DREAM Act: A Gateway to Higher Education for Undocumented Students

This week, I decided to venture out into the blogosphere seeking to build on my last couple of posts in regards to immigrants and higher education in the state of California. In a previous post entitled, “Higher Education: The Debate Over College Tuition and Undocumented Students,” I brought to light and addressed some information pertaining to the DREAM Act. Currently, in the United States both in the private and public sector, higher education is the envy of the world with many people coming to America to pursue what many native born American citizens take for granted; a great education. The United States leads the way in education, particularly in the form of research and innovation. There is much irrefutable evidence of the benefits of obtaining a higher education, both to individuals and to society. According to the United States Census Bureau, the nation median annual income of college graduates without progressive degrees is fifty one thousand seven hundred dollars, while those with simply a high school education earn just over thirty thousand, and those without a high school edification earn less than twenty thousand dollars a year. People with simply a high school education are twice as likely to be unemployed and are three times more likely to require public support than college graduates.

I am a firm believer that a good education helps with the advancement and growth of a person’s critical thinking aptitudes which are essential to succeeding in today’s global society (see top left). Today’s comprehensive global challenges cross many disciplines and require elucidations that bring perspectives that are social and humanistic. Every year, hundreds if not thousands of honor roll students, artistic intellectuals, and star athletes who contribute greatly to our nations growth find their futures constrained by current immigration laws. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, or commonly referred to as the DREAM Act would allow undocumented immigrants from all over the world the chance to pursue their dreams of becoming a doctor, engineer, or scientist if they desired. For this reason, this week I decided to explore and examine the blogosphere in search of enlightening and edifying works that support and analyze the DREAM Act, and the impact it would have on the lives of many students if the act is passed. My examination has led me to two works that tackle some of the key issues that undocumented students are going through while obtaining a higher education. The first post entitled, “What the California Dream Act Means to Immigrant Children,” written by Joaquin Nabarrete, Associated Students Incorporated president from the California State University of Los Angeles, gives us an insight to what the DREAM Act really stands for, and how undocumented students would benefit from the passing of it. The second post titled, “Students March for DREAM Act,” written by Kat Murti, a journalist for the Daily Californian provides us with information to how far students and teachers are willing to go to in order for their voices to be heard. I offer my comments and opinions to each of the columnist’s posts below.

“What the California Dream Act Means to Immigrant Children”
Comment:
I would first of all like to thank you for your detailed and in-depth post about the DREAM Act. I found your opinions to be very informative and well addressed to the situations many undocumented students are facing when it comes to getting a higher education. I also found your site to be very informative, and a great resource tool when comes to researching other immigration issues. I myself think that the DREAM Act is a great means to reward character, strength, and hard work for undocumented students who did not have a say in whether they wanted to come to the United States or not. I appreciate the poignant interpretations you make when you reference California as the largest immigrant population in the nation, with many cultures and people from all over the world. This shows that the DREAM Act would greatly benefits immigrants from all over the world, not just immigrants of Latin American descent, like most people tend to associate when they read the word immigrant. I think that including the picture of yourself and Senator Gilbert Cedillo really ads credibility to your argument and what you are trying to get across to the reader. Although your post is very didactic and enlightening, and I agree with everything you have to express, it could have been even more helpful and interesting to read what students in your school had to say about the DREAM Act. While you do provide some links to important topics in your piece, I think it would have been very beneficial to have some more, especially for a reader that might not know that much about the subject. I understand that you are for the DREAM Act, but your convictions for it seems biased sometimes when you have no evidence to back up what you have to say. I think you have great arguments for the DREAM Act, and I think that providing as much evidence as possible to back up your argument really helps you come across as a more credible writer, especially with a subject as controversial as immigration. Also, with the DREAM Act being turned down once again do you think there will ever be some type of bill that will help undocumented students at least get financial aid loans in place of grants and scholarships? I believe that with the passing of the DREAM students who graduate from high school and college will help the nation and its economy through their increased future earnings. I would really like to hear your thoughts not only how the DREAM Act would benefit students, but also on how it would help the military as well. Lastly, I appreciate your initiative in getting the word out about the DREAM Act; I think that this act will greatly benefit the United States immensely if it is ever passed. I look forward to hearing from you and discussing this subject matter in the future.

“Students March for DREAM Act”
Comment:
Thank you for a concisely constructed piece. I have recently started to read the Daily Californian after examining some of the works from your colleague, Emily Grospe. After reading one of her posts, I followed a link that brought me to your writings. I was very intrigued with some of the things that are going on at UC Berkley, particularly with immigration and education. It is wonderful to read a piece such as yours where I can in vision what I am reading. It was really great to see that wonderful picture of all those students marching for what they believe is right alongside with their professors. After reading your editorial I really got a feel for what the students really thought and felt due to the current situation of the DREAM Act. I really enjoyed the quotes you provide to your readers as well, specially the one from Senator Gilbert Cedillo. I think that including people like him really add integrity and credibility to your piece (see right). Although I gained some valuable insights from your post, I would have really liked to have read some of your thoughts and feelings towards the rejection of DREAM Act once again by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. It would have been very beneficial to me as the reader to get your insight and views to determine where you stand on this matter. I also think that by adding some links to the quotes you mention would give your writing a stronger sense of influence. I understand that undocumented students do not want to have their picture taken or their actual name cited in anything due to their status here in the Untied States, but I think it is very important to sometimes put a face to a citation so the reader gets a feel of who you are talking about when you mention undocumented students. I have been reading many blogs, articles, and pieces that reference illegal immigrants and education, and time and time again, everyone always seems to think that every illegal immigrant is of Latin American descent. I think it would be very beneficial for informing the casual reader that not just Hispanics are suffering from the rejection of the DREAM Act. Overall, I think you guys have a great thing going at the Daily Californian. Keep up the good work; I am really looking forward to reading your next post.

Green Card Soldiers: A Path to United States Citizenship for Immigrants

America is a populace of immigrants. Their spirit of determination, exploration, hard work and devotion to an idea that is bigger than they had made this country great and what it is today. Whatever one thinks of the exodus contemplation in the present day, particularly the problem of illegal immigrants; foreigners have played a central responsibility in the building of our nation. Many now call the United States their home and they do what ever is necessary to protect it. This is evident in America’s armed forces. The United States is an international authority, and to project that authority and power successfully and efficiently, the military needs soldiers. America’s armed forces are distinguished by a patriotism that knows no boundaries and is shared by immigrants whose assistance is crucial and essential to the fight against terrorism. Just as native-born soldiers, foreign born soldiers play a special role in today’s military. Immigrants bring with them diverse backgrounds, including the ability to speak many different languages and understand other cultures and societies. In the fight against terrorism, immigrants enhance the military by offering linguistic skills and their intellectual expertise to achieve successful missions. They are devoted to and heed the call to fight for the principles of liberty and democracy. For non-citizens who meet the requirements to enlist and serve admirably, serving in the United States military offers a unique path to citizenship (see left).

The reality that America’s armed forces are facing today is the significant downfall of military recruitment. It is apparent that current recruitment programs are very ineffective. Recently the Department of Defense reported that their recruitment goals fell short in May. The Army fell short by seven percent, which was short of its goal of five thousand five hundred new applicants, while the Army National Guard fell twelve percent, and the Air National Guard fell below its target by twenty three percent. Currently the number of immigrants serving in the military range between forty thousand and forty seven thousand, according to Dr. Emilio Gonzalez, director of Bureau of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Max Boot, a senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations thinks that it is time that the United States starts a “freedom legion.” Referring to a unit of the military made up of entirely of legal and illegal immigrants whose reward for serving a four year term in a war would lead to a path of good compensation and a route to U.S. citizenship. The idea advocated by Mr. Boot is not entirely new. This idea has been referenced before as a part of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, commonly referred to as the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act encourages the formation of opportunities for young immigrants. I believe that now is the time to consider a new phase in the annals of American immigration. By welcoming immigrants to join the United States armed forces in exchange for an assurance of citizenship after a four year tour of duty, the United States could continue to draw some of the world’s most innovative, enterprising, and talented individuals.

Despite the growing anti-Americanism, United States Citizenship is still one of the world’s most prized commodities. Unlike most concerns dealing with the immigration debate, the proposal of offering United States citizenship to immigrants who serve a term in the military should be a winner for everyone. It is beneficial for immigrants who wish to pursue U.S. citizenship, which they could otherwise not obtain and it is beneficial for a beleaguered America military which is getting smaller in size as the war in Iraq continues. Not only would immigrants endow the United States military with an advantageous influx of exceedingly motivated soldiers, they would address some of the key deficiencies in the battle against terrorism. Immigrants would also help uphold the all volunteer force. In a time as crucial as the United States is facing right now with the war in Iraq, it is especially difficult to find enough qualified people and a ready source of recruits who speak Arabic, Pashto, Dari, and other strategic dialects that help American soldiers in battle front and behind enemy lines. Immigrant soldiers have always been a crucial part to the success of the United States in winning wars. From the Revolutionary War to World War II, immigrants have sacrificed there lives along with their American comrades for this great nation. By allowing immigrants a path to citizenship through military service, immigrants would also prove their allegiance and commitment to their new homeland, while having the chance to integrate quicker into American society(see right).

While the proposal of allowing immigrants an avenue toward U.S. citizenship by serving in the military has gained some attention from the United States Pentagon, it still has to clear a number of hurdles. Nevertheless with Senator Barak Obama winning the presidential election, the outlook for undocumented immigrants and legal immigrants is looking bright with Obama’s plan for immigration reform. To date, the Pentagon has been relatively quite on the specifics of this proposal, like what countries will be able to join, or where the recruiting stations will be, and what minimum standards will be placed on immigrants who decide to serve. Already, the Army and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sector of the Department of Homeland Security have made it easier to for green card holders who do enlist and serve get their citizenship. According to statistics from the military and the Council on Foreign Relations, there are about thirty thousand noncitizens serving in the armed forces today. Currently, Pentagon guidelines specify that only immigrants legally residing in the United States are eligible to enlist in the America’s armed forces. As the war in Iraq and Afghanistan grind on and the strain of manpower becomes evident in our nations armed forces, the proposal to induct more and more noncitizens is looking better and better. As Thomas Donnelly, a military scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute in Washington reported on the Navy Marine Corps News station “It works as a military idea and it works in the context of American immigration.”

Higher Education: The Debate Over College Tuition and Undocumented Students

Last month in my previous post entry entitled, “Cultivating Edification: The Costs of Teaching Illegal Immigrants,” I touched upon the educational system in the state of California. I explored the blogosphere to ascertain the costs and educational developments in regards to illegal immigration from children attending Kindergarten through the twelfth grade. I introduced two informative blogs that addressed and expressed some of the concerns with illegal immigrant children attending grade school and not having to pay for it. This week, I continue my exploration of the blogosphere in search of other innovative and informative blogs that address topics of interests dealing with illegal immigration and a college education in the United States. I continue the topic of education to provide some insight to a comment left in my previous blog. My examination has led me to two other compositions tackling the concern of a college education for undocumented students. Researching some of the consequences that undocumented students are going through in paying for a college education I came across a post titled “Court: Granting Illegal Immigrants In-State Tuition Violates Federal Law,” written by Emily Grospe, a writer for the Daily Californian’s online blog editorials section. In it, Grospe speaks about the harsh journeys illegal student’s face when it comes to paying for a higher education. Published September 16, 2008, the author also makes a reference to the California Dream Act (see top), a state senate bill that allows illegal immigrant students who have attended a California high school for three or more years or has graduated from a California high school an exemption from paying nonresident tuition fees in a California community college or state university. However, critics are still in favor of undocumented students paying the same tuition fees as out of state U.S. born students. The second post titled, “Tuition and Illegal Immigrants: A Court Ruling that Illegal Immigrants Can’t get In-State Tuition Rates Will Harm Many Students,” comes from Scott Folsman a parent and former president of the Los Angeles 10th District PTSA association and current Vice-chair of the LAUSD Construction Bonds Citizens Oversight Committee. On September 22, 2008, Folsman provides an insight to a Los Angeles Times Editorial, and provides some information on the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. This act states that “an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a state for any postsecondary education benefits unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit.” In addition to posting my views and comments directly on the authors’ respective blog entries, I have also displayed these comments for you to examine below.

“Court: Granting Illegal Immigrants In-State Tuition Violates Federal Law”
Comment:

Thank you for an insightful post on the views of illegal immigrant students and a higher education. I wonder what will be for the future of undocumented students who are trying to better their lives and sometimes the lives of their families by getting a college education. It is wonderful to read a piece from an informed person who provides some insight on a very important situation. The fact that you decided to include California’s AB 540 law and California Dream Act in your piece really ties in this story with something that is significant and noteworthy to many Californian college students, whether legal or illegal. I appreciate the poignant observations you make when referencing currently just how much money out-of-state students are paying for tuition in the UC system. Although your post served as an educational and edifying analysis, it could have been even more helpful and interesting to read your viewpoint and perspectives on the case at hand. Also, since the California Dream Act has been amended for a second time by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who looks like he might not be coming back to office in the next governor elections, do you think that the next governor for California will amend it a third time? The reference you make in your article in regards to Kris Kobach, an attorney for the University of Missouri at Kansans, and who looks to also be representing the plaintiffs, provides a good background to the case you presented. I also thing that including what the chancellor of UC Berkley had to say about the ruling shows that you are not biased and are only looking at one side of the story. I would of also loved to of seen some pictures in your article of actual illegal immigrant students, but I know many of them decline to be photographed because of the legal status. I really enjoyed the quotes you mentioned in your article about the students who are actually going through this difficult situation. It is a sad reality that most Americans are not aware of some of the difficulties an undocumented student has to face in order to get a higher education. Lastly, I admire your initiative in providing valid information in your analysis. I really enjoyed the information you provided and I wish to read more post from you in regards to higher education and illegal immigration in the future.

“Tuition and Illegal Immigration: A Court Ruling that Illegal Immigrants Can’t Get In-State Tuition Rates Will Harm Many Students”
Comment:
I would like to start off by thanking you for writing on such on an important topic in today’s age, not only for illegal immigrant students but for America in general. The decreased attention illegal immigration has been getting due to the financial economic crisis that America is going thru right now has kind of put higher education for undocumented students on the backburner for a while. I especially like the part of the article where it states that studies have shown that an education for immigrants pays off in the end(see right). I understand that many of the undocumented students in California are here illegally, but I also keep in mind that those students and their families are tax payers that contribute to the states educational institutes. According to the Social Security Administration, it is estimated that illegal immigrants have paid $450 billion to the Social Security fund and I think that should be some type of basis for allowing these students to pay almost the same amounts as U.S. born California resident students pay for college tuition. As evidence from the articles persuasive tone, I firmly believe that students who have graduated or have attended a California high school for a least three years or more as stated in the California Dream Act should be allowed the same benefits as other Californian students. Although, I find your blog very informative and helpful in understanding the situation explained, I would have liked to have read your opinion on the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. I also would have liked to have seen some more links to your blog in order for me as the reader to connect with some of the main points of your blog and thesis. I think you have a great blog and by also inserting some pictures into it, it would make it more alluring and more credible. All in all, you have a remarkable blog that enlightens and educates the uniformed reader. I really enjoyed reading the piece and I am looking forward to reading some of your other posts.

An Economic Crisis: A Lose Lose Situation for Everyone

In a previous post, I examined the effects of illegal immigration and the outcomes it has on the United States economy. Currently, I would like to return to this topic in light of the recent financial situation and economic crises the United States is facing. Last year alone, about 500,000 undocumented immigrants entered the country, which is less than 1.8 million from the previous year, according to the United States Census Bureau (see left). That alone, along with the fact that thousands of immigrants are returning to native countries on their own, is dwindling the population of the United States. Efren Sanchez, a twenty-two year old construction worker from Phoenix, Arizona was interviewed by KVOA News and “states that because of the economic predicament the United States is in right now, there are no jobs, no chance of becoming legal, and he sees no point in staying the United States.” With broadcasts and reports being aired on the news with such information, anti-immigration crowds like the California Coalition for Immigration Reform are having a celebrated moment in time. This is due in part because, finally, one of their fondest aspirations is becoming a reality. After years of continued growth, immigration to the United States is slowing down dramatically. In other words, our nation’s sharp economic downturn and lack of obtainable employment, coupled with the human rights crisis and enforcement only immigration policy, have made migrating to the United States a less plausible road for people to travel. The symbol of hope for a generous and fruitful America where achievement and success can be obtained through hard work and believing in the future has dimmed significantly.

Another significant factor towards the decline of immigration, whether legal or illegal, to the United States is the collapse of the housing market. This along with the rippling effects of the current credit cataclysm and volatility of the United States markets has led to the diminution in the number of low skilled jobs in the construction division and other leading sectors in which immigrants usually tend to find work in. The statistics and facts provided by the Pew Hispanic Center have led to the first reliable substantiations and evidence that fewer and fewer immigrants are entering the United States. In previous eras the United States has been viewed as one of the most popular localities for migrants, marketed as land of the free and the home of opportunities. Mexican consulates in California and Chicago also report that around four thousand more Mexican immigrants than usual have already left for Mexico because of the economic crisis in the United States. With this in mind, Global Visas, a leading immigration consultancy that facilitates visas legally for those willing to migrate to the United States, “says the latest statistics definitely show that immigrants are keeping their eye on the economy and current crisis the United States is facing, and that the quandary that America is dealing with is a fundamental factor when people are making their decisions on whether to come and live or work in the United States.”

In spite of this, the United States is not the only country suffering from the economic crisis. Mexico also braces for a monetary setback, and with the lack of money illegal immigrants send from the United States to family members in Mexico, adds to a complexity of issues dealing with this problem. Mexico’s billion dollars a day reliance on the United States economy is only part of the problem that Mexico will face. The considerable predicament Mexico’s economy will deal with are the lack of remittances sent to family members by many migrant workers who are experiencing financial difficulties, such as losing their jobs and sometimes their homes (see right). According to Agustin Escobar, of the Center for Advanced Research and Studies in Social Anthropology (CIESAS), about eight percent of underprivileged families depend almost entirely on the cash flow sent from immigrant relatives in the United States to survive, and they will find themselves in a precarious situation with the drop in remittances. To complicate the financial problem Mexico will face with the United States economic crisis, Carlos Villanueva, president of the United States-based Asociacion Mundial de Mexicanos en el Exterior (AMME) (Worldwide Association of Mexicans Abroad), there is a conviction that Mexicans will return in a magnitude of numbers to Mexico, which is something that would unquestionably impair the local employment market. The Mexican government along with Mexico’s president Felipe Calderon has taken emergency financial measures to withstand the winds of crisis from the United States.

With the devastating economic downturn in the housing market, immigrant demand is slowly starting to decline and job opportunities are leisurely drying up. Owing to the effects of the economic crisis the United States is facing, immigrants are choosing to go back home rather than wait for an economic rebound. The construction labor that makes up most of the immigrant employment opportunities in the form of home remodeling, painting, and landscaping is no longer copious due to the fact that only the few well off Americans have the necessary funds to spend on developments. Small business owners are no longer taking risks in hiring illegal immigrants as the United States government has increased the fines for employing undocumented workers. With fewer and fewer immigrant workers sending less money home Mexico’s economy is also feeling the misfortune of our nation’s current slump. On the whole, both immigrants and the United States suffer because of the economic crisis. As immigrants migrate back to their home countries, the United States population gets smaller and smaller and low skilled jobs are being abandoned. The future of America and the people who migrate to it depends on how our nation will deal with the current economic crisis and how our government will prepare so something like this will not happen again.

Unconstitutional Resettlement: A Concise Look of the Online Society’s Views on Illegal Immigration

This week, I enthusiastically explored the Web once again in search of prominent, effervescent resources that will enhance the content I address in my previous blogs as well as provide my readers with additional links of importance pertaining to illegal immigration, issues and events in America(see left). Using the Webby and IMSA criteria for evaluating websites and blogs, I have found what I feel are twenty additional exceptional immigration blogs and magazines, new sites and online newspapers, and organizations based on their subject matter, structure, visual design, functionality, and profundity. These links have been added to my linkroll (right), but I will also evaluate each of them in this blog. The first two sites I analyze are closely related to my first blog on illegal exodus and the effects of illegal immigration on the economy. The Immigration Chronicles blog is the first blog that I examined, and this site helps readers understand some of the views Americans have on illegal immigration and has helpful sites to address immigration reform. With its useful links to issues on illegal immigration, the Chronicles blog has really good resources that deal with many subjects pertaining to illegal immigration. Another site that deals with immigration is the “Immigration Equality” blog. Although it is frequently updated with each entry featuring a new issue on illegal immigration, this blog simply is all over the place with two many issues differing from AIDS to Legislation bills. Following up on my last post on illegal immigration education, the Vanderbilt Torch is a conservative and libertarian magazine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville Tennessee. This online magazine is visually pleasing with catchy side bars and letters from the editor of the magazine. However it presents itself as a bit of a critic when it comes to the issues America faces with illegal immigration and how it affects our school systems. The Public Policy Institute of California, on the other hand, presents immigration issues with education on a more balanced manner, with its “Just the Facts” section. This site examines both sides of the spectrum, providing its own opinions on illegal immigration and backing it up with real statistics and graphs to show there results. This site also provides there articles in Spanish and it has the RSS Feed function for people who can not read. Regrettably, some of the links are very slow due to the fact that once opened they are all converted to an Adobe Acrobat file. Following closely, is our own countries U.S. Department of Education website. This site allows readers to look up different Acts, especially the no Child Left Behind act that I discuss in my previous post. It offers many features as well, like the video feeds that address the issues pertaining to specific subjects like illegal immigration. Unfortunately there are no real graphics in this site, and can sometimes be hard to navigate if key words are not used in the search sachet. One step ahead of the United States Department of Education website, visually pleasant though perhaps simplistic the Council on Foreign Relations news page covers all aspects of illegal immigration from the 2008 presidential election to Canada’s immigration policy. However, it does lack the use of pictures and graphics to help illustrate some of its key articles. With this in mind it could be some what overwhelming to the reader to see so much text and no diagrammatic in the website. White House News, conversely, is a website that is visually appealing and easy to navigate, with catchy graphics displaying American patriotism. With its extensive news feeds and podcasts that are offered in Spanish it’s a great website to with reputable information gathered through extensive research and analysis. However, it does house personal motives with its attention leading toward the Iraq war at times by including links to in the “In Focus” tabs with Afghanistan leading the list of topics to choose from.

The Center for Immigration Studies organization website is a wide-ranging immigration site and preferred choice of mine among the mentioned sites with comprehensively researched columns such as the costs of immigration found on the left hand side of the site. The “blog” section also includes interesting pieces of how illegal immigration is affecting the United States when immigrants come to this America(see right). The site is not that visually appealing, but is easily navigable, with extensive news feeds, and up to date email alerts. However, in my opinion it houses personal financial motives, presenting itself as an organization that depends on donations to continue its studies and research before any information is offered to the public. Similarly, The Hispanic Institutes’ substandard graphics makes the site less attractive. With its blank blue column taking up the right side of the site page with nothing on it makes it very dull and bland to look at. While it does provide great information on immigrant labor polices and reforms, it lacks sufficient links to in its own linkroll section to help the reader navigate easier through the website. Closely related in content to these last two websites, is the Pew Hispanic Center. With more than half of the population of United States immigrants being Hispanic, this site offers wonderful reports and fact sheets that deal with diverse experiences in a changing America. In addition to being a pro Hispanic website, it does not offer biased information but does provide real facts through its extensive research and survey reports. I was a little disappointed when it comes to the graphics of this site as there really isn’t any. I was relatively impressed along with the other two sites that there are is no marketing of any kind in the websites, which is a big plus for a reader who is interested in getting to the information quicker and not be bothered by advertisements. Choices Magazine, the magazine of food, farming, and resource issues is a relatively small magazine featuring only a few articles on immigration and its effects on the labor force in the United States. Although it is a small online magazine with few articles it does offer great information on the issues America is dealing with in regards to its agricultural employment section. This site is easy on the eyes for a reader and provides great graphs and tables with statistical information to back up its claims and arguments. Some of the disadvantages of the magazine are lack of articles and very little information for the reader to enjoy. The site also lacks the ability to link to it articles page, so the reader will have to put in a key word, in this case "immigration" in order to find articles. CNN’s Political Ticker page is on the contrary is very inclusive, highlighting news from every variety of immigration reports as well as the views of some of the United States top government officials, while allowing users the chance to participate in generating their own views and thoughts to the most popular and most e-mailed stories. In spite of this, the hot topics headline at the forefront of the page may change almost too frequently to encourage interest in posts dealing with illegal immigration.

Moving along with my research of prominent, effervescent resources, I examined three popular online newspapers that match the criteria I was looking for in a website. The first newspaper I examined was my local Los Angeles Times Newspaper online. The Los Angeles Times offers a “blog” section that examines immigration updates along with local immigration news affecting not only Los Angeles but also other parts of the country. While the LA Times constantly tries to update its blogs on illegal immigration it is comparatively difficult to look up past blogs due to the contents of the website. It features too many other sections of the paper not relating to the specific blog of immigration, and I was bothered by the flashy advertisements along the top of each page which distracts the reader from examine the information provided. Another online newspaper dealing with immigration is the New York Times. Although the online newspaper tries to update it current events on immigration in the “Times Topics” section it moderately deals less with immigration issues than the LA Times, but I think this is due to Los Angeles’s location and close proximity with the Mexican border only three hours away. Nonetheless, the New York Times provides tidbits of information on illegal exodus issues affecting America. The site is visually appealing and easily navigable, with catchy graphics spread throughout its extensive news feeds, multimedia headlines, and global information. However, its many advertisements throughout the entire newspaper can be somewhat distracting at times. The Wall Street Journal’s Resource Center, on the other hand, presents many articles and blogs pertaining to many different issues of illegal immigration. The articles range from border threats to immigrant and the GOP. Unfortunately, some of the links are slow to load or link to dead pages with the articles themselves. The AFL-CIO Now Blog deals with some of the information dealing with my first blog post on how illegal immigration affects our economy. The title of the post says it all. This site deals with the views of unions on the effects of immigration in general. This blog offers great information on immigration law put forth by the United States government dealing with employment. The blog offer extensive knowledge on the Employee Free Choice Act along with other links within the blog that take you to other relevant articles dealing with the economy of the United States and immigration. The site is visually engaging, but it does have too many links that take away from the original blog. Alternatively, The Issue Blog from the OC Register provides key articles looking into edification and immigration. The site is visually appealing and easily traversable, with appealing news feeds. The graphics are concentrated mostly to the right hand side of the webpage; however they are still a little overpowering at times which takes away from some of the articles located on the left side of the webpage. The Federation for American Immigration Reform also highlights news from every genre dealing with immigration. This site is easy to navigate with a quick links bar and it offers a zip code finder to help the reader find information quicker for the areas that they live in or would like to research. The second to last website I included in my linkroll is the Library of Congress website. This website serves as a great tool for reader to download previous bills passed by the United States government on immigration reform. The graphics of the site are soft and give you the feeling of being in a library, but like a library this site can be hard to navigate if you do not chose correct key words to help you find document on illegal immigration. Finally, the Homeland Security website serves as a great tool to compare statistical information against some of the information provided by some of the other websites mentioned. The site is colorfully decorated with our nation’s colors of red, white, and blue and it also provides the reader with related resources where alternative information can be found. Overall, my explorations this week in search of prominent, effervescent resources has lent me great insight into the reflections and opinions of how the rest of America and the online cultural manifestations feel about immigration.

Cultivating Edification: The Costs of Teaching Illegal Immigrants

In my previous blog entry entitled, “Illegal Exodus: Is Immigration Good or Bad for Our Economy?,” I delve into the blogosphere to discover the effects of illegal immigration on our economy. In addition to the ongoing deliberation of whether an immigration reform bill from the United States Senate would solve some of the issues America is facing today with unemployment. This week, I have decided to talk about the effects of illegal immigration on our school systems and how it affects our country (see right). With California being a border state and one of the most diversified states in the U.S., I have decided to focus primarily on this area. With California hosting America’s largest population of illegal immigrants it is one of the largest states bearing the costs of illegal immigration in the form of education, healthcare and incarceration. A new study from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) examines that Californians are spending approximately $7.7 billion dollars annually on education for illegal immigrant children and for their U.S. natural born siblings. Steven A. Camarota, the author of the report “says that households headed by illegal aliens imposed more than $26.3 billion in costs on the federal government in 2002 and paid only $16 billion in taxes, creating a net fiscal deficit of $10.4 billion, or $2,700 per illegal household.” The Center for Immigration Studies in Washington DC, also estimates that a minimum of 1.1 illegal alien children attend school in other states of America. With an estimate of over 15 % of students enrolled in the California public school system being children of undocumented immigrants, who for the most part are members of society who do not contribute to public school funding through tax payments like other Americans, faces a difficult task of educating these kids. This is an especially arduous test, considering the average estimate of a yearly Kindergarten through 12th grade education is $7,200. Currently only a fraction of tax-paying inhabitants are paying enough into the system to support the constant and valuable education of our students. Such shortages have led to cuts in many curriculums accelerating learning, such as the ESL program (English as a Second Language). In addition, the existing “No Child Left Behind Act”(see left) presents an obstacle to urban, low-performing schools by denying monetary aid to schools with the highest necessity. While it seems California is being hurt by educating many of the children of illegal immigrants, it is easy to forget that the real people that are being affected by this quandary are the children. Yes, it is true that we as Americans suffer as well because we all pay the price for educating illegal immigrants with our taxes, but without the adequate education a child deserves we all end up losing in the end when it comes to the future of our nation. As a daily reader of international business news that analyzes the effects of events on the economy of the United States, I became attracted to this subject and chose to offer my personal thoughts on two highly regarded blogs that focus on similar subject matter. The first post that I commented on was “Illegal Immigration: Are Opponents Being FAIR,” who is written by David Waltz a freelance journalist. David examines some of the information reported by FAIR and compares it to reports produced by the Los Angeles Times. I also found a second external post by the name of “California’s Illegal Aliens Cost Taxpayers Nearly $9 Billion A Year.” This blog is published by Morgan Lighter. In her entry she relates some of the issues that I discuss in regards to the cost of educating illegal immigrants in California and in other states in America.

“Illegal Immigration: Are Opponents Being FAIR”

Comment:

Thank you for a concisely constructed post on the effects of illegal immigration. You clearly have conducted extensive research and gathered relevant quotes to support your argument against the some of the statements reported by FAIR. I believe the unique structure of your entry, which incorporates passages from various secondary sources, is an effective method to engage your readers. By providing extracts from these external websites, which you justify and support with your own opinion, the readers are presented with a multitude of viewpoints on which they can accept or reject on their own discretion. For example, you take excellent oddments of information from the Los Angeles Times which validate the credibility in your underlying argument. Having read other articles regarding this topic, I was pleasantly surprised to witness a fellow blogger defending some of the issues of illegal immigration and how some of the opponents use illegal immigration as a way to disseminate hate. I agree with your remarks that some opponents are simply pointing the finger at illegal immigrants and are saying “They are the one who are responsible for all our problems.” I also agree with you when you state that providing hate speech and misinformation about a group of people is not a way to solve a problem. Overall, you have a strong post that addresses some of the critical issues that the United States faces in regards to illegal immigration, but could benefit from the following suggestion. Although your first link to the Los Angeles Times does offer great information and statistics, you did not personally elaborate on these alternative results nor did you consider any additional reasons for relaying you feelings about how some people use illegal immigration issues as a way to disseminate hate. I feel your post could have been even stronger if you identified these factors, instead of solely focusing on some of the misinformation reported by FAIR. Lastly, I admire your initiative in providing valid information from reputable sources like the Los Angeles Times in your blog.

“California’s Illegal Aliens Cost Taxpayers Nearly $9 Billion A Year”
Comment:

I would first like start off by taking this opportunity to thank you not only for this informative post but also for your overall blog. I found it fascinating to get your opinions on some of the issues California and America in general is facing with illegal immigration today. I am glad that you chose to include the report conducted by FAIR recently on your blog. As evidence from the article's persuasive tone, I firmly believe your ability to exude magnetism through your writing style, which is a quality trait that clearly distinguishes you as a successful writer from others. I find it very interesting how you capture the opinions of two different people who have very different views on illegal immigration. Including quotes from the man who actually administered the FAIR report and Gerardo Gonzalez, director of Cal State San Marcos’ National Latino Research Center provides your reader with key information that leads them to pursue their own opinion on what the issues at hand really are and come to a decision on who is right and who is wrong. On the other hand, while I believe the facts and statistics that you incorporated in your entry are necessary elements, some of them are not well supported and seem a bit deceiving. For example, you use Jack Martins information that the report estimates the total cost at $10.5 billion each year, but that is offset by about $1.7 billion in taxes that illegal immigrants pay. I would have liked to have seen where some of this information was obtained from. Although I find your blog very informative, I would have liked to read your opinion on the research mentioned. It would have been beneficial for me to read the thoughts and ideas of someone who has dedicated her time to researching some of the effects of illegal immigration on the American economy. With great information provided in your blog, do you feel that the information provided in the FAIR report is really accurate since they are only actually using estimations in the data and not hard core evidence to support their statistics? Lastly, I admire your initiative in providing valid information in your blog. I really enjoyed the information you provided and I wish to read more blogs pertaining to immigration in the future.

Illegal Exodus: Is Immigration Good Or Bad For Our Economy?

The United States has often been called the melting pot of all countries because of its copious diversity of different ethnicities, cultures, and traditions, which makes America the great country it is today. This is derived from the opulent tradition of immigrants coming to the United States legally and illegally looking for a better life and the pursuit of happiness. Although many Americans believe that immigration has an unconstructive outcome in the economic development of the United States, sociological inquiries have proven otherwise, but the U.S. government still considers immigration as an austere problem for America. As a consequence, over the past two decades the U.S. Senate has failed to pass an immigration reform bill that would likely answer many of the questions people have towards immigration. Furthermore, supported by the Bush administration are the pragmatists that say that America should acknowledge the fact that there is a projected twelve million illegal inhabitants in the U.S. and that they are here to stay, so we should find a way to offer them a path to citizenship (see left). On the other side are the optimists who dispute that illegal immigrants are no more than criminals who are breaking the law. They argue that illegal immigrants should not be remunerated and in doing so only encourages more illegal immigration into the U.S. While different views of immigration will continue to take place in the White House, the uncertainty of whether immigration is good or bad for the United States still remains.

Buried in this ongoing deliberation is the question of the prospective economic effects on a measure that could change the composition of the labor force of America in considerable means. The United States Senate believes that by cracking down on illegal immigration, they can constrict the future supply of workers in the provinces of agriculture, construction, and the restaurant and hotel industries. By moving to an evaluation form for visas that is weighted more on the skills of a person rather than the family ties they might have in the U.S., the senate judges that they can provide more jobs for flourishing industries such as technology and biotechnology. Peter Cappelli a professor at Wharton in the University of Pennsylvania was quoted in a television report by its local news center utv13 “saying that what is troubling him about the legislation is that it is being marketed as if it does not involve any tradeoffs, that the move to employment-based criterion will be good for the economy and good for the country.” In fact Cappelli argues it will create winners and losers, and whether one approves of the legislation or not depends on how one feels about those winners and losers. However, the matter of fact is that majority of the jobs in the U.S. are not high-tech, most of the obtainable jobs concentrate within the fields of agriculture, and manufacturing for illegal immigrants. Nevertheless, many Americans still believe that by reducing the number of immigrants, whether legal or illegal that come into the U.S. would help alleviate some of the unemployment problems that America is facing today.

Conversely, Bernard Anderson, a practice professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania, “says he is not worried about the economic implications of immigration reform, mainly because he sees it having little long-term effect.” As a former assistant secretary in the U.S. Labor Department during the Clinton administration, Anderson also states, “that illegal workers already in the United States are likely to remain, regardless of whether they are offered citizenship or not.” Despite that, many traditionalist still rail against reprieve, but they do not offer a resolution on the twelve million people that are already in the U.S. Many if not most of the illegal immigrants that come to the United States looking for employment concentrate in the areas of agriculture, food preparation, construction, and hospitality and personal service. Numerous jobs in these industries are considered and are part of what labor economists call “non-competing” jobs. The truth is that many natural born citizens are not rushing to fill the job vacancies provided by these businesses. Take California for example, it is one of the most diverse states in America. When examining California’s construction sector, a television report aired by CNN stated that there are no illegal immigrants constructing high-rise buildings in Los Angeles or Sacramento. Instead these jobs are being filled by native-born citizens that belong to unions such as the Operating Engineers Union or the United Steelworkers Union. On the other hand going into the suburbs or residential housing developments, most of the work is being done by illegal immigrants. So ask yourself, whose jobs did illegal immigrants really take? The answer is simple, they did not take anyone’s jobs because native workers were simply not willing to do these jobs or take the salary or hourly wages that are being offered.

In general, many illegal immigrants tend to search for jobs in states were immigration officials such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the department of Homeland Security is not as hard-hitting as in many border states like Texas and Arizona, they tend to seek employment in states like North Carolina, Utah, and many cities in Northern California were agricultural jobs are plentiful (see right). While many Americans argue against immigration the truth is that many illegal immigrants help support the U.S. economy. Illegal immigrants do the jobs that many Americans would not even consider doing and they have to pay taxes like everyone else, without receiving any benefits in the end. This is due in part to their employers still paying Social Security for them, even though they do not receive any benefits when they retire. They keep the economy flowing and they safeguard the size of the country’s labor force. Excluding the illegal immigrants who are fleeing their native country because of criminal activities, many of the people that come to the United States illegally come to work hard and pursue the “American Dream.”