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Jerry Gonzalez: "Georgia has become less competitive because of SB529. Georgia has sent an unwelcoming message to immigrants." |
Jerry Gonzalez speaks with Georgia Daily Digest about GA's recent immigration legislation. (Editor's Note: This interview may be reproduced for distribution with credit given to GeorgiaDailyDigest.com.) GDD: Welcome to Georgia Daily Digest. You have been through a very trying legislative process with Georgia’s immigration legislation. Do you believe that the end product is fair legislation? Gonzalez: SB529, signed into law by Governor Perdue recently, is less bad than what it started out to be. Nonetheless, it still is not good public policy. SB529 essentially will move the state into the realm of regulation of federal immigration policy. SB529 will have many unintended consequences for state and local governments, business, farmers, employers, immigrants and U.S. citizens alike. Georgia has become less competitive because of SB529. Georgia has sent an unwelcoming message to immigrants. As Georgia attempts to generate more business in Latin America, our state will have to answer questions about SB529, Georgia’s anti-immigrant law. Georgia farmers will suffer as labor becomes even harder to find. Word of mouth in the immigrant community will spread quickly that Georgia does not welcome immigrants. In fact, I do know of several immigrants, both documented and undocumented, that are moving away because of SB529. Unless other states pass similar restrictive measures, Georgia is at a great economic disadvantage. It does not make too much sense to have 50 different state immigration policies. The bottom line is that we need comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level. Only the U.S. Congress and our President can enact a robust immigration policy with the following components: Only then, will we have a fair immigration policy at the appropriate level of government. GDD: Where are the Latino immigrants that are here legally on this issue? Gonzalez: The Latino community, in general, has seen this as a bad move for our state. Even some members of the Governor’s Latino Commission for a New Georgia resigned because of the Governor’s signature of SB529 and the lack of engagement of that commission by the Governor on this issue. Many Latinos—U.S. citizens and registered voters, Republicans & Democrats, legal immigrants, and especially undocumented immigrants—have expressed great frustration about SB529. The thing to remember about Georgia’s Latino community is that family is important. The definition of family is broader than the traditional nuclear family. The 70,000 Latino registered voters in Georgia have been paying attention to SB529. Many see SB529 as an attack on our immigrant brothers and sisters. However, the Latino community is by no means a monolithic community. But we do have to take into consideration that one-third of the Governor’s Latino Commission for a New Georgia (most of which do consider themselves Republicans) resigned because of this new law. Based upon the resignations of some of Governor Perdue’s advisors on his Latino Commission for a New Georgia, one can clearly see how SB529 is regarded by large numbers in the Latino community. Again, Latino immigrants, like many Georgians, want comprehensive immigration reform; but that can only happen with federal action. I do hope our U.S. Senate can live up to America’s expectations of providing us with a real solution and not a band-aid approach like Georgia has put forward. GDD: What needs to be done to protect the interests of illegal Latino immigrants and the interests of citizens? Gonzalez: Comprehensive immigration reform needs to happen in order for all interests to be served and protected. This nation and its citizens deserve a real solution. Immigration is a defining feature of America’s history and of America’s future. Unfortunately, America’s current immigration system is broken. Instead of legal channels, legal immigration, and orderly, screened entry, the immigration system has fostered a black market characterized by a ballooning undocumented immigrant population, widespread use of fake documents, increasingly violent smuggling cartels and widespread exploitation of undocumented workers. The American people are frustrated with their leaders on this issue and hunger for a solution that will work. They want neither open borders, nor closed borders, they want smart borders. The time has come for the President and Congress to work together to enact comprehensive legislation that rewards work, reunites families, restores the rule of law, reinforces our nation’s security, respects the rights of U.S.-born and immigrant workers, and redeems the American Dream. Below are six principles we believe will create good comprehensive immigration policy: 1) Reform Must Be Comprehensive: The proposal must simultaneously deal effectively with 1) undocumented immigrants working and living in the United States; 2) the future flow of workers and close family members; 3) the need for tailored, targeted, effective enforcement of more realistic policies; and 4) support for the successful integration of newcomers in the communities where they settle.
2) Provide a Path to Citizenship: Opportunities should be provided for undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S. to receive work permits and travel permission and access educational opportunities once they undergo background and security checks. Those who want to settle in the United States should be eligible for permanent residence and citizenship.
3) Protect Workers: To replace the deadly, chaotic, and illegal flow of workers to jobs, there need to be wider legal channels so needed workers can be admitted legally to fill available jobs. To avoid the exploitation and abuses of flawed guestworkers programs, the nation needs a “break-the-mold” worker visa program that adequately protects the wages and working conditions of U.S. and immigrant workers. It should also allow workers to change jobs, meaningfully enforce both the program’s rules and existing labor laws, protect law-abiding employers from unscrupulous competitors and provide a path to permanent status. 4) Reunite Families: Immigration reform will not succeed if public policy does not recognize one of the main factors driving migration as well as one of America’s most cherished values: family unity. Restrictive laws and bureaucratic delays too often undermine this cornerstone of our legal immigration system. Those waiting in line should have their admission expedited, and those admitted on work visas should be able to keep their nuclear families intact. 5) Restore the Rule of Law and Enhance Security: Enforcement only works when the law is realistic and enforceable. This can best be achieved by a comprehensive overhaul that combines reform –- a path to permanent status for immigrants here and wider legal channels for those coming in the future -– with effective enforcement. A smart enforcement regime should include smart inspections and screening practices, fair proceedings, efficient processing, as well as strategies that crack down on criminal smugglers, get tough with lawbreaking employers and reduce illegality. Such a system will better enable the nation to know who is already here and who is coming in the future and bring our system into line with our tradition as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. 6) Promote Citizenship and Civic Participation and Help Local Communities: Immigration to America works because newcomers are encouraged to become new Americans. It is time to renew our nation’s commitment to the full integration of newcomers by providing adult immigrants with quality English instruction, promoting and preparing them for citizenship and providing them with opportunities to move up the economic ladder. The system should also offer support to local communities working to welcome newcomers. GDD: Do you think this legislation was intended to address real problems associated with illegal immigrants or was it the result of the frustration felt by seemingly unchecked growth in Latino populations both legal and illegal? Gonzalez: SB529 demonstrates our state’s frustration with a failed federal immigration policy. SB529 will not solve any problems associated with illegal immigration. Even Senator Rogers indicates that SB529 is the beginning of the process and recognized that it was a compromise bill. There are real concerns about local and state public service strains because of the influx of immigrants; however, in that same strain, we need to consider the benefits of lower costs to all for housing, food and textiles. We need to consider the ripple economic benefits of prospering industries that create more jobs due to the increase in labor supply. Only federal legislation can really deal with the issue of illegal immigration. SB529 is not an answer and makes Georgia less competitive for future growth and development. SB529 is simply “smoke and mirrors” for election year politics, and Georgians need to be asking why we were not spending more time dealing with the real problems Georgians are facing: rising fuel costs, continued poor performing public educational system, the lack of access to quality and affordable healthcare and better economic development within the state. These are real issues that need the attention of our elected officials; but instead, we focus on trying to get one of 50 states to solve the complex problem of a failed federal immigration policy. SB529 is a small band-aid on a gushing wound. Georgia voters should demand real solutions from our elected officials, and SB529 was not a real solution. GDD: What are the two or three biggest mistaken impressions you found legislators have toward Georgia’s Latino community? Gonzalez: A big part of the problem we have been facing are many of the myths associated with immigration. Many of these are difficult to challenge because of the lack of data; however, some of these myths are just disinformation, bad information purposely put out there to distort the reality. These are just a few we had to deal with: Myth: Undocumented immigrants do not pay taxes. Fact: According to a recent report by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, undocumented immigrants contribute at a minimum of $216 million per year. Additionally, undocumented immigrants pay taxes in a number of ways, including income and sales tax. The majority of undocumented immigrants pay income taxes using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) or false Social Security numbers. All immigrants, regardless of status, will pay on average $80,000 per capita more in taxes than they use in government services over their lifetime (Source: Smith, J.P. and B. Edmonston, The New Americans: Economic, Demographic, and Fiscal Effects of Immigration. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1997.). The Social Security system reaps the biggest windfall from taxes paid by immigrants; the Social Security Administration reports that it holds approximately $420 billion from the earnings of immigrants who are not in a position to claim benefits (Source: Testimony on the “ITIN” and Social Security Number Misuse, presented by Patrick P. O’Carroll, Jr., Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, to the House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Oversight, Subcommittee on Social Security, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC, March 24, 2004, www.ssa.gov/oig/communications/testimony_speeches/03102004testimony.htm). Myth: Undocumented immigrants take jobs from Americans. Fact: Immigrant labor is needed to fill jobs in the U.S. that an older, more educated American workforce is not willing to fill, especially at the low wages and poor working conditions many unscrupulous employers offer (Source: Paral, Rob, “Essential Workers: Immigrants are a Needed Supplement to the Native-Born Labor Force.” Washington, DC: Immigration Policy Center, March 2005.). Currently, there are approximately nine million undocumented workers in the U.S. filling important gaps in the labor market. There is substantial evidence that their presence in the labor force creates jobs and strengthens local economies. Myth: The best way to stop undocumented migration is by increasing enforcement. Fact: Between 1986 and 2002, the number of border enforcement agents has tripled, the number of hours they spent patrolling the border grew by a factor of approximately eight, and the Border Patrol’s budget has increased tenfold. At the same time, the number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. has continued to increase (Source: Massey, Douglas, “Beyond the Border Buildup: Towards a New Approach to Mexico-U.S. Migration.” Washington, DC: Immigration Policy Center, September 2005). Support is growing for a more comprehensive approach to immigration control which combines smart enforcement with measures to create a legal path for those who come to the U.S. to work, and those who are already in the workforce. GDD: Do you believe that most Latinos would support a guest worker program as proposed by President Bush? Gonzalez: I think all Georgians are ready for a solution. I think the solution needs to incorporate the six principles I mentioned before. President Bush’s guest worker proposal goes in that direction. GDD: Tell us a bit about GALEO. What are the goals of the organization and in what regions of the state do you expect the GALEO to grow the most? Gonzalez: In November 2003, the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials was founded to provide another voice to the growing Latino community in the state of Georgia. GALEO’s mission is to increase representation of Latino/Hispanic elected and appointed officials, to proactively address the issues and needs of the Latino community, and to engage the Latino/Hispanic community in the democratic and policy process across the state of Georgia. GALEO is a catalyst for greater civic engagement of the Latino community across Georgia. We accomplish this through voter registration, voter education, leadership development and research. GALEO and the GALEO Latino Community Development Fund have accomplished many objectives in our short-term of existence. Here are some highlights: GALEO and the GALEO Latino Community Development Fund will play a lead role in ensuring we have an aggressive voter registration, voter education and "Get Out The Vote" campaign as we move forward. We will continue civic engagement by developing leadership skills for new Latino leaders and ensuring opportunities to exercise these leadership skills. We will continue to focus our efforts all across the state. We will have active efforts in the metro Atlanta area, especially Gwinnett and Cobb counties. We will also continue our work in Savannah, Columbus, Dalton, Gainesville, Atlanta, La Grange, and Athens, among other locations. We work with local communities to help engage Latinos locally. GALEO is supported by individuals, organizations, businesses and corporations who believe in supporting the state's growing Latino community and the mission of increased civic engagement by the Latino community. This is accomplished by becoming a GALEO member. Membership is open to anyone who would like to support our efforts in the Latino community. All elected officials are also encouraged to become members. We invite your readers to join us in making a better Georgia for all of us with an more engaged Latino community. GALEO is a 501(c)6 nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, similar to a professional trade association or a chamber of commerce. None of the funds raised are used for political campaigns or for elected officials. All funds raised are used for the development of the mission of GALEO. The GALEO Latino Community Development Fund is a 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit and nonpartisan organization. All contributions made to the GALEO Latino Community Development Fund are fully tax-deductible. GDD: How large will the Latino vote be here in Georgia this year? Gonzalez: As of 2004, we estimate the Latino vote to be approximately 70,000 strong. It is not a large percentage of the overall electorate; however, we need to remember recent history when Zell Miller won one of his elections with less than 35,000 votes. Given that Latinos are energized by the signing of SB529, I would venture to guess that Latino voter turnout would be higher than expected. If statewide elections remain very competitive, Latinos can and will make a difference. GDD: Thank you for speaking with us.