Economy Takes Center Stage at Bend Town Hall

Economy Takes Center Stage at Bend Town Hall

Chris Thomas, Public News Service - OR
August 16, 2011
AUDIO: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/mp3.php?f=rss-21725-1.mp3

BEND, Ore. - A town hall meeting to discuss the sagging Central Oregon economy and possible federal solutions might be lacking one key ingredient this week: Rep. Greg Walden, the Republican congressman for Oregon's Second District, has not yet indicated he will attend to answer the crowd's questions.

Greg Delgado, Central Oregon organizer for the immigrant-rights group CAUSA, says members of the Latino community will be there nonetheless, with views on immigration and trade agreements with Mexico that they feel are being ignored. And he says local postal workers who have just learned that their jobs are in jeopardy also plan to show up.

In person or on paper, Delgado says, their messages will be delivered.

"We're not just venting, either. We're going to get everybody's statements and we're going to send 'em to Congressman Walden, and we're going to use these as follow-ups to have this discussion. Let's just get the community voices together and take it to him."

Delgado says the congressman has held one local meeting in the past year, in La Pine, which he describes as not well publicized. He adds people have a lot of questions about how to turn the area's major industries around.

"Construction was a major job creator here in this Central Oregon region - and of course, with the real estate market the way it is, the growth has just collapsed, pretty much. And the other industry that we rely heavily on here is tourism. Also because of this economy, the tourist industry is suffering as well."

Tom Chamberlain, president of the Oregon AFL-CIO, says Walden's turf in Oregon's Second District has some of the highest home foreclosure and unemployment rates in the state, and not everyone there is convinced their views are being heard in Washington, D.C.

"We're very concerned about his position on unemployment extension, on stimulus to create jobs, his position on passing the Transportation Reauthorization Act. And that's why I think it's very important for Congressman Walden to show up at the event."

Rep. Walden has said the best way to revive the economy is to reduce government spending and give small businesses incentives to create jobs. If he does not attend the town hall meeting on Thursday, several groups are planning a panel discussion about job creation, immigration and trade issues. They include Oregon AFL-CIO, CAUSA, the Human Dignity Coalition and the Rural Organizing Project.

The groups say they want the gathering to be respectful and informative. It is scheduled for Thursday, August 18, 6:00 p.m., at Central Oregon Community College, 2600 N.W. College Way, Bend.

http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/21725-1

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CAUSA to hold legislative briefing on 2011 Latino Agenda at Oregon State Capitol

MEDIA ADVISORY
February 5, 2011

Contact:
Francisco Lopez, Executive Director: (503) 269-5694
Erik Sorensen, Communications Director: (503) 488-0263

CAUSA to hold legislative briefing on 2011 Latino Agenda at Oregon State Capitol

Salem, Ore.--On Tuesday, February 15th, members of CAUSA, Oregon's Latino Immigrant Rights Coalition, will present their 2011 Latino Legislative Agenda in a briefing at the Oregon State Capitol. Those attending the briefing will include members of the Oregon State Legislature, coalition partners and leaders from the community.

Legislative Briefing: Presentation of CAUSA Oregon Latino Agenda 2011
Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Time: 11:30 a.m
Location:
Oregon State Capitol
900 Court Street NE, Room 50
Salem, Oregon

Issues to be discussed at the February 15th legislative briefing include affordable housing, education, public safety, health, and jobs and the economy.

Members of the media are encouraged to attend. For more information, please contact Erik Sorensen at 503-488-0263 503-488-0263 or at erik@causaoregon.org

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CAUSA, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Coalition is the largest Latino and Latina civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit www.causaoregon.org

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Reports Show Immigrants Boost the Economy

Originally posted at the Reform Immigration For America

Driving home our point: Immigrants boost the economy

We’ve been saying for months that immigration is an overall net-positive for our recovering economy. With unemployment at a scary high and our economy still limping slowly towards recovery, many have repeated history by scapegoating immigrants as “taking our jobs” and have pointed fingers at the undocumented immigrant population as somehow responsible for the current economic climate.

These same finger-pointers are those yelling ‘amnesty’ loudly at the top of their lungs and arguing against comprehensive immigration reform.

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New Study reveals the economic benefits of Immigration Reform

On Thursday, the Immigration Policy Center and the Center for American Progress released a groundbreaking report on the economic benefits of Immigration Reform.

According to an article at Immigration Impact, the report contrasts the economic benefits of comprehensive reform with the damage that would be done to the U.S. economy by a “mass deportation” campaign to remove all unauthorized immigrants from the country and effectively “seal the border” to future unauthorized immigration.

The report, Raising the Floor for American Workers, claims that immigration reform will raise the GDP in the United States by over $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years. In contrast, if the federal government were to actually attempt the implementation of a "fanciful, deportation-only scenario", the likely result would be “$2.6 trillion in lost GDP over 10 years, not including the actual cost of deportation,” as well as "widespread job losses throughout the U.S. economy".

The results from the study send a clear message to Congress that in order for the U.S. economy to recover, passage of comprehensive immigration reform legislation needs to be part of the strategy.

To read the full report link here or go to http://tinyurl.com/ydxrjxa

Related News:
CNN: Legalizing unauthorized immigrants would help economy, study says

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Study finds immigration and economic growth go “hand in hand”

Today, the Oregon Center for Public Policy (OCPP) reported on a new study from the New York based, Fiscal Policy Institute. The findings: Immigration and economic growth go hand in hand.

For their report, Immigrants and the Economy: Contribution of Immigrant Workers to the Country's 25 Largest Metropolitan Areas, the Fiscal Policy Institute examined the economic impact of all foreign-born workers, including undocumented immigrants, in the nation’s 25 largest metropolitan areas.

OCPP said in a press release today that the Fiscal Policy Institute shared additional data about the Portland Metropolitan Area, not included in their report.

According to the data, immigrants in the Portland MetroArea constitute about 12 percent of the population and generate about 12 percent of the economic output. This one to one ratio is said to be consistent throughout the 25 metropolitan areas studied.

The results of the study provides further evidence of why passage of Comprehensive Immigration Reform is so critical for the economic recovery of the United States. In an interview with OCPP, Francisco Lopez, Executive Director of CAUSA, adds that, “A path to citizenship for undocumented workers would allow them to contribute even more to Portland and Oregon’s economy,” Lopez said. “It would make undocumented immigrants less vulnerable to exploitation, lifting the bar for all workers, and provide the security needed to start a business. Everyone would win.”

To read the press release from the Oregon Center for Public Policy, please link here. There you can find links to the full report from the Fiscal Policy Institute.

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Oregon Immigrant Rights Coalition Supports Congressional Hispanic Caucus' Call for Immigration Reform

For Immediate Release
March 18, 2009

Contact:
Francisco Lopez, Executive Director, 503.984.6816
Erik Sorensen, Communications Director, 503.488.0263

Oregon Immigrant Rights Coalition Supports Congressional Hispanic Caucus' Call for Immigration Reform

Salem, Ore - Today, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus met with President Obama and urged him to fight for comprehensive immigration reform this year. CAUSA, Oregon's statewide grassroots immigrant rights coalition working to defend and advance immigrant rights, joins the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' in demanding comprehensive immigration reform.

"Our Nation has been suffering under a broken immigration system for far too long," said Francisco Lopez, Executive Director of CAUSA. "It's a national disgrace that continues to burden our economy. We cannot get this nation back on track until we pass immigration reform that brings undocumented workers out of the shadows and gets everyone on a level playing field".

"Our Coalition welcomes President Obama's pledge to start a national conversation on just and humane immigration reform that took place during the CHC meeting. And we look forward to bringing the voices of those most affected to the conversation".

More than ever, our Country needs comprehensive immigration reform that gives the hard working men and women already here an earned path to citizenship, keeps families together and provides legal avenues for future workers to seek out opportunities here and join the struggle to strengthen our economy. Legalization would also give these hardworking immigrants even more opportunities to contribute to our economic recovery.

This Friday, CAUSA will join with students of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan and others from around the state to hold Congressman Peter DeFazio accountable to prioritize Safe, Humane and Fair Immigration Reform in Eugene.

What: Eugene Rally for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and Immigrant Rights

When: 2:30 pm, Friday, March 20th, 2009

Where: Peter DeFazio's Office -- 405 E. 8th Street, Eugene Courthouse steps

Who: Organized by the students of MEChA, both the University of Oregon chapter and chapters from across the Nation, as well as CAUSA, Oregon's immigrant rights coalition, with the help and support of various UO Departments, PCUN, and Eugene community organizations..

Why: Immigrants and Allies will gather at DeFazio's office to demand his support and prioritization of safe and fair immigration legislation. Because the majority of rally attendees will be students, there is also a demand for DeFazio's support of the Federal DREAM Act that would open the doors of higher education to immigrant students and students of immigrant parents.
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CAUSA is Oregon's statewide, grassroots immigrant rights coalition. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies.

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Op-Ed Addresses Effects of Anti-immigrant Ordinances

An op-ed appearing in today's Newsday gives insight on the ill effects local anti-immigrant ordinances can have on city economies. In this piece, David Dyssegaard Kallick, a senior fellow of the Fiscal Policy Institute explains what happened to Riverside, New Jersey.

New Jersey town offers immigration insights
BY DAVID DYSSEGAARD KALLICK

In the midst of ongoing battles about local laws aimed at illegal immigrants on Long Island, a business leader from Riverside, N.J., came to a forum in Central Islip last week to give a warning about the experience of his town.

"Don't do what we did," he said.

In 2006, a minority of vocal individuals in Riverside pushed through a series of aggressive anti-immigrant laws, mandating fines for anyone who hired, rented to, or in any way aided an undocumented immigrant. The law was so broad that it faced immediate constitutional challenges. But the real problem, as with recent proposals on Long Island, was that the message was clear: Immigrants are not welcome.

Within months of the law's being passed, businesses closed, David Verduin, president of the Riverside Coalition of Business Owners and Landlords, told the audience. The main street emptied out. Skinheads came in to celebrate the new laws, yelling, "The South shall rise again!" Geraldo Rivera came to film a program about the anti-immigrant climate. >>continue

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Undocumented Immigrants Are Taxpayers, Too

As Tax Day 2008 comes to a close, it is important to challenge one of the common myths that undocumented immigrants take advantage of human services while doing nothing to support our economy. In addition to working some of the hardest, most essential jobs, immigrants contribute to the economy by paying the same state and federal taxes as everyone else.

Research from the Immigration Policy Center shows that between one-half and three-quarters of undocumented immigrants pay federal and state income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes. In addition, all residents of the United States regardless of their legal status pay sales taxes on food and goods at stores and property taxes, even if they just rent housing.

The Oregon Center for Public Policy estimated in 2006 that undocumented immigrants in Oregon paid state income, excise, and property taxes, as well as Federal, Social Security and Medicare taxes, which totaled "about $134 million to $187 million annually.” In addition, “taxes paid by Oregon employers on behalf of undocumented workers total about $97 million to $136 million annually.” And Although they pay tax dollars to Oregon State, undocumented workers are ineligible for the Oregon Health Plan, food stamps, and temporary cash assistance.

So the next time someone tells you that undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes or contribute their fair share to the economy, remember that the facts show that they actually do.

For more information on Undocumented Immigrant Taxpayers, see the articles below:

It's Tax Time! Immigrants and Taxes: Contributions to State and Federal Coffers

Assessing the Economic Impact of Immigration at the State and Local Level

Undocumented Workers Are Taxpayers, Too

Undocumented Immigrants as Taxpayers

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Lack of H-1B Visas affecting New York City’s Global Standing?

From Greg Siskind’s blog:

Businesses Say New York’s Clout Is Emigrating, With Visa Policies to Blame

By PATRICK McGEEHAN and NINA BERNSTEIN
Published:
March 24, 2008

New York officials have long taken pride in the city’s status as a global gateway. But lately, senior executives of some of the country’s biggest corporations, like Alcoa, have been complaining that American immigration policies are thwarting New York’s ability to compete with other world capitals.

Every big employer in the city, it seems, can cite an example of high-paying jobs that had to be relocated to foreign cities because the people chosen to fill them could not gain entry to the United States. >>read on

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New Ad Shows Negative Effects of Anti-immigrant Laws

A community organization, Mexicans & Americans Thinking Together (www.matt.org), developed a 30 second commercial called “Drive Them Out” for a coalition of businesses in Northern Virginia.

The ad tells the story of Riverside, New Jersey where a law was passed penalizing any business that hired undocumented workers and any tenant that provided housing to these immigrants and their families.

After 1 year, with 75% of the immigrants leaving town and 45% of the businesses closing their doors, the city rescinded the law in effort to avoid disaster due to its failing economy.

The commercial concludes with a message for NoVa residents: “Today, dozens of other municipalities are re-thinking such laws. The moral, Virginia let’s be careful what we wish for.”

The ad can be viewed here

Thanks to KJ over at ImmigrationProg Blog for passing this story along.

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