Anti-Immigrant Bills in Massachusetts

shortlink: http://hmny.me/s2061 

As if the MA Legislature's embrace of failed "3 Strikes" prison "reform" wasn't enough, we are again seeing a rash of anti-immigrant bills --- with doublespeak names like "safe community"--- making their way thru the legislature.

Last week, the Senate Bill 2061 had its hearing on the same day as Senate Bill 772 (the "Overturn Citizens United" bill).  The testimony on 2061 saddened me greatly, and illustrated that the conversation about immigration and the status of undocumented residents in America and Massachusetts must happen if we are to stop the xenophobic pressure being applied to legislatures around the country.  Even Massachusetts.

PLEASE call State Sen. Ross (617-722-1555) (or your legislators if you are not in Needham) -- he sits on the Joint Committee of the Judiciary which is where the bill is currently, so his role right now is particularly important.

(MORE AFTER FLIP)
He needs to hear that we in MA do not want to live in a state where we squeeze out people, make life so miserable for them that they leave. That there are other approaches to this complicated problem of undocumented residents; we must proceed with facts, realism, and human concern.

States like Arizona and Alabama have passed harsh new laws similar to the ones being proposed in Massachusetts, and there is growing realization that such laws were reckless policy with unintended consequences, economic and human (See, for example, Ala. loses workers as immigration law takes effect - Boston.com, Oct 2011, and a number of other reports on the topic at the end of this blog post).

To make an impression we just need 5, 10 people to pick up the phone or to send a respectful email-- really! If 15 call... Wow! I left these are comments for Sen. Ross in an email petition; perhaps you can adapt them to a phone message or an email. The bottom line: s2061 is reckless policy, with devastating economic and social consequences, and is not who we are in Massachusetts:

"Immigration, both legal and illegal, is extremely complex.  Immigrants, both legal and illegal, interact w/ our economy in POSITIVE ways too. If "SAFETY" is the issue, let's address how to make the problem of unlicensed drivers disappear (create an avenue for licensure). But I fear S. 2061 is not really about "community safety" and is more about lashing out during times of economic crisis and trouble... And we have seen very ugly results when we have done this in the past (consider earlier efforts at demonizing immigrants. It's always racialized... and it's always ugly.).  PLEASE tell Senator Ross that I OPPOSE senate bill 2061. It is not the answer." 

BACKGROUND:

• MA Legislature Senate Bill 2061 Information
• Fact sheet: Oppose S. 2061 "Act to 'Enhance' Community Safety" (MIRA)
• 164 Anti-Immigration Laws Passed Since 2010? A MoJo Analysis. | Mother Jones (3/2012)

ADDRESSING MYTHS ABOUT UNDOCUMENTED RESIDENTS

• Immigrant Entrepreneurs: Creating Jobs and Strengthening the Economy | Immigration Policy Center (1/25/2012) 
• SPLC: 10 Myths About Immigration: Myths about immigration and immigrants are common. (they pay taxes)
• Q&A: Illegal Immigrants And Public Benefits In Mass. | WBUR (6/21/2010)
• Study estimates that illegal immigrants paid $11.2B in taxes last year, unlike GE, which paid zero - New York Daily News (4/20/2011)
• Undocumented Workers Contribute Plenty (4/2006) Derrick Jackson / Common Dreams Via Boston Globe

THEY'VE TRIED BILLS LIKE S2061 IN ALABAMA, OTHER STATES -- AND THEY'RE SORRY NOW

• Ala. loses workers as immigration law takes effect - Boston.com (Oct 2011) -  
• Alabama's strict new immigration law may be backfiring. Intended to force illegal workers out of jobs, it is also driving away many construction workers, roofers and field hands in the country legally who do backbreaking jobs that Americans generally won't.
• "It's Just Not Right": The Failures of Alabama's Self-Deportation Experiment | Mother Jones (March/APril 2012) http://bit.ly/yAYkds
• "Self-Deportation": It's a Real Thing, and It Isn't Pretty | Mother Jones (1/23/2012)
• What Is "Self-Deportation"? | Mother Jones (1/23/2012) 
• self-deportation is the intended effect of laws and requirements (such as those passed in AZ and Alabama) that would make it so difficult for undocumented immigrants to work, rent, or go to school that they will simply "choose" to leave. Anti-immigration adovocates like this for several reasons: It has a free-market/free will gloss to it. It purports to save money on deportation costs. And, most importantly, because it relies on states enforcing immigration via passing draconian laws rather than federal law enforcement/border efforts. It's a conservative trifecta!
• The Effects of Self-Deportation in Alabama | Mother Jones (1/16/2012) http://bit.ly/xV9xxw 
• How Did Harsh Immigration Laws Spread to Your Statehouse? | Mother Jones (Mar/Apr 2012 issue) http://bit.ly/zybQsf
• The Verdict is Out: Why States Are Already Shifting Away from Alabama and Arizona's Failed Anti-Immigrant Experiment (2/28/2012) http://bit.ly/zODx8w 
•  Report: Latinos Harassed, Immigrants Denied Pay, Families Live Without Water Thanks ToAnti-Immigrant Alabama Law | ThinkProgress (2/28/2012) http://bit.ly/w9JEK5

A MASSACHUSETTS "DREAM ACT"?

• Revenues from Undocumented Immigrants Paying In-State Tuition Rates (Mass. Taxpayers Foundation)
• In state tuition bill (S 566)

More links, collected information on this blog about immigration, xenophobia, and racism, click here.