October 15, 2013

The Daily Californian: Rights for all, not for some

media mention

(Original Post)

STATE ISSUES: Legislation focused on undocumented Californians who aren’t perfect will aid millions more and address painful stigmas.
BY SENIOR EDITORIAL BOARD | STAFFLAST UPDATED OCTOBER 11, 2013
Legislation aimed at immigration reform often focuses on granting rights to undocumented Americans who are exceptionally accomplished individuals. Just recently, California passed a bill that will enable undocumented Americans who pass the bar exam to practice law, and the widely discussed DREAM Act, now law in California, opens financial aid opportunities to undocumented students.
In signing the TRUST Act, Gov. Jerry Brown has taken a tremendous positive step in extending rights not only to students or lawyers but also to undocumented Americans guilty of minor offenses. The new law limits the duration undocumented people can be held to 48 hours maximum, provided they haven’t committed a felony.
And even though there are people who have succeeded in part because of the opportunities afforded by the DREAM Act and legislation like it, millions more will benefit from the TRUST Act.
Until now, the state Legislature seldom addressed head-on the issues of granting rights to undocumented Californians who probably aren’t future cardiologists or business executives. In demanding that these people be “model citizens” in order to access basic public resources — student financial aid, acquiring a driver’s license and so on — we affirm that you have to prove your worth in America, unless you were lucky enough to be born here.
Additionally, the TRUST Act has garnered support from surprising places. In a meeting last week with a group representing undocumented students and their supporters, UC President Janet Napolitano, who formerly oversaw the federal department responsible for deporting undocumented people, said she told Brown the new law would be “good for the State of California.”
Still, there’s a long way to for California to go.
In 2007, the median household income of undocumented immigrants nationwide was $36,000, nearly $15,000 below the national median. Furthermore, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that these families paid more than $10 billion in taxes in 2010 — money they are paying for services the government doesn’t allow them to receive. Simply put, undocumented immigrants are American  regardless of what their passports read, and they pay the tax dollars to prove it.
For now, legislation such as the TRUST Act is an encouraging sign of change to come. Let’s hope Brown and the state Legislature follow through.

STATE ISSUES: Legislation focused on undocumented Californians who aren’t perfect will aid millions more and address painful stigmas.

BY SENIOR EDITORIAL BOARD | STAFFLAST UPDATED OCTOBER 11, 2013

Legislation aimed at immigration reform often focuses on granting rights to undocumented Americans who are exceptionally accomplished individuals. Just recently, California passed a bill that will enable undocumented Americans who pass the bar exam to practice law, and the widely discussed DREAM Act, now law in California, opens financial aid opportunities to undocumented students.

In signing the TRUST Act, Gov. Jerry Brown has taken a tremendous positive step in extending rights not only to students or lawyers but also to undocumented Americans guilty of minor offenses. The new law limits the duration undocumented people can be held to 48 hours maximum, provided they haven’t committed a felony.

And even though there are people who have succeeded in part because of the opportunities afforded by the DREAM Act and legislation like it, millions more will benefit from the TRUST Act.

Until now, the state Legislature seldom addressed head-on the issues of granting rights to undocumented Californians who probably aren’t future cardiologists or business executives. In demanding that these people be “model citizens” in order to access basic public resources — student financial aid, acquiring a driver’s license and so on — we affirm that you have to prove your worth in America, unless you were lucky enough to be born here.

Additionally, the TRUST Act has garnered support from surprising places. In a meeting last week with a group representing undocumented students and their supporters, UC President Janet Napolitano, who formerly oversaw the federal department responsible for deporting undocumented people, said she told Brown the new law would be “good for the State of California.”

Still, there’s a long way to for California to go.

In 2007, the median household income of undocumented immigrants nationwide was $36,000, nearly $15,000 below the national median. Furthermore, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that these families paid more than $10 billion in taxes in 2010 — money they are paying for services the government doesn’t allow them to receive. Simply put, undocumented immigrants are American  regardless of what their passports read, and they pay the tax dollars to prove it.

For now, legislation such as the TRUST Act is an encouraging sign of change to come. Let’s hope Brown and the state Legislature follow through.

 

 

 


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