Thread: MIGRATION: LETTING GO OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

MIGRATION: LETTING GO OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

IPS - Inter Press Service
December 24, 2009
By Valeria Fernandez

It is only a matter of days before Marcela Vazquez, an illegal immigrant, leaves the southwestern U.S. state of Arizona for good.

And before she does, she's putting as much as she can up for sale - including her three children's beds.

After a decade of living in the U.S., she will have to take what fits in the car.

"I'm going to go back, because I can't make it here with my three children," said Vazquez, 33. All her kids are U.S. citizens.

Her husband, an illegal immigrant worker, was detained in a traffic stop by the local police and deported just days later. She spent her 1,500 dollars in savings on paying an attorney that couldn't help him.

As the end of the year nears, many illegal immigrant families like Vazquez's are now making the decision to return to their homeland, driven away by Arizona's tougher policies against illegal immigrants.

The state continues to be the battleground for a divisive immigration reform debate across the United States.

Over the last three years, a string of tough immigration laws coupled with increased police enforcement have pushed illegal immigrant populations into the shadows.

Many have now lost hope on the chance of immigration reform.

A report by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) estimated that the illegal immigrant population in Arizona has decreased from half a million people to under 300,000 based on U.S census data.

Mexican consular authorities in Phoenix processed 1,408 school transferring documents this year for the children of families who are returning to Mexico. The previous year it was 1,534, up from 330 on 2007.

Socorro Cordova, a spokesperson for the Phoenix Mexican Consulate, said that the number of people returning seems to have stabilized over the past two years.

But some illegal immigrants are choosing to move within the United States to areas like New Mexico and Texas, where policies towards illegal immigrants are seen as more relaxed.

On Nov. 24, a new law took effect requiring all Arizona state employees to report on illegal immigrants applying for public benefits.

The chilling effect was immediate on immigrant communities that fear requesting basic health services like pre-natal care and immunizations.

Conservative politicians in the state, which currently faces a two-billion-dollar budget deficit, argue these measures are needed to reduce costs of healthcare, education and incarceration of illegal immigrants.

"What they're trying to do is cause as much misery as possible so people will self-deport," said Alfredo Gutierrez, a former Arizona senator and editor of La Frontera Times.

For 2010, Republican legislators have vowed to push for new bills that would criminalize all illegal immigrants by allowing any police department to arrest someone because of their immigration status.

"It's tough here, but in Mexico it's much worse," said Maria Montoya, an illegal immigrant mother of five children whose husband was deported.

"The last thing you lose is faith. I hope [Pres. Barack] Obama does something for us."

The immigration debate is expected to rekindle next year and state enforcement efforts might come to a halt if Congress approves a bill granting the legalization of an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants that live in the U.S.

On Dec. 14, Congressional Rep. Luis Gutierrez submitted the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP).

The bill includes border enforcement provisions, the strengthening of employer sanctions and the legalization of the illegal.

They would be allowed to attain legal status if they prove they have been working, pay a 500 dollars fine, learn English and have no criminal record.

It is expected that next year, New York Senator Chuck Schumer will introduce a bill that reflects the Obama administration's approach to reform.

Despite the current administration's promise to focus on illegal immigrants with criminal records, some observers point out that immigration enforcement will continue to get much stiffer towards illegal immigrants who are rooted in the U.S.

A record number of 215,000 people detained in the country's interior - not on the borders - have been deported during the Obama administration. And the numbers are expected to rapidly grow.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) projects it will deport over 450,000 illegal immigrants this coming year.

Immigration prosecutions are also up by nearly 16 percent, and they represent half of most criminal cases handled by the federal government, according to an analysis of Department of Justice data conducted by the Syracuse University.

The report indicates that about 22,000 of these prosecutions occurred in Arizona. They pertained mostly to immigrants who were detained trying to cross the border illegally and were tried in mass hearings.

Chris Simcox, a former leader of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps, a border watch group, and current candidate to the U.S. Senate in Arizona doesn't believe the government is doing enough.

He said the border continues to be unsecured and it will be a very tough sell to convince the U.S. people to support any form of legalisation when unemployment is running high.

Many legal immigrants think the stricter policies are a positive sign.

"I think they are making it tougher because we are coming close to getting amnesty, just like in the Reagan years," said Jose Rivero, 38, an illegal immigrant.

He was referring to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 signed by Republican President Ronald Reagan granting amnesty to over three million illegal immigrants.

"We waited this long, we can wait a bit more," he said.

Many like Vazquez feel they no longer can wait around.

Before she reaches the border, she needs to pass one more hurdle.

Border Patrol agents may detain her Mexico-bound vehicle to ask about her immigration status, as part of a recent practice to detect illegal immigrants who have been living illegally in the U.S.

If that's the case, her three children might be left stranded on the U.S. side of the border.

"We've hoped none of this would happen to us," said Vazquez, who will be returning to Oaxaca, one of Mexico's poorest states.

"My children tell me they don't want to go to a place they've never known."

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/En ... 96&start=2

Every state needs to follow Arizona's example and stop giving benefits to illegals. If illegals can't get free prenatal care this would surely decrease anchor baby births.

He was referring to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 signed by Republican President Ronald Reagan granting amnesty to over three million illegal immigrants.

"We waited this long, we can wait a bit more," he said.

This is proof of what happens when an amnesty is given. More come and wait for the next one!

Originally Posted by American-ized

MIGRATION: LETTING GO OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

IPS - Inter Press Service
December 24, 2009
By Valeria Fernandez

It is only a matter of days before Marcela Vazquez, an illegal immigrant, leaves the southwestern U.S. state of Arizona for good.

And before she does, she's putting as much as she can up for sale - including her three children's beds.

After a decade of living in the U.S., she will have to take what fits in the car.

"I'm going to go back, because I can't make it here with my three children," said Vazquez, 33. All her kids are U.S. citizens.

ADIOS!!!!! ......and remember, the American Dream is for AMERICANS.

She did not belong here in the first place, as she broke the U.S. law by sneaking into the country without permission. It doesn't matter if she or any other illegals comes here, the law is the law. Period.

Many have now lost hope on the chance of immigration reform.

I will not be happy until that sentence reads All have now lost hope on the chance of immigration reform.