[MCP] undocumented immigrants

[Roberto Cabello]

Judy, sorry about my delayed input on this.

1.  Just a note. I think it is very interesting that you want to find out 
the truth, but a priori judge the students statements myths. How could you 
tell the difference at that point, if you didn't have the facts. I praise 
your interest in finding the truth, I question your methodology in judging 
others' statements.

2. Undocumented workers pay some taxes, not all of them. They pay sales 
taxes and some impositive burdens transferred by businesses, just like a 
tourist would. By all means they don't pay income taxes (federal and state) 
and social security, which are the greatest tax burdens. Illegal hiring is a 
cash economy. It is hidden. Jerry Brown in California wants to bring this 
economy to the surface to tax it. Good luck with that.

3. Are they harming the economy by sendind money to Mexico? 24 billion 
sounds a lot, but not for the U.S, economy. No, they don't harm the economy 
in that sense. In Economics there is a basic and critical concept called 
opportunity cost. The remesas are an added cost to the illegals, because 
that money could have been used to educate themselves, generate businesses 
and buy assetts to improve their lot, but instead literally is wasted in 
Mexico to support a maintenance life of those left behind and a consumption 
economy, ghost towns, pure non-productive stuff. Economically speaking, they 
are harming the future of their children.
Do you imagine placing half of that money in scholarships for college?

4. Do they use social services? Of course they do. Has anyone told you that 
one of the greatest rising health costs is dealing with "uninsured aliens" 
in emergency rooms. Has anyone discussed with you that public schools growth 
is phenomenal with new arrivals from Mexico. Of course, the educational 
system, like the health one, have made a point of not asking for the legal 
status of the persons receiving the services, so the statistics are not 
clear...

5. Spanish speaking illegal immigrants make no effort to learn 
English...that is a tricky one. Most illegal have about second grade level 
of education at best in Spanish. The task of learning another language is 
gargantuan very, very, very difficult. They don't know Spanish 
well...furthermore they work very, very hard, there is no time for that; 
further they don't need English to perform most of their jobs...It is really 
immaterial to them...

6. Where to look for stats, I would begin with the Marists, state agencies, 
Mexican agencies and the Bureau of the Census.

Good luck!!

Roberto

>From: Judy Helfand <helfand at well.com>
>Reply-To: "Multicultural Pavilion's discussion group on equity, social 
>justice,and multicultural education." <mcp at edchange.org>
>To: "Multicultural Pavilion's discussion group on equity, social 
>justice,and multicultural education." <mcp at edchange.org>
>Subject: [MCP] undocumented immigrants
>Date: Wed, 16 May 2007 14:54:06 -0700
>
>In my American Cultures classes at a community college I am finding
>that my students are frequently stating what I consider to be myths
>about undocumented immigrants. Although I believe them to be myths, I
>do not have the statistics and detailed information I would like to
>use to discount them. Perhaps you can direct me to a resource where I
>can find the information I'm seeking?  The myths are:
>
>Undocumented workers do not pay taxes.
>They are harming the economy by sending money back to Mexico (the
>only country ever mentioned by name).
>They use social services and collect welfare even though they don't
>pay taxes.  (I questions how much they actually do use social
>services or collect welfare.)
>Spanish speaking undocumented immigrants make no effort to learn
>English, in contrast to other immigrant groups.
>
>Somewhere out there I expect there are carefully documented
>discussions of these myths. Any idea of where to look?
>--
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Globalization and conceptions of a new world order represent
>different sorts of challenges for indigenous peoples. While being on
>the margins of the world has had dire consequences, being
>incorporated within the world's marketplace has different
>implications and in turn requires the mounting of new forms of
>resistance.                  Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Decolonizing
>Methodologies
>
>Judy Helfand
>Humanities Instructor
>Santa Rosa Junior College
>helfand at well.com
>707-833-1890
>
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