Responsible Democracy

So, it's time for me to stop preaching and actually take some concrete action around advocacy. The following is a sample letter I am sending to my representatives following a simple 3 paragraph form. When we were in DC, we learned that the more personalized, the more effective these letters usually are. But, it is so short, it really doesn't take much time to write.

Monday, March 12, 2007

The Honorable Maria Cantwell
511 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510

Dear Senator Maria Cantwell,

I would like to first and foremost thank you for your past support of legislation for comprehensive immigration reform. Having worked with immigrant communities as an English teacher in western Washington, I have witnessed firsthand the dedication of countless immigrants to pursue their educational goals and positively integrate themselves into their local communities. Immigrants in this country truly embody the pursuit of what I consider to be “the American dream.”

Currently, I am a Master’s candidate at the School for International Training in Brattleboro, VT. However, I consider Washington state my home and plan to move back there to work after completing the coursework portion of my degree. Unfortunately, I recently learned of some specific legislative bars within immigration policy that may prevent me from being able to live in my home, near my family, as long as I would like to. My fiancé is an immigrant from Mexico. We met two and a half years ago in Washington and fell in love. I would never trade the relationship for anything in the world. However, because he entered the country illegally, he is now barred from applying for legal status, even when we get married. If he cannot reside legally with me and my family, as well as his immediate family, who also reside in Washington state, we may be forced to move elsewhere or risk his deportation. This will be devastating for us, as we are both very close to our families. Additionally, it will bring financial hardship to me, since I had to take out thousands and thousands of dollars in loans in order to attend graduate school.

Although, I realize that his entrance was unlawful and that it will have to be addressed in future legislation, I ask that you continue to support legislation that will provide a reasonable and humane path towards legalization for the millions of undocumented immigrants residing here, recognizing that enforcement only or even enforcement first policies will negatively impact thousands of constituents like me who have found their lives inextricably intertwined and integrated with those of this nation’s immigrants. Please feel free to contact me to follow up about this issue: Janelle.Martinez@mail.sit.edu or 360-789-0351. Thank you very much.

Sincerely,



Janelle Martinez

Current Address:
1 Kipling Road PO Box 1313
Brattleboro, VT 05301


Of course, I have much more to say, but it's a start. I REALLY encourage you to write a letter as well. Here is an easy format to follow:

- Explain who you are and why you're writing.
- Expound upon the details based on fact, not emotion. How does the issue specifically affect you? Cite the correct title or number if advocating for a specific bill.
- Request the action you would like to be taken.

My favorite story is that one representative that a student here talked to said that one time he had to change his vote to align with his constituents. When asked how many letters it took for him to change his vote, he said: 6! Imagine! Of course, there's no way to guarantee that they'll listen when we write but they definitely won't listen if we don't do anything.

If you want to help with my situation (and that of many others) please, please consider writing to your representatives about immigration and how it affects you or me or anyone else...

To look up your representatives, go to:
www.house.gov
www.senate.gov

You can email them or send them hard copies of letters.

Here are some other resources:
FAIR- Federation for American Immigration Reform (enforcement only) www.fairus.org
AILA- American Immigration Lawyers Association (comprehensive reform) www.aila.org
Seattle Archdiocese- (for a faith-based perspective) www. seattlearch.org
NCLR- National Council of La Raza (focuses on immigrant rights) www.nclr.org

And you can always do a general search for more...

The following is a summary I put together of some of the positions/issues related to immigration:

SPECIFICS ON IMMIGRATION IN THE US:

Brief History of Immigration: Refer to National Immigration Forum http://www.immigrationforum.org/

Enforcement Only- This position is taken by those who generally want to leave the immigration laws in place as they are. They advocate for more funding and staffing to go to enforcement agencies in charge of identifying and deporting illegal aliens, as well as stricter penalties for employers who employ illegal aliens. They generally want strict immigration laws because they perceive that as being best for the American public.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform- This position is generally taken by those who see the current immigration system as “broken” and want to advocate for a complete overhaul with several revisions. It can include all or several of the following aspects:

1. Addressing the undocumented population in the US by creating a path to legalization (either permanent or temporary)

2. Addressing the backlogs of those who have applied through the existing legal avenues to come to the US- oftentimes by increasing the numbers of how many can come to reflect the current realities of applicants, increased efficiency in processing applications, increased staffing and/or funding to support reforms

3. Addressing the future waves of immigrants – most often through a temporary guest worker program but could include a new way to attain permanent or temporary legal status in the U.S. The previously proposed legislation varies significantly in terms of the kinds of rights this population would have in the US

4. Refugee/Asylum Seekers- There are several issues that need addressed:
- Making sure the funding is in place to allow the allotted number of refugees who are eligible to come to the US to actually be able to come (often funding falls short)
- Material support/Refugee status – Currently, anyone that is seen as having given material support of any kind to anyone deemed a "terrorist" or "terrorist organization" is not eligible for refugee status. Because many refugees come from oppressive regimes and may have been forced into “helping” what are considered to be "terrorist organizations," this law greatly limits the number of people eligible to receive refugee status.
- Due process for asylum seekers- Because of a shortage of lawyers and internal problems in the system, asylum seekers may not be read their rights and given the due process they legally deserve
- Backlogs for asylum seekers- There are significant backlogs for those who have applied for asylum/refugee status. Many must stay in detention centers until they are granted the appropriate paperwork.

5. Security/Enforcement Measures- Previous legislation has proposed everything from making undocumented immigrants and those who aid them into felons to employer verification technology to determine whether potential employees have legal status to creating a fence at the US/Mexican border. Some strongly believe in a need for security measures to be put into effect, while others include this aspect to appease the enforcement only advocates.

Best of luck in working for social change! I really appreciate your support around this issue as well!

Shattered Dreams, Relentless Hope

Over Christmas break, Juan Carlos and I decided to talk to an immigration lawyer about the process of getting him permanent residency as my spouse someday. Much to our surprise we were told that, under the current law, it would be impossible for him to get papers, even after we get married. Because of the way he entered the U.S., he is not able to move from an "illegal" status to a "legal" one. We were told all we could do is wait for the law to change.

The only thing I could think of for weeks after we found out were all of our dreams that would never be able to come true if there was no way for him to get papers. I think we had modest dreams all in all- a comfortable home, a healthy family, and the ability to live in the US and travel to Mexico every year or every couple years to visit his hometown and family there. We never planned to make a lot of money or live extravagantly. We were perfectly satisfied to live simply, so long as we could be with our families and spend time in places we considered "home".

It's strange how the things I never thought twice about growing up- being able to live at "home" and live with or near my family- become privileges overnight. There are so many things I've taken for granted (and still do) and it's a somewhat shocking experience to reach a point in life when I only long for what seems like a basic desire once again. Unless the law changes, Juan Carlos and I would not be able to live in my home country together legally. The implications? Months and years away from my family, financial hardship (especially as I have extensive school loans to pay off) and most importantly, the fact that Juan Carlos would not be able to see his family members residing in the US, including his mother and two brothers, at all until and unless they were to return to Mexico (and risk their lives getting back).

In spite of the grave implications of the situation, we refuse to let go of hope. I realize that, regardless of the law, we can still have a wonderful life, even if it's not the way I always envisioned it or the way my family always envisioned it for me. My education will give me more options regardless of where I go, and I love Mexico and I could probably have a satisfying life there. Meanwhile, I have not given up hope that the law may change. I have taken policy advocacy courses to learn how to be more active in working toward a change in legislation. I am also trying to encourage other students on campus, my friends, and my family to write letters in favor of comprehensive immigration reform that would provide a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants. I am trying to address the misconceptions and misunderstandings that people have in terms of the threat of immigration to this country, as well as bring the face of humanity back to a debate that has long forgotten it.

If you are interested in working with me on this, please let me know and I will be happy to provide you with more resources on advocacy or the issue of immigration. Some great films on it include: De Nadie, El Norte, Farmingville, Los Mojados, Rights on the Line: Vigilantes at the Border, Borderwars, and (yet to be seen by me) Dying to Live (a film made by the Center for Latino Spirituality and Culture at the University of Notre Dame)...