Participating in the U.S. Debate on Immigration
Immigration is a very polarizing issue in the United States. It is estimated that there are 11 to 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. 57% of that total is Mexican and 23% originates from other Latin American countries. The contributions of the undocumented are evident in their high labor force participation rate (96% of undocumented men are employed) and in the 6-7 billion dollar annual contributions to Social Security that they will never be able to collect. They migrate for the need to provide for their families and with the desire to work hard so they can get ahead. The vast majority have no way to legally immigrate to the U.S. They are a criminalized and marginalized population that is vulnerable to exploitation, and due to fear of deportation, the undocumented are forced to live in the shadows.
Anti-immigrant sentiment continues to rise in the U.S. fueled by media that provide the public with inaccurate or incomplete information. Immigrants become the scapegoats for a failing economy and for the insecurities of a nation in an age of terrorism. Due to failure in 2007 to pass federal immigration reform, states and municipalities are passing local laws that substantially and often negatively effect the lives of all immigrants. Workplace raids are on the rise and the detention and deportation rates of immigrants are unprecedented.
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