Immigrants ask Obama to stop deportation and legalize good aliens

By Marivir Montebon

NEW YORK – Immigrant organizations in Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts asked President Obama over the weekend to use his executive powers to halt deportations and put all desirable immigrants in the path of US residency and citizenship.

A petition resolution signed by about 100 immigrant leaders holding the first International Migrants Rights Summit led by the Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC) said that the president has the legal authority to use his executive powers while Congress still has to thoroughly discuss and pass the immigration law.

“We are alarmed by the intensifying cases of deportations and removals of students, children, mothers, and fathers who do not have criminal convictions.  They must be stopped by the president until Congress passes the Comprehensive Immigration Law,” MHC co-executive director Arnedo Valera, an immigration lawyer, said.

For many immigrant groups, there are no signs that Congress will at all pass an immigration law.

The US is the world’s largest home to immigrants, accounting for 30% of the entire immigrant population worldwide. The top 12 emigrant countries in 2006 are Mexico, China, Philippines, India, Cuba, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Vietnam, Jamaica, South Korea, and Guatemala.

During the immigrants’ summit, two guest speakers gave testimonies of their harrowing experiences on human trafficking from their home country to the US that moved many in the audience to tears.

“I almost lost my sanity and about to breakdown when I realized that I was being laid off as a special education teacher one month after I began my work. I made a huge loan for my employment fee, mortgaged our house and lot, only to find out that I came to the US to be jobless. I miss my family so much and I can’t afford not to earn, because I have four children who are now in college, and my mother is sick so I have to spend for her medication,” Rosa Cruz (real name withheld), broke down in tears as she told the audience her story.
James Quezon (real name withheld) meanwhile recounted how his employer trapped him into believing that he will be employed in Florida as a waiter but was instead brought to a far-flung plantation of pine trees and was made to plant grafted trees at $25 a day.
Both speakers expressed their humiliation for having gone through their experiences, but had to strengthen themselves in order to fight for their rights and safety.

After the testimonials, speakers from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Foundation for the Support of the United Nations (FSUN), and the World Council of Peoples for the United Nations provided context and analysis into the whole gamut of immigration issues in the US and globally.

In the petition resolution, immigrants quoted a study made by senior economist James Smith in Santa Monica, California saying that immigration, including illegal immigration as positive for the economy. The study noted that immigrants contribute to as much as $10 Billion to the US economy annually. The same study contended that the presence of immigrants made a net economic gain overall due to an increase in pay for higher skilled workers, lower prices for goods and services produced by immigrant labor, and more efficiency and lower wages for some owners of capital.  It also said that immigrant labor has not deprived American locals of their jobs, because the jobs immigrants get into are not those which the locals have traditionally engaged in.

The Cato Institute was also quoted in the petition resolution, which noted that low-skilled illegal resident workers in the US would result in a net increase in the US GDP of $180 billion over 10 years.

The Kauffman Foundation also said that entrepreneurial activity is nearly 40% higher among immigrants than for natives, hence making the economy more dynamic.

At the end of the conference, the delegates approved the petition resolution and sent it to Congress and Pres. Obama for action.  Thus begins a series of organized representations for policy advocacy for these immigrant groups.

The MHC held the immigrants summit as a highlight to its 6th Annual People’s Ball at the Marriott Wardman Hotel in Washington, DC on June 25, 2011.  With the theme, “Celebrating a great leap forward for immigrant rights,” the gathering spells out to be a political voice and cultural unity for immigrants.

Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D, California, 12th Dist.) spoke before the immigrants in an inspirational message during the gala. Speier has sponsored a bill called “Filipino Veterans Fairness Act” of 2011 to give full recognition and equity for Filipino World War II veterans, their widows and children.  She commended the veterans as the role model for all immigrants because they shared their talents and sacrificed their lives for the US.

As a tradition on this gala, the biggest gathering, by far, of immigrants in the US, the MHC awarded 22 immigrants and four organizations who have shown exemplary leadership, service, and expertise in their communities or profession.

“Our Outstanding Migrant Awards represents the quality and continuing upgrading of men and women who have come to this fabled dream land,” said Jesse Gatchalian, MHC co-executive director.

Bishop Eliezer Pascua of the United Church of Christ led this year’s awardees as human rights advocate who, together with a delegation from the Ecumenical Voice for Peace and Human Rights in the Philippines testified before the US Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee about the human rights abuses and extra judicial killings perpetuated by Philippine police and military.

Gymnast Maria Victoria Alicia Recinto, who will represent the Philippines to the Asian Games in November 2011, was likewise awarded, along with Dr. Reynaldo Lee-Llacer, a surgeon and community leader, who was responsible for institutionalizing foreign medical doctors the right to vote in their respective medical societies; and war veteran Felino Punsalan, who until now has relentlessly demanded full benefits of Phil-American veterans of World War II.
“This is a very historic and significant event which MHC has boldly embarked on. It is a response to the growing but neglected issue on immigration. We immigrants have continuously lobbied for reforms that are meant to create a win-win situation for the US government and the immigrants as a whole,” says Grace Valera Jaramillo, MHC co-executive director.
The Filipiniana and Barong Tagalog inspired gala was well attended by about 1200 guests. Aside from the awarding ceremony, the Ball was highlighted by the lighting of glow sticks and offering of country flags of Latin American, African, Asian, and European ethnics in a solemn ceremony as a symbol of unity and cooperation among all immigrants in the US. ( Marivir Montebon is Managing Editor of Migrant Heritage Chronicle)

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