying anymore,” Arturo Donlucas of Lovington, who’s worked in a diary for 12 years, said at a news conference.

He spoke in Spanish and his comments were translated into English at what organizers billed as an “immigrant day of action” at the Capitol.

The governor’s license proposal has failed in the Democratic-controlled Legislature since Martinez took office in 2011, but the governor wants lawmakers to again consider it during their 30-day session.

As Martinez has pushed to restrict licenses for immigrants in New Mexico, a growing number of other states are moving in the opposite direction.

Eight states, including California, Illinois, Nevada and Colorado, enacted laws last year to grant immigrants the privilege to drive. However, some of those states haven’t started issuing licenses.

Unlike a New Mexico driver’s license, the newly enacted driving privilege cards and licenses in other states can’t be used for identification, such as boarding an airliner or entering a federal building

New Mexico and Washington have the broadest policies in the country because the same license granted to a U.S. citizen is available to immigrants, including those here illegally.

Rep. Paul Pacheco, an Albuquerque Republican, is sponsoring a bill backed by the governor that would allow temporary driver’s licenses for certain immigrant youths but stop the state from granting licenses to other foreign nationals without proper immigration documents.

The temporary licenses would be for immigrants covered by a federal policy deferring deportation. However, those licenses couldn’t be used as identification to meet federal requirements, such as at airports.

The current licensing system has been in place since 2003.

“The right thing is to repeal it,” Pacheco said in an interview. “It’s a public safety issue.”

At the news conference outside the Capitol, oil field worker Angel Escarcega of Lovington said he and his immigrant co-workers need driver’s licenses for their jobs.

Lawmakers who support the governor’s proposal, he said, are “letting the politics of fear and divisiveness get in the way of doing what’s right for our local community.”

Source Article from http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/29/immigrants-to-lobby-for-nm-drivers-license-law/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS
Immigrants lobby to keep driver's license law
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/29/immigrants-to-lobby-for-nm-drivers-license-law/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS
http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/rss?p=immigrant
immigrant – Yahoo News Search Results
immigrant – Yahoo News Search Results