IMMIGRATION
We
urge our Tennessee elected officials to view immigration issues in a
civil and respectful manner, mindful of moral dimensions of public
policy and to pursue policies that uphold the human dignity of each
person, all of whom are made in the image of God.
U.S. labor law
protects all workers- whether citizens, legal permanent residents or
undocumented workers. But because most
immigrant workers do not know the system, they remain vulnerable.
Work is a divine activity. The economy exists to serve people, not
simply to make money. By work, people express their dignity through
creativity, service and support for the common good. From an
economic perspective people work to earn a livelihood, but they also
work to achieve self-fulfillment and to a contribution to society.
We believe in the rights of workers. The right to a decent work, to
a just wage and to health care.
All workers have right to respect and fair treatment and Tennessee
laws should reflect that. Workers need transportation especially in
areas where there is no mass transit systems. Workers need to be
able to drive safely and legally on Tennessee roads
The Tennessee Catholic Public Policy Commission encourages broad
based efforts to provide both a comprehensive network of social
services and advocacy for migrant families.
Common Myths
about Immigrants and Immigration
Myth #1:
Immigrants take jobs away from native-born Americans.
Fact: In fact, the
U.S. economy increasingly requires low-skilled workers, as the
native-born workforce becomes better educated and less willing to
take these jobs. In 1960, half of all American men dropped out of
high school and joined the low-skilled labor force; now the number
is about 10% (Manhattan Institute). According to the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, there will be 10 million unfilled jobs in the
United States by 2010, primarily in low-wage service industries
(Financial Times). Between 1990 and 2000, the foreign-born
population of Tennessee increased by 168%, and the unemployment rate
decreased from 5.3% to 4.0% (U.S. Census and TN Dept. of Labor and
Workforce Development).
Myth #2:
Immigrants don't pay taxes.
Fact: In fact,
Tennessee is funded largely by sales tax, and immigrants pay more in
sales taxes on average than native-born Americans, as a percentage
of their income. Despite the legal obstacles, an estimated 60% of
undocumented immigrants also pay federal income tax without access
to many federal programs or any hope of receiving social security or
Medicare benefits (Pew Hispanic Center). By the end of the 2000 tax
year, there were $374 billion dollars in the Social Security System
from undocumented workers.
Myth #3:
Immigrants come to Tennessee for public benefits like TennCare.
Fact: In fact, immigrants come to Tennessee to work, not to get public
benefits. Undocumented immigrants have no access to TennCare. For
Lawful Permanent Residents, there is a five-year waiting period for
most state and federal benefits. U.S. citizen children living with
immigrant parents are eligible for public benefits, but they use
them less often that children of natives, and their participation in
the Food Stamps program has decreased by 35% between 1994 and 1999
(Urban Institute). A CNN/USA Today poll reports that
immigrants believe more strongly than native-born residents that
hard work and determination are the keys to success in America (AILA).
Myth #4:
Immigrants don't want to learn English and need government
encouragement.
Fact: In fact, within
ten years of arrival, more than 75% of immigrants speak English
well. For long-term immigrants, less than 3% are unable to speak
English well (National Academy of Sciences). Today's immigrants
understand that learning English is vital to full participation in
society, and are learning English just like immigrants of the past.
The best way to help immigrants learn English is to enable them to
work and interact with native speakers, and to improve ESL programs
in public schools and local communities.
Myth #5:
Undocumented immigrants aren't willing to play by the rules or wait
their turn in line. Fact: In fact, for essential low-skilled immigrant workers, no such line
exists. Our economy relies on 485,000 new, low-skilled immigrant
workers each year, but our immigration system provides only 5,000
visas (Pew Hispanic Center). That is a huge discrepancy between what
our economy needs and what our immigration system allows.
Undocumented immigrants come to this country to perform needed work
and provide for their families, and do so through a broken
immigration system.
Myth #6: Our immigration system can be fixed by spending more money on
enforcement.
Fact: In fact, funding for border enforcement has
increased ten-fold over the last 20 years and the number of border
agents has quadrupled, with no corresponding decline in illegal
immigration. Economic migrants are forced to cross in more remote
parts of the border, lowering apprehension rates and tripling death rates (Cato Institute). Both President Bush and the Secretary
of the Department of Homeland Security insist that effective border
control depends on creating new legal channels for hardworking
immigrant families.
Myth #7: Our
immigration system can be fixed with local law enforcement.
Fact: In fact,
local law enforcement officers are not trained in immigration
enforcement because it would compromise their primary mission: to
ensure the safety of our communities. The effectiveness of local law
enforcement depends on community trust. If the police asked every
victim of a crime for immigration papers, immigrant victims would
cease to report crimes, making them easy targets, increasing the
overall crime rate, and putting every Tennessean at greater risk.
State and local attempts to fix a federal problem promise only to
divide our communities, threaten public safety, and escalate
anti-immigrant sentiment and discrimination.
Myth #8:
Native-born Americans don't support immigration or immigration
reform.
Fact: In fact, a recent Time poll indicates that 74% of Americans
understand that immigrants fill vital jobs when native-born
Americans workers cannot satisfy demand. A March 2005 survey found
that 75% of likely voters from around the nation support
comprehensive immigration reform that includes: registration of
undocumented workers, a regulated flow of future workers and family
members, and reasonable rules that are fairly enforced.
Immigrants Are
Vital to Tennessee's Future
- Immigrants share
American values. This country was founded by refugees escaping religious persecution.
Immigrants are Americans by choice, people who want a better future
for their families and believe in the American dream. It's not us
versus immigrants; we are all immigrants.
- Immigrants may
add as much as $10 billion to the U.S. economy each year (National
Academy of Sciences). For every 1 job filled by a migrant worker, 3
more are created elsewhere in the economy as a result (Manhattan
Institute). Immigrant labor reduces the price of goods and
services such as for housing and food and lower prices imply higher
real incomes to most Americans, particularly the disadvantaged
(Georgetown economist, Harry Holzer).
- Immigrant
workers are increasingly vital as the native-born population ages. Immigrants provide labor in sectors and areas where tight markets
and even shortages might otherwise occur. New immigrants will
generate all net growth in the labor force over the next two
decades (Harry Holzer). The total net benefit to the Social Security
System if immigration levels remain constant will be nearly $500
billion for the 1998-2022 period, and nearly $2 trillion through
2072 (National Academy of Sciences).
- Foreign-born
students and workers will be a major source of new scientists and
engineers in the United States over the next few decades (International Institute for Economics). Foreign-born scientists and
engineers make up 28 percent of all individuals with PhDs in the
United States engaged in research and development (American
Immigration Lawyers Association). The net contribution of foreign
students and their families to the Tennessee economy in 2004 was
$114,276,000 (NAFSA: Association of International Educators).
- Immigrants
demonstrate high rates of entrepreneurship, which creates jobs and
increases productivity for the U.S. economy as a whole. Inc. Magazine reported that 12 percent of the Inc. 500 the
fastest growing corporations in America were companies started by
immigrants (AILA). In Tennessee, the small business sector is
particularly strong in areas with large populations of foreign-born
residents.
Immigrants serve
proudly in the United States military. There are an estimated 60,000 immigrants on active duty in the U.S.
Armed Forces, including 40,000 who are still waiting to become
American citizens (Associated Press).
Legislation regarding Immigration in Tennessee: |
