S U P P O R T

     E D U C A T I O N

     J U S T I C E

    .  PROTEJA SUS DERECHOS
    .  REALIDADES Y MITOS SOBRE
         LA INMIGRACION ILEGAL

    .  PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS
    .  ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION:
         FACTS AND MYTHS

  .    THE PART OF  "ILLEGAL"
         WE DON'T GET
         QUE PARTE DE  "ILEGAL"
         NO ENTENDEMOS

  .  ABOUT US 
         SOBRE NOSOTROS
  .  ADVOCACY
         AYUDA
  .  LEGAL SERVICES
         SERVICIOS LEGALES
  .  EDUCATION
         EDUCACIÓN
  .  NEWS/EVENTS
         NOTICIAS / ACTIVIDADES
  .  ARTICLES
         ARTÍCULOS
  .  CONTACT US
         CONTÁCTENOS
  .  FAQ
         PREGUNTAS FREQUENTES

    RETURN TO HOME PAGE 

 
  
   Article # 4: Immigrants' role in region's wprkplace debated at forum
                                   by Rachel Silverman, Staff Writer 5/20/05

    Experts clash at Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund event.

    The Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund held its second public forum at the Princeton Public Library on Thursday night,
    as a diverse group of panelists gathered to discuss issues involving the economic and political face of illegal immigration.
   
    Event speakers included Vanderbilt University professor Carol Swain, who specializes in political science and law; Princeton University
    scholar Alejandro Portes, an expert on migration; Barrie Peterson, who co-directs the Institute on Work at Seton Hall University; Trenton
    Mayor Douglas Palmer; and Princeton Regional Planning Board member Yina Moore.
  
    Throughout the evening, the group presented information on a variety of topics, including the economic and fiscal impacts of undocumented
    immigrant workers.
 
     Dr. Peterson, for one, said that new immigrants arriving in New Jersey are not stealing jobs from those who came before.
   
    "We found very little evidence that immigration workers are displacing other workers in New Jersey," he said, citing research done at the
    Institute on Work.
  
    Professor Swain, however, offered a differing view, arguing that immigrant workers do present competition for others in the labor force.
   
    "There's concerns about whether immigration reduces wages or displaces native workers," she said. "People are being displaced, and it
    creates a lot of resentment."
    
    Professor Portes urged the audience to take a realistic look at this contentious issue, and not to engage in ill-advised finger-pointing
    exercises.
   
    "Responsibility for this phenomenon lies as much with the new immigrants as with their employers," he said. "It's ultimately a 'made in
    America' problem."
  
    During the forum, the five speakers also set forth a diverse array of opinions on the controversial issue of both illegal and legal immigration.
  
    "If you're breaking the laws, you shouldn't sleep well at night," Ms. Swain said. "I'm not a neutral arbiter. I'm very ambivalent."
    Ms. Moore also expressed mixed emotions on the subject.
    "I, too, am a bit ambivalent," she said. "We have, as an affluent town and society, relied on the underclass to take care of those services,"
    Ms. Moore said, citing jobs such as lawn mowing and bagging groceries.
    
    On the other end of the spectrum, Dr. Portes professed his full support of Latino immigrants.
    "My view is not to engage in another round of ethnic chauvinism," he said, citing increased incentives for voluntary return as one feasible
    solution to issues of border control.
    
    Mayor Palmer echoed Dr. Portes' sense of compassion for new immigrant communities in the United States.
    "We cannot expect immigrants to be on the post for 16-hour days and then ignore their basic human rights and constitutional protection,"
    the mayor said. "It would be unwise for any community to elbow undocumented aliens to the periphery of our society."
   
    Thursday's event, which followed up on a Jan. 31 program on the social perspectives of illegal immigration, was sponsored by the year-old
    Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund. The organization, which was created by a group of Princeton-area residents, aims to
    protect immigrant civil rights and educate citizens and policy makers about the consequences of the current U.S. immigration system.
  
    In her opening remarks, organization chairwoman Maria Juega stressed the timeliness and importance of such a discussion.
    "This is a topic that has been very much on everyone's mind lately," she said. "Over 2,000 immigrants were deported from New Jersey
    in 2004, the large majority of those were Latino.
    "This has created havoc among Latinos," Ms. Juega said. "They are not going away."



         BACK TO TOP ...  VOLVER AL PRINCIPO