Thread: Changing face of illegal immigration is female

June 27, 2008, 11:34PM
Changing face of illegal immigration is female
Rag factory raid shows women have substantial role in shadow work force


By JAMES PINKERTON
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle


When 130 women were escorted from an eastside rag-exporting factory this week during a workplace raid, an often unnoticed facet of illegal immigration was on dramatic display.

In recent years the familiar image of the undocumented worker has been men huddled at day labor sites or male factory workers at meat processing plants. But immigration activists say the profile of the illegal worker is changing as more women are coming north for economic reasons, either to join a spouse or relative, or on their own.

Many experts say it's an unintended consequence of heightened security on the border, which has made it harder for men to return home frequently and maintain a family.

''What we're seeing now, and it showed up in this raid, is this issue that immigrants can't go back and forth," said Nestor Rodriguez, an immigration expert at the University of Houston. ''It's because visas are impossible to get for some people, and it's dangerous to cross ... so families are developing here."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have released 73 of the 166 workers detained Wednesday at Action Rags USA for humanitarian reasons, including 10 pregnant women.

In all, 98 percent of those released after the raid — one of the largest in Houston's history — are women.

However, they must report to an immigration judge and face government efforts to deport them for being in the country unlawfully.

''Individuals released for humanitarian concerns are still amenable to the nation's immigration laws," said ICE public affairs officer Greg Palmore .

Palmore said the majority of the immigrants released were women who were sole caregivers of children, followed by women who were pregnant and some with medical issues.

''A judge will decide if they are eligible to remain in the United States, or are deportable,'' he said.

Juana Maria Olvera, 35, was one of those detained at Action Rags USA and released because she is expecting a child.

''There are a lot of undocumented women working here, and a lot are single women who are working to support their families," said Olvera. ''What is happening is a lot of the men come here and don't go back to Mexico. They either bring their women, or find someone here."

Olvera, who came to Houston from Mexico with friends nine years ago, married a Mexican man she met here.

''My desire is the same as all the rest of us. We're hoping for an amnesty so we can get legal permission to work," said Olvera, who can't afford an immigration lawyer.


Smugglers' fees increase
T.J. Bonner , who heads the National Border Patrol Council that represents 13,500 agents, said border containment operations beginning in the early 1990s have made it increasingly difficult to cross the border.

As a result, undocumented workers rely heavily on human smugglers to guide them through the crossings. Smuggling fees, though, for Mexican migrants have skyrocketed from $150 to $300 to today's charges of $1,500 or $3,000, he said.

''Once upon a time it was very uncommon to have women and children accompanying people across the border — now it is much more common," Bonner said. ''The usual scenario is a male will come across, and after they've been here awhile, they'll make the money to afford the smuggling fees and they'll send for the family."

Because getting across the border is harder, and smugglers are charging more, illegal immigrants in the U.S. are much more unlikely to return to Mexico, Bonner said.

Carlos Garcia, head of the protection department at the Mexican Consulate in Houston, said this change in Mexican immigration patterns concerns his government.


Legal options weighed
One local group favoring tighter immigration policies says foreign countries should not be able to use the U.S economy as a safety valve for their unemployed citizens, and that those picked up in Wednesday's raid should be sent home.

''It's going to be a difficult decision to make, but a lot of them have families in their native lands they can go back to," said Louise Whiteford, president of the Houston-based Texans for Immigration Reform.

One local immigration lawyer said those workers released on humanitarian grounds may be able to stay.

And, those who don't may qualify for voluntary departure status, avoiding a deportation record that would harm efforts to return legally.

''Certainly, a knowledgeable lawyer can look at what relief can be available to them," said Gordon Quan, a longtime Houston immigration attorney.

Quan said some of the women may qualify for cancellation of removal, if they have been in the United States 10 years or longer, don't have a criminal record, and can convince an immigration judge their deportation would cause extraordinary hardship to relatives who are U.S. citizens, such as children, spouses or parents.

Experts say in Houston, most of the undocumented women work in clothing-related industries, for restaurants and motels, in janitorial services or in the informal economy as childcare givers or domestics.

In May, researchers with the Greater Houston Partnership estimated 420,000 illegal immigrants live in the 10-county Houston metropolitan region. The Chamber of Commerce research estimate included 174,182 men and 74,995 women who have jobs, making up a 10th of the local work force.

Cesar Espinosa, the community outreach coodinator for the Central American Resource Center in southeast Houston, said Wednesday's raid was especially shocking because it targeted a predominantly female work force.

''For the families this is particularly devastating because in the Latin community, the mother is the one who holds the family together," he said. ''And to have her deported is a big deal. The family is left without their main support."

james.pinkerton@chron.com




http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5861368.html

Carlos Garcia, head of the protection department at the Mexican Consulate in Houston, said this change in Mexican immigration patterns concerns his government.

And they are not doing a damn thing about it.

Dixie

''My desire is the same as all the rest of us. We're hoping for an amnesty so we can get legal permission to work," said Olvera, who can't afford an immigration lawyer.