Local groups in Oregon and other states are pushing for a comprehensive immigration reform bill. Unions, businesses and faith leaders are teaming up to lobby legislators in order to raise awareness and have an economic argument regarding illegal immigration.
The groups are asking lawmakers to halt all immigration related legislation at a state level and declare support for swift federal action, pushing Congress for September vote on immigration. This includes securing borders, regulating the flow of workers and allowing illegal aliens in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line to become citizens.
Although the group has different perspectives, employers would like a reliable, legal workforce and union leaders would like workers to be legal so they don't have to hide in the shadows and are not taken advantage of. Religious leaders are wanting to show how immigration affects individuals and their families.
"we come together to talk sense, to explain that there are consequences to enforcement only actions, and you change the debate to a more reliable, humane, realistic conversation, instead of vilifying a whole ethnic group," said Jeff Stone of the Correlation for a Working Oregon. "Ultimately, we're going to have to live together as a community."
According to a 2005 Pew Hispanic Center Study, an estimate of 150,000 immigrants live in Oregon while waiting to have their immigration status resolved.
However, businesses have now joined the battle in reform against illegal immigration thanks to the federal "no match" rule, which would require businesses to fire illegal workers.
"The Coalition for a Working Oregon [which represents more than 300,000 workers] says employers can't afford to lose the workers -- there aren't enough native Oregonians to do the job -- and they need a better mechanism to get a legal workforce."
Groups planning to mobilize supporters, especially Latinos who are US citizens to lobby state lawmakers are planning a march on May 1 in Salem.
" we need to show that we have the capacity to mobilize," said Francisco Lopez, coordinator of the immigrants right group CAUSA. "We need to make noise locally so it's reflected on a national level."
this article is definitely worth reading in its entirety. Again, it's a group advocating for people to break the law and are accusing Americans of being just plain lazy.
Agreed, that we have done some of this to ourselves by having child labor laws that prohibit kids from working in the fields to make extra money, such as I did when I was a kid I picked strawberries, beans, cut rhubarb and delivered newspapers to make extra money.
What I am really getting tired of hearing, is the statement, "jobs that Americans won't do!" Bull shit! We do not need a subculture to support us. If we do, and especially if we believe that our economy is dependent on that... then I'm very ashamed.
I for one am not afraid nor will I hesitate to do manual labor to support my family.
2 comments:
What's ironic about this report is that they spin it to sound like these groups have somehow made a compromise and come together to offer a new perspective on the illegal situation. The fact is they are the same groups of illegal users and coddlers. Talk about putting lipstick on a pig.
One look at the businesses in the Coalition for a Working Oregon you'll see that the spokes coddler is Jeff Stone who is the Director of Government Relations for the Oregon Association of Nurseries. The rest are hospitality and restaurant owners, builders and contractors, food processors, landscape contractors and of course the US Chamber of Commerce.
Union leaders have for the longest time advocated for giving illegals citizenship so they can add to their membership. Union members don't even bother to show up to the illegal protests that I have attended even if I'm out there trying to save their jobs.
Their "new" understanding is nothing more than the old tired amnesty solution proposed by the Democrats in 2008. Perhaps fearing that more counties will pass anti-illegal bills they fill the time is right to use the Federal Government to ram amnesty down our throats once and for all.
I recently had the opportunity to take a trip to Texas via semi-truck. (if you ever want to see America a way that tourist normally don't see, try this)
most of the loading docks that we came across had people that spoke little or no English.
Running a forklift, Yeah, that's a job that "Americans won't do"
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