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Forum's panel notes value of immigrants

st. petersburg The speakers point out that they contribute greatly to the nation's economy.

By CRISTINA SILVA, Times Staff Writer
Published October 28, 2007

At 16, Juan Pablo Chavez left everything he knew in his native Mexico to search for a more prosperous life in the United States.

What he found was a nation that allowed his countrymen to work illegally for low wages, while denying them drivers' licenses and other government services, he said at an immigration forum Thursday night.

To make his point, Chavez held up a piece of paper.

"This is a green card," said Chavez, an organizer for the Florida Immigrant Coalition. "If I don't have it, I don't have any rights."

Chavez was one of four panelists who spoke at a League of Women Voters forum in St. Petersburg last week. The panel did not include an opponent of immigration reform.

The discussion touched upon the recently defeated DREAM Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, which would have allowed children of illegal immigrants who have grown up in the United States to apply for citizenship if they graduate from high school, stay out of trouble, and attend two years of college or serve in the military.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate effectively killed the bill when a majority of senators voted against considering the legislation.

Jeanette Smith, an organizer for the National Farm Worker Ministry, said U.S. foreign worker policies, which require applicants show proof of financial security, have created a system that favors wealthy immigrants, leaving low-income foreigners with no choice but to enter and work in the United States without documentation.

"No one is asking for a handout," she said. "They are just asking to be treated as humans."

Kathy Redman, district director for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Tampa, said federal immigration officers regularly deport undocumented immigrants.

"They have lawfully committed a crime," she said.

But immigration lotteries, which randomly grant a certain number of foreigners U.S. residency each year, have been around since the 1940s and most likely need to be restructured by Congress, she said.

In Florida, the tourism, construction and agriculture industries depend heavily on foreign workers and visitors, said William J. Flynn, a Tampa-based attorney who teaches immigration law at Stetson College of Law in Gulfport.

Already, tourism officials have complained about a drop in foreign visitors since immigration laws were strengthened after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he said.

"Immigration is good and necessary for the economy," he added. "What's going on now is we are turning people away and other countries are benefiting."

The forum was part of a nationwide effort by the League of Women Voters to educate its members about immigration issues.

The nonprofit organization is attempting to come up with an official stance on immigration reform.

Cristina Silva can be reached at (727) 893-8846 or csilva@sptimes.com.

[Last modified October 27, 2007, 23:13:20]