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Posted on 11-23-2005

Governor Makes Ill. Most Immigrant– Friendly State In U.S.

PUBLICIDAD
by Alina Braica

“SÃÂ* se peude! SÃÂ* se Puede!â€? The positive reverberations of “we can do itâ€? filled the Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier on November 19, where hundreds of activists, community leaders, politicians, supporters and immigrant families crowded into the cavernous room to support and celebrate the signing of the New Americans Executive Order, which effectively makes Illinois the most immigrant–receptive state in the nation.

The convention, titled “Our Families, America’s Future�, centered on Governor Rod Blagojevich signing the historic initiative into order but also focused on college education and workers rights.

The state’s new policy, divided into four main divisions, aims to secure equal rights for immigrants and assist them in learning English, buying property, receiving an education and securing fair pay and workers’ rights, among other things.

In effect, the order seeks to make the process of becoming U.S. citizens and productive members of society easier, a plan that is especially important when one considers the impact immigrants have had in Illinois.

According to a 2003 Report, quoted on the ICIRR website, “immigrants accounted for 90 percent of the net growth in the labor force in 1990s in the Chicago area, and 69 percent of the growth in the state workforce.�

The report adds that immigrants now make up 14 percent of Illinois’ workforce and 26 percent of the workforce in Chicago. In addition, 92 percent of the recent Mexican immigrants in the workforce are noncitizens (generally undocumented), including more than 95 percent in accommodations/food and administration/support services/waste management and 94 percent in manufacturing.

The problem is that while an ever-growing segment of the workforce is Latino, the resources and infrastructure have not grown at the same pace, a problem this act seeks to remedy.

According to one of the main sponsors of the event, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), the goal of the event was to show politicians in Springfield and D.C. that behind these numbers is a real political force.

Speakers included Blagojevich, State Senator Miguel del Valle, Representative Jan Schakowski (D- IL), State Senator Martin Sandoval, who received the ICIRR Legislator of the Year award, as well as undocumented workers and high school students detailing their plights and dreams. The different groups that have been lobbying towards this effort were represented by leaders and members from the Institute for Latino Progress, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center and the Polish American Association, among others. Korean drummers and Chinese dancers showed their ethnic pride and the shoulder-to-shoulder standing crowd was instructed in the different signs of peace.

“It is incumbent among us to fight the forces against immigrants,� Blagojevich told the crowd. “I have been blessed with the American Dream and every day as a governor I think of what I can do to make the American Dream real for everyone.�

The governor will be creating four entities within local government to enact the order. They will be called the New American Immigrant Policy Council, made up of 15 prominent Illinois leaders and focusing on issues such as U.S. citizenship, human services, healthcare and education; the Office of New American Policy and Advocacy, in the Governor’s office, which will analyze and respond to federal immigration law and policies; the State Interdepartmental Executive Order Implementation Task Force, which will study the population of the state; and the National Advisory Council, which will guide the work of the project.

The ICIRR will be the main civic partner in the initiative. Over the course of its existence, the ICIRR has registered 35,000 immigrant voters and has advocated to protect day laborers, help residents become naturalized U.S. citizens and procure a line item for immigration in the state budget.

Joshua Hoyt, the Executive Director for the ICIRR, describes the initiative as a serious issue to strategically build on strengths in the community and figure out what programs will best benefit immigrants.

“There is not a social issue that’s not affected by immigrants. The workforce, education, police community relations and healthcare are all affected,� he said.

He adds that, while it is a very hostile climate for immigrants and that the rhetoric has become very heated, detractors of immigration need to learn to deal with the growing number of immigrants in the country.

“Immigrants make up twenty percent of the population – and they’re not going home. We need to figure out how to help newcomers be productive in our community,� he said.

Another initiative sought by supporters at the convention was the DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act. If passed, the act would allow undocumented residents who have lived in the United Sates since before they were 16 to pay the in-state tuition at colleges and universities.

Zulema Ortiz is an undocumented 16-year-old Back of the Yards High School student who dreams of going to college; she hopes the Dream Act will secure her entry into college.

“I have a dream to go college to be an actress, but I’m here to support all immigrants,� she said at the conference, as another teenager in her situation chanted “we are young, we are strong, and we are here to stay!� from the stage.

The future is not secure for the DREAM Act, however, as, unlike this Executive Order, it must be approved on the federal level in D.C. Hoyt urges people to help secure its passage by contacting the offices of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who he says controls which legislation goes forward.

Like education, workplace safety was on the top of the agenda.

Jorge Ibarra and Rosa Ramirez, two undocumented workers who leapt to fame in Illinois when they agreed to be featured in gubernatorial race– themed commercials, were at the conference.

According to recent reports, Ibarra and Ramirez received $3 per hour to clean Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Oberweis’ ice cream shops during the night shift. Now, they are represented in a lawsuit by ICIRR and the Day Laborer Collaboration, who allege Oberweis illegally paid the pair less than half the minimum wage for their work.

The suit also alleged the pair would sometimes receive checks with half or more of their wages missing.

The convention ended with a yell of “You want freedom to ring? Let’s go!� as the crowd gathered around and pledged to continue fighting for pro-immigrant legislation and equality. In Illinois, at least, the groups feel they have won a crucial battle with the new Executive Order.