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Immigration See other Immigration Articles Title: Undocumented, under siege Undocumented, under siege Tuesday, May 10, 2005 SALEM -- The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the nation's renewed interest in border security have caused the debate over immigration to spill out of Congress and into Oregon's Capitol. Although immigration policy is largely a federal responsibility, the Legislature is considering several bills intended to crack down on people who are in the country illegally. They include making it tougher for immigrants -- some say even legal ones -- to get a driver's license, register to vote or secure a pay raise. Oregon lawmakers are "much more open" to talking about immigration issues than they used to be, says Jim Ludwick of McMinnville, who has mounted a persistent lobbying effort on behalf of such bills. "It's time for us to get our house in order on national security, immigration, driver's licenses and voter integrity," says Rep. Jeff Kropf, R-Sublimity. The effort mirrors that in other states where undocumented immigrants have become an issue. An estimated 100,000 to 150,000 illegal immigrants called Oregon home last year, a new report by the Pew Hispanic Center shows. But Ramon Ramirez, president of Oregon's largest Latino group, says the "onslaught of bad bills" in the 2005 Legislature may have an unintended effect: It has galvanized support among immigrant advocates. "Mainly, we're seeing Latino groups working together," he says. "We're also seeing other immigrant communities coming forward, such as Somalis or Asians." Legislators have expanded the scope of their discussions, too. Last week, for example, the House Transportation Committee visited the Mexican Consulate in Portland. And the chairman says he wants to invite U.S. immigration officials to Salem to speak to his panel later this month. Lawmakers also are watching Congress, where the U.S. Senate is expected to approve national standards for state-issued driver's licenses. Oregon is one of nine states that do not require proof of citizenship or legal residency, although several bills in Salem would adopt standards similar to the national model. Senate Minority Leader Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, says the Legislature should push forward -- but slowly. "We ought to have these issues resolved on the federal level, and then . . . we ought to come up with policy that coordinates," he said. "Until we do that, we're just flying blind." Two activists, two views Ludwick, 64, could fill his hours feeding carrots to Diamond, his Tennessee walking horse, and chopping wood on his 40-acre spread in the hills above McMinnville. But at least twice a week, he trades his jeans and suspenders for khaki pants and a sports shirt, and a day with Diamond, for one inside the Capitol. He carries a black briefcase bulging with color-coded files. Mention payroll taxes, and Ludwick pulls out a Wall Street brokerage firm's report estimating that the United States may forgo $35 billion a year in income tax collections because of the number of "off the books" jobs filled by illegal immigrants. Ludwick was a founding member of the Friends of Yamhill County and active in the land-use planning advocacy group 1000 Friends of Oregon. But those groups won't address the "real issue," he says. So five years ago, he founded Oregonians for Immigration Reform, which he says has grown to 450 members, to tackle it. "I was born into a country with 130 million people in it," he said. "I had so many freedoms -- to hunt and fish, shoot a shotgun or walk without a crowd around you." Ramirez, 50, was a high school junior when he first heard labor activist Cesar Chavez speak. "I was really motivated by what he had to say," Ramirez said. "You could make a difference in people's lives." He started working for the Willamette Valley Immigration Project in 1977. Today, Ramirez is president of Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United, also known by its Spanish acronym PCUN. Wearing penny loafers, a button-down shirt and wire-rimmed glasses with a broken nose bridge, Ramirez frequently reminds legislators that farmworkers are key to Oregon's agriculture but on average earn only $9,000 a year. It was Ramirez who helped arrange for the House Transportation Committee's visit to the Mexican Consulate. He says "bigots" were testifying before the committee about the possibility of terrorists receiving consular identification cards and using them to obtain Oregon driver's licenses. "It was a total misrepresentation of facts," he said. "We felt compelled to make our case." Divided on bills Among Ludwick's priorities this session is to see lawmakers pass House Bill 2947, which would require proof of legal residency to get a driver's license. The bill has strong support in the House, but he's worried about an amendment that could allow undocumented immigrants to obtain an Oregon driving privilege card that is not an official ID. Ludwick's objection: "Why make it legal for an illegal alien to drive to a job he can't legally hold?" Ramirez is working to make sure the 17 bills his group opposes die a quiet death. They include proposals to limit minimum-wage increases, which opponents say would hit immigrants hard. Another would affect farmworkers' ability to negotiate labor contracts. He also is pushing a few bills to aid immigrants, including one that would allow the children of undocumented parents to pay in-state college tuition, but most may not have enough support to pass. "We're going to have to work hard because the opposition has made the connection between immigration and terrorism," he said. "There's a lot of fear." Philip Martin, chairman of the University of California's Comparative Immigration & Integration Program based in Davis, says state lawmakers across the nation have not proposed the one thing that would have the most dramatic effect: shutting off the flow of immigrant workers by reducing the demand. "Instead," Martin says, "what we're really arguing about is how hard or easy we should make it for the people who are here illegally to survive."
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#1. To: Mr Nuke Buzzcut (#0)
I'm relandscaping my yard.. and I decided I was not going to shop at Home Depot because of their illegal immigration policy.. so I drove to do my purchases at a small privately owned greenhouse..MILES away.. and guess what.. LOW and behold there were ILLEGALS working there! What a country..
One of the most successful invasions in the history of the world...and our govs have rolled over like the round-heeled whores they are.
Not a bullet fired.. not a hand raised..
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