Student activists, professors and politicians will gather on the UC Riverside campus today to delve into the immigration reform debate and spotlight ideas of their own.
University of California Riverside (Wikimedia)
The UCR Alliance for Immigration Reform is hosting a daylong summit, slated to begin at 8 a.m., during which attendees will thrash out what they believe a comprehensive immigration reform law should include, according to organizers.
“Hundreds of individuals from divergent sectors, organizations and communities from throughout the country who are committed to achieving humane immigration reform will converge (here),” said UCR ethnic studies Professor Armando Navarro, who is helping coordinate the event.
“Not since the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which legalized some 3 million undocumented persons, has the country been at a juncture to achieve immigration reform,” he said.
Among the leading issues to be addressed — the work of the so-called “Gang of Eight” in Washington, D.C., composed of U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., John McCain, R-Ariz., Bob Menendez, D-N.J., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.
The cadre has been attempting to hammer out a framework that specifies how to legally integrate the nation’s estimated 11 million illegal immigrants while ensuring U.S. laws and border security are strengthened.
Last month, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, after some debate, unanimously endorsed the group’s legislative “pillars,” which call for easing the requirements for undocumented minors to be granted citizenship; mandating that adults seeking citizenship register with the government and undergo background checks before their applications can be considered; and allow employers to “hire immigrants if it can be demonstrated that they were unsuccessful in recruiting an American to fill an open position.”
According to published reports, the group is at odds on several points, including whether to compel illegals to exit the country before they can apply for green cards, or work visas.
Critics liken the group’s proposals to blanket amnesty.
“Enforcement advocates, the vast majority of Americans, have coped with decades of disappointment,” said Joe Guzzardi with Californians for Population Stabilization. “The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act promised but never delivered increased border security and heavy sanctions on employers who hired illegal immigrants. Amnesty passed, but internal and border enforcement never happened.”
Dan Stein, president of the Federation for Immigration Reform, said the senators’ framework is “designed to satisfy the demands of illegal aliens and their advocates, as well as business interests that want more cheap labor.”
“American taxpayers will be saddled with staggering costs in the future as millions of poorly skilled illegal aliens become eligible for government services and programs,” Stein said.
Supervisor Marion Ashley, however, characterized the senators’ plan as a “tough but fair roadmap to citizenship.”
“It’s the best chance for realizing change,” he said.
Board Chairman John Benoit said the group’s concept provides an “equitable resolution to a longstanding problem.”
Lawmakers scheduled to be on hand tomorrow include Rep. Mark Takano, D- Riverside, Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Cerritos, and Assemblyman Jose Medina, D-Riverside.
Other individuals who have committed to be there are: Nita Gonzales, spokeswoman for Justice for Immigrants Coalition-Inland Empire; Herman Baca with the Committee on Chicano Rights-California; Carlos Arrango, president of the United Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; UCR political science Professor Karthick Ramakrishman; and La Sierra University sociology Professor Jesse Diaz.
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Calling them “undocumented persons” doesn’t change the fact that they are “illegal aliens”.
Aiding illegal aliens to occupy and colonize the USA, surrenders US sovereignty.
In the current illegal immigration schemes, Republican Congressman Lamar Smith of Texas, a longtime leading amnesty opponent, said: “If you legalize 11 million people, it is going to cost taxpayers when they become eligible for government benefits, it’s going to cost Americans their jobs when they have to compete with millions more people for scarce jobs. I don’t see much good here for Americans.”
ALL AMERICANS/ LEGAL RESIDENTS Should sign this petition against the Gang of Eight’s scheme and all reluctant lawmakers who remain indifferent with the 23 million unemployed Americans at: NumberUSA If you really want your say counted write a note to your congressman (a aid will read it and reckon up the letters ‘for’ and against) so you don’t have to hassle about being persuasive since all Your Representative hears about the amount of correspondence). Phone calls are always better and we should jam the phone system, but here you need to be coherent and not explode with an awkward outburst. at 202) 224-3121, which is the Central Washington switchboard. LEARN THE REALITY OF OUR BORDER AND INVESTIGATE THE CONCEALED NEWS AND REPORTS AT AMERICANPATROL. Plaster your Senator or Congressional House with a post card, demanding they stop the current path of overpopulation and Balkanization. Bombard Facebook and Twitter with information, as the other side do. Contact your local press and TV station, because the end is near for commonsense and also another hit on the taxpayer.
There are laws in place and have been for YEARS concerning ILLEGALS. WE NEED to enforce them, and if we spent as much time as we do on our Government arguing over it, our citizens arguing over it, fighting ALL OF THE ILLEGAL Crime that goes along with it, and just THROW THEM out, there would not even be a discussion.
ENFORCE THE LAW, that is what the USA Citizens WANT NOW. WE do NOT want you to legalize another 11 million that WE CANNOT SUPPORT. What part of 1 in 4 families in the great USA are living below povery level does “SOMEONE” NOT Understand. WE do not have the aid, the money, the taxes, finances, nothing to even take care of our current USA Citizens.
We have mentally, physically ill, addiction illnesses, elderly, children, we cannot take care of NOW. We have insurance companies who turn down treatment for a child with autism because they think there is no usefullness in trying to treat him.
Simple, stop the gatherings, stop the dinner parties in Washington, and obey our law and get the illegals shipped out to their own countries. Out of our schools, our jails, off our aid programs NOW. So we can take care of our own.
You do nothing to protect our borders when they know if they sit and hide here long enough making drugs, human trafficing, drug trafficing, prostituting 12 yr old girls etc. etc. In my law BOOK it says if you are not getting them out of here actively then you are aiding and abetting them MR. President, and everyone down to our own City Police.
The only thing to be fixed is to actively pursue the problem by getting them out of here. For godsake more people worry about condoms in the Porno industry in our Government then they worry about getting the illegals out of OUR COUNTRY.