Thread: "Immigrant" office proposed

I have no problem with LEGAL immigrants having help to speak english and assimilate in fact we all think they should. But knowing Gil Cedillo's track record, this makes me highly suspicious. I'm glad Judical Watch's Tom Fitton is already on this one!

Immigrant office proposed
New agency would help the foreign-born with integration into civic life of California.
By Aurelio Rojas - Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, March 17, 2007

The numbers are mind-boggling -- more than a quarter of Californians are foreign-born -- which is why state Sen. Gil Cedillo believes the state should establish an Office of Immigrant Affairs.

"Everybody laments, 'Well, they ought to learn English,'" said Cedillo, D-Los Angeles. "They do learn English, but why don't we facilitate that by creating a clearinghouse so people can learn English quicker?"

He noted there are nearly 3 million immigrants in the state who are eligible to become citizens, but have not applied for naturalization because they have not learned how to navigate the system.

Cedillo's Senate Bill 1 would establish an Office of Immigrant Affairs within the state Department of Community Services. The office would be responsible for helping immigrants receive appropriate assistance, through a resource list and referral process that expedites their integration into the civic life of California.

Not everyone thinks this is good use of public money.

"I just don't buy -- nor do I think many citizens in California will -- that this is a good use of taxpayer resources," said Thomas Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a Washington, D.C.-based conservative watchdog group.

Cedillo's nine-year legislative effort to allow illegal immigrants to apply for driver's licenses has made him a polarizing figure. Fitton is suspicious SB 1 would not distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants and "undermine the enforcement of our nation's immigration laws."

But Reshma Shamasunder, director of the California Immigrant Policy Center, said the debate should not escalate into a "discussion about the undocumented."

"The reality is we have a vast number of legal immigrants in our state," she said. "And we need to do everything we can to support them for the well-being of California's future."

Michael Fix, vice president of the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, D.C., said several states and local governments have established similar offices.

"These offices have a broad charge to typically increase immigrant access to government," he said.

Fix said there's been no analysis of their effectiveness, but evidence suggests it's been a "mixed bag." He lauded efforts in Massachusetts, Maryland and Illinois.

To be eligible for citizenship, an immigrant has to have been legally in the United States for five years or more or have been here three years and married to a citizen.

In California, the primary state and local agencies serving immigrants and assisting with citizenship preparation are the state Department of Education, public schools and other agencies that contract with the state to provide educational services.

"They may be doing some good things, but there's no coordination," Shamasunder said.

A study released in 2002 by the Urban Institute concluded 53 percent of eligible immigrants in California had become naturalized citizens, compared to 58 percent nationwide.

One of the biggest factors, according to the study, is the ability to speak English.

The challenges are expected to increase with the citizenship test set to get more difficult. There's also a proposal to increase fees from about $400 to $675.

The California Legislature, reversing a sharp decline in naturalization funding in recent years, voted last year to send $2.8 million to community groups that steer immigrants into adult education classes and help them fill out applications.

But the precursor to Cedillo's proposed Office of Immigrant Affairs -- SB 1267 -- was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

The cost of the current legislation is unknown. But the Assembly Appropriations Committee last year estimated an annual cost of about $600,000 for an office staffed by four people.

Cedillo argues the prospects of immigration reform have increased with the Democratic takeover of Congress, meaning the number of people eligible to become naturalized citizens will continue to rise.

"How are we going to make these people become citizens?" he said. "We've got to create an infrastructure, working with community-based organizations, with churches, faith-based groups, schools, etc."

Under Cedillo's proposal, the Office of Immigrant Affairs would work with state agencies and departments to identify existing "culturally and linguistically competent resources and programs."

The programs could be used by immigrants to hasten their integration through education, language skills, job training, and health and naturalization services.

Voter participation has been decreasing for years in California. Since 1990, the state's population has increased by 25 percent, but voter registration has increased by only about 15 percent, according to a study released last year by the Public Policy Institute of California.

Titled "California's Exclusive Electorate," the study concluded older white voters still account for the majority of voters even though they make up an increasingly smaller share of the population.

"If we want to remain competitive as a state, we need a centralized office that's thinking about immigrants and their contributions and needs," Shamasunder said. "We need to craft good public policy to maximize their potential."

But Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said such an office would not serve the interests of all Californians.

"Is the office going to be supporting the enforcement of federal immigration law, or is it going to be targeted amorphously at immigrants, no matter their status?" he said. "I think it's more of the latter."

http://www.sacbee.com/111/v-print/story/139453.html

If all the illegals would be deported then immigrants that here legally could be processed faster. We could spend more money on them instead of supporting illegals.

If I want free language lessons, am I elgible too?

How are we going to make these people become citizens?" he said. "We've got to create an infrastructure, working with community-based organizations, with churches, faith-based groups, schools, etc."

Is this the kind of citizens we want in America " How are we going to make these people become citizens"
Excuse me if you have to twist their arm to become a citizen where are their loyalties going to lie.

Shouldn't becoming a citizen be a passion, one your willing to do anything to become a part of, My Gawd if you can not even excert a little effort to learn the language, you don't want it very bad and we don't want you!!!

Cedillo's Senate Bill 1 would establish an Office of Immigrant Affairs within the state Department of Community Services. The office would be responsible for helping immigrants receive appropriate assistance, through a resource list and referral process that expedites their integration into the civic life of California.

What One-Bill Gil means is we need a government agency that will make sure every illegal alien gets all the freebies they can possibly sign up for. Too many illegals do not take advantage of taxpayer funded services and he wants that to change. After all, when you can't speak English, have a third grade education, are illiterate in both Spanish and English, have 12 anchor babies who can't speak English and you live in an apartment with 30 other people, are busy with keeping track of your 25 stolen identities you don't have the time to look up which free services you can mooch off the taxpayers. It's much better if we go to them and make sure they are signed up for every program they can possibly receive.