November 23, 2006
Thanksgiving Day Story
On the front page of the Press Democrat this mornining, there was a nice article about a family giving thanks for the opportunity to live the American Dream. Read on:
Giving ThanksAs Miguel and Enedina Ortega of Petaluma sit at the head of a big family table today, it will be the culmination of a Thanksgiving celebration that this year carries a lot more significance than usual.
It was important to round up all family members this holiday because the Ortegas are going home - back across the border to their village in Mexico, taking their dog, Enedina's stove and the satisfaction that they accomplished what they came to America for.
"My job is finished," said Miguel Ortega, 68, who has worked and lived at the same Petaluma dairy ranch for 28 years.
They leave behind their grown children, grandchildren, friends, church, employers and the strawberry plants Miguel put in this month.
Their tale is one of frugality, perseverance, hard work and sacrifice. It also is a story of loyalty, integrity and family. Above all, it is a tribute to a land of opportunity.
Posted by Peter Mork at 10:38 AM | Comments | TrackBack
May 12, 2005
Next Up: Immigration Reform
Good news from the Union-Tribune this morning:
WASHINGTON – Sens. John McCain and Edward M. Kennedy are putting together an immigration bill that would subject illegal immigrants to fines, but allow them to remain in the United States and earn a chance to apply for permanent residency.
The measure is an alternative to President Bush's guest worker proposal sought by employers but opposed by many conservatives.
Speaking Thursday at the Naval Academy, McCain, R-Ariz., said he and Kennedy, D-Mass., hoped to introduce their legislation next week.
Under their proposal, illegal immigrants would get three-year visas that could be renewed once. After completing six years of work, the immigrants would be eligible to "get in the back of the line" to apply for permanent legal residency, McCain said.
Posted by Peter Mork at 8:51 AM | Comments | TrackBack
May 5, 2005
Immigration Reform Still on the Table
The Wall Street Journal had a nice editorial yesterday on the subject of immigration reform:
Immigration Reality Check
"Seal the border" populists on cable news and talk radio maintain that anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. is ascendant. But a recent Senate vote shows more support for the type of guest-worker initiative that President Bush proposes. Economic reality bites -- even in Congress.
Last month 53 Senators voted for a temporary-visa program to address labor demands in the agriculture industry. And while that was fewer than the 60 votes needed to add the measure to an Iraq spending bill, it does indicate a recognition by a majority of Senators that enforcement-only approaches to illegal immigration won't work.
While the measure was somewhat more narrow than I would hope for, it was encouraging that it included a component that would give illegal immigrants, whom could pass a background check, temporary status and the ability to earn a green card. That this received the support of a majority of Senators is clearly a positive sign.
I especially liked the end of the editorial which concluded:
So long as the U.S. shares a 2,000-mile border with a developing nation, we'll never reduce the illegal flow with punitive measures that ignore the market forces luring foreign workers here in the first place. The best way to decrease the number of illegal crossings, while also satisfying our economic needs, is to give immigrants more legal ways to come. Under the World War II-era bracero program, which allowed Mexican workers entry to meet the labor demands of American growers, illegal border crossings fell.
The U.S. border-enforcement budget has quintupled since 1993 -- one of the highest growth rates in the federal government after defense spending. Yet the illegal immigrant population in the U.S. has continued to increase. Readers may remember the days when conservatives criticized liberals for throwing money at policies that aren't working.
With its majority Senate support, the AgJobs bill is a sign that Mr. Bush's guest-worker idea isn't as dead as advertised by the anti-immigration right. It deserves to be considered as a stand-alone measure, and the sooner the better. Everyone complains about the lack of bipartisanship in Washington. But here's a case where business and labor have joined with Democrats and Republicans to address what all agree is a problem. So why not get it done?
As you have probably noticed Social Security reform and immigration reform are the two political issues I tend to focus on in my posts. While Social Security reform seems to get a good deal more attention from me, it's only because it's currently in the news 24-7.
If I had a choice (which I don’t) I’d make immigration reform the first priority of Congress. A well written bill, that simply reflected the ideals this country was founded on, could both instantly and dramatically improve the lives of millions of people. How often does legislation have that kind of effect? Not very often.
I’ll echo the Journal in a plea to Congress: please, get it done.
Posted by Peter Mork at 9:39 AM | Comments | TrackBack
February 21, 2005
Immigration Reform
Yesterday, The Union-Tribune published a letter to the editor I wrote regarding immigration reform. They cut it down a bit but I was still pleased with the version they put in print. If you have a chance give both the published and original letters a read.
You can't turn on talk radio today without John & Ken, Savage, and now even Rush Limbaugh screaming their heads off about illegal immigration. Now, I understand that there is a cost to immigration given our semi-welfare state, but the solution to this problem is not to A) stir up anger towards the many immigrants who are just coming here to work then B) turn this anger into calls for Congress to build a bigger fence and limit the amount of people who can enter this country.
There are other ways to address our problems with immigration while still staying true to the fact that immigration is a benefit to our nation (see here). Immigration is the foundation of this country that gives us the diverse culture we enjoy each and every day. We also should take pride in the fact that our country is the envy of so many. This last point was articulated well by my Governor at the Republican National Convention this past summer. He said:
We are still the lamp lighting the world, especially those who struggle. No matter in what labor camp they slave, no matter in what injustice they're trapped, they hear our call. They see our light. And they feel the pull of our freedom.
They come here, as I did, because they believe -- they believe in us. They come because their hearts say to them, as mine did, "If only I can get to America."
I hope his Party remembers this message as they tackle the issue of immigration reform in the coming year.
Posted by Peter Mork at 9:14 AM | Comments | TrackBack
February 4, 2005
Seeking Asylum in the U.S.
This week's San Diego Reader profiles the story of two minors seeking asylum in the United States. Both are clients of my friend Chris Chouteau, who is the attorney that heads a detained minors' program at Casa Cornelia Law Center. The article is a great tribute to some of the inspiring work Chris is doing here in San Diego and is definitely worth a read.
His clients, whose names were changed for the article to Enrique (age 17) and Leticia (age 16), demonstrate what extraordinary lengths some young individuals go to in order to flee horrible situations and reach the United States. At age when I was living a carefree life simply going to high school, these two were facing harrowing situations.
For example, when asked if she was scared about starting her journey to the U.S., Leticia recounts:
"A little," Leticia reflected. "It's very hard. But it's an unforgettable experience." The lawyer, administrator, and I burst out laughing in agreement with that.
Every time the train approached a station, the girls jumped off to avoid being caught. They then made their way to the outbound tracks, purchasing food and drinks to stash in their backpacks for a ride that might last 16 to 48 hours. If they were clinging to the side of the train, "We couldn't sleep because we might fall," the girl recalled.
and here are some details from Enrique's terrifying journey:
He spent the night sleeping on a nearby hillside, and in the early morning, he spotted two teenaged boys with a canoe. They offered to take him to the other side in exchange for ten dollars, an exorbitant fee, Enrique thought. But he agreed. Once across, he proffered only five. "They threw rocks at me, but I took off running. I hid until they left."
Enrique had asked the boys if he would find a town across the river, and they told him there was only dense jungle, inhabited by snakes and other dangerous animals. But Enrique says he didn't know what else to do, so he plunged into the pathless undergrowth. He walked for hours in the fetid humidity, flinching at the startling sounds of monkeys and insects. He could smell the animals, he said; he saw snake trails everywhere. When night fell, the noises increased. He climbed a tree and tried to sleep. He says he woke around 5:00 a.m. and descended, then climbed a taller tree to try to find his bearings. He saw no trace of human habitation. Hungry and thirsty, he admitted to himself that he had to turn back.
That first day of Enrique's journey across Mexico was a harbinger of times to come. Eventually he made it out of the jungle and found his way to a town. There he met some Guatemalans heading north who agreed to take him on as a traveling companion. They knew about an "immigrant's bus." But its driver turned out to be in cahoots with machete-wielding bandits, who jumped aboard and demanded money. One of the Guatemalans then pulled out a revolver, forcing the bandits to let them go.
The article concludes happily as Enrique has been granted asylum and has moved to Los Angeles to live with his uncle and pursue his dreams. Leticia has been placed in a foster home in Michigan where she is attending high school while awaiting her asylum trial.
Congratulations to Chris for receiving some well deserved recognition.
Posted by Peter Mork at 10:53 AM | Comments | TrackBack
December 17, 2004
Sgt. Rafael Peralta
Drawing from his experiences during the Civil War, General William T. Sherman famously stated to a group of cadets "War is Hell". Not only is this true for the young soldiers who fight to defend our freedom, but as the story of Sgt. Rafael Peralta demonstrates, it is also true for those they leave behind. It is thus important to acknowledge what these soldiers and families are going through.
Take some time and read a few of these accounts of this brave individual's life and the struggles of his family here, here, and here. Truly a tragic situation. Here is a description of how his life ended while securing Fallujah:
Sgt. Rafael Peralta, 25, was a platoon scout, which meant he could have stayed back in safety while the squads of 1st Platoon went into the danger filled streets, but he was constantly asking to help out by giving them an extra Marine. I learned by speaking with him and other Marines the night before that he frequently put his safety, reputation and career on the line for the needs and morale of the junior Marines around him. A Mexican-American who lived in San Diego, Peralta earned his citizenship after he joined the Marine Corps. In an act living up to the heroes of the Marine Corps’ past, such as Medal of Honor recipients Pfc. James LaBelle and Lance Cpl. Richard Anderson, Peralta – in his last fleeting moments of consciousness- reached out and pulled the grenade into his body. LaBelle fought on Iwo Jima and Anderson in Vietnam, both died saving their fellow Marines by smothering the blast of enemy grenades. His selflessness left four other Marines with only minor injuries from smaller fragments of the grenade.
In Oliver North's article I found this paragraph particularly interesting:
Peralta was proud to serve his adopted country. In his parent’s home, on his bedroom walls hung only three items - a copy of the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and his boot camp graduation certificate. Before he set out for Fallujah, he wrote to his 14-year old brother, “be proud of me, bro…and be proud of being an American.”
How many young adults even take the time to read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, let alone commemorate them as such? Very impressive.
I was directed to Oliver North's tribute to Peralta over at SayAnythingBlog. It's a little ironic that they should be paying him such a tribute given their opposition to "illegal" immigration combined with the fact that Peralta was attending high school in the U.S. without a green card.
Our immigration laws need to be reformed to help more good people like Rafael Peralta the chance to take part in the American Dream. The last time Rafael spoke to his mother, before November 2nd, he predicted that President Bush would win re-election. The President would do his memory honor by following through on his campaign promise of reforming our backwards immigration laws.
Hat Tip: Thanks to Christian Carrillo for directing me to the link. He has a great comment on the SayAnything post as well. Here is Carrillo's comment reprinted in full:
Mr. Peralta was from San Diego, having said that the Union Tribune of San Diego has an in depth article about Mr. Peraltas Heroism and his family.
It is funny how all of a sudden a Mexican immigrant, decendant of an illegal mother and legal father is now a hero. Rafael Peralta did not speak a word of English when he arrived into this country. He has proven beyond a doubt that he assimilated very well, which is something anti immigration people like blab about. So much that he had the constitution hanging in his own bedroom.
A few blogs ago, illegals were the worst species on earth who had no rights in the U.S. Now a Mexican descendant who did not become a citizen until after the age of 18 is a hero. I think we should all stop being cowards like Bill O’rielly and not have double standards. If an immigrant, legal or not, wants to come into this country to work, or even to serve in a military position they should not be held back. I believe this only shows that our immigration policy is horrible and the current solution does not work. I am not suggesting an open border policy in no means, but what I am suggestion is a humane approach, where the Mrs. Peraltas can come into this country and start a new life as an American. Her persistence to come illegally gave us a national hero. I am sure there are many Rafael Peraltas out there, and today I thank them and salute them for their bravery and honor. But most importantly I am proud to call them an American.
Posted by Peter Mork at 12:38 PM | Comments | TrackBack
November 9, 2004
Fifteen Years Ago Today
Tim over at Freespace has a good post on the fall of the Berlin Wall, relevant as today is the 15th anniversary of this event.
When I visited Berlin in early 1999 what amazed me was the complete absence of most signs that the wall even existed. They had preserved a few sections but they seemed to be few and far between. In most areas, the only tip off that you were near its previous location was a multitude of cranes and recently constructed buildings. A local told us that where the wall and the buffer zone had been was now the most active construction zone in the world.
While the progress was nice to see, it would have been beneficial to see a clearer reminder of the monstrosity that divided East and West Berlin.
Posted by Peter Mork at 11:34 AM | Comments | TrackBack
November 4, 2004
From Picking to Profits
It is always good to see a reminder that the American Dream is alive and well. Here's a story from the area in which I grew up:
The California wine industry was built on the hard labor of a largely Mexican seasonal work force. But the rise of the fine-wine business created a growing demand for year-round workers with special skills in Napa and other regions. Many former migrant workers settled in wine country. They sent their children to school and taught them how to tend the vines. Some saved money and bought land, and soon they began growing their own grapes.
Ceja Vineyards' first wines came out in 2001. The year before, the Robledo Family Winery, owned by Reynaldo Robledo Sr., a former migrant worker, offered its first bottles for sale. Also in 2000 Salvador Renteria, who came to the Napa Valley as a field worker in 1962, and his son, Oscar, offered their first bottle of Renteria Wines cabernet sauvignon.
Alex Sotelo, who arrived in the Napa Valley as a field worker in 1991 and is now the winemaker at the Robert Pecota Winery, soon will sell his own wines under the label Alex Sotelo Cellars.
Their tales are new versions of a familiar story, in which the children of immigrants, by working hard and celebrating the virtues of family, achieve the American dream of ownership.
Posted by Peter Mork at 11:26 PM | Comments | TrackBack
October 19, 2004
The One-Day Window
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
How times have changed. While the standard to come and live in this country used to be simply a desire to "breathe free" the bar is a tad bit higher nowadays. Hence the story of the H-1B visas.
The San Diego Union Tribune carried an article earlier this month that showed just how high that bar has become:
Last Friday – at the beginning of the federal fiscal year – the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stopped taking applications for H-1B worker visas, which are intended for foreign workers in such specialized professions as engineering, medicine and computer programming.
The government is allowed to issue up to 65,000 such visas each year. By the end of the day Friday, the immigration service had received enough applications to meet that quota. It will not accept any more applications, although it will consider those filed before Friday.
It was the first time in the history of the H-1B program that the annual quota had been depleted in just one day.
A few months back I received a large manila envelope in the mail which I thought was junk mail. But to my surprise, as I opened it up, I realized it contained a photocopy of a letter to the editor I wrote to the WSJ that had been published a month before. My closing paragraph was highlighted and on the side margin was a note telling me that I should learn about "the real costs of immigration". The letter was from The Programers Guild and they implored me to read their newsletter, which was also enclosed, to learn about the true costs.
Unfortunately, it seems they ignored the true point I was trying to make. How is it that if I was born only 30 miles south of where I am currently sitting that this would deny me the right to enter into a voluntary agreement with a U.S. employer? This question has never been answered to my satisfaction.
Posted by Peter Mork at 9:39 AM | Comments | TrackBack
October 6, 2004
Donate That Car
There was another interesting article on the front page of The Wall Street Journal this past Monday entitled: "How Donated Cars Wind Up Helping Mexican Smugglers". The article touches on various topics from immigration to taxes to NAFTA... and of course how donated cars are involved in the whole process.
Listening to the radio here in San Diego you are bombarded with ads from various charities asking you to donate an old car to their organizations. I had always thought the same ads were being played across the country. After reading the article I have my doubts:
Nearly 50,000 former charity cars are sold at the border each year, and the majority end up in Mexico, local auction operators say. Thousands more come to Mexico from charity auctions elsewhere in Southern California.
and...
This scenario has come about largely because one border state -- Baja California -- enjoys Mexico's most liberal rules on importing used U.S. cars. Virtually any car made before 1999 can enter Baja duty-free, a regulation that dates to the 1930s. Under rules governing the North American Free Trade Agreement, in 2008 the entire U.S.-Mexico border will be open to traffic in used, duty-free cars.
and one more quote...
Ms. Garcia buys five or six cars a week at the Otay Mesa auctions and considers Father Joe's lot a boon to poor Mexican consumers who can't afford to buy a car from a regular dealer in Tijuana or the U.S. She pays about $500 per vehicle and usually turns it over the same day to customers who request specific models. She deals only in cash, occasionally "financing" a sale by holding a car for up to six months while a buyer makes weekly payments.
It looks like charities are exploiting a pretty unique market in order to fund their organizations. It's interesting stuff and you should read the whole thing if you get a chance.
On a side note of the article, it's shocking to think about the fact that some immigrants are paying around $2000 to ride in the trunk of a car whose total value is $500.
Update: In response to an email I received regarding this post, I wanted to make clear when I say above: "It looks like charities are exploiting a pretty unique market..." I don't mean it in a negative sense. The charities are doing a good thing raising money for their organizations and doing nothing wrong in the process. Probably should have said "utilizing" instead of "exploiting" to clear up any confusion.
Posted by Peter Mork at 5:42 PM | Comments | TrackBack
September 16, 2004
The New Americans
This week we finished watching The New Americans, a three episode series from PBS. The series follows various immigrants during their journey to the U.S. and the beginning of their lives in the country. Filmed during the late 90’s, it is truly fascinating. I would highly recommend buying or renting the videos.
You ride an emotional roller coaster with all the families and become attached to nearly all the individuals in the film. For me though some of the most moving scenes involved young Juan Flores, the 8 year-old son of Pedro and Ventura Flores who emigrate from their home in Mexico.
Pedro has worked in the U.S for 13 years, only able to return home every 6-months to visit his family for a quick two weeks. After years of trying, he finally secures visa interviews for his family at the U.S. consulate in Juarez in an attempt to legally bring them to the States. During the the beginning of the interview they learn that although Pedro has found an additional sponsor to meet the income requirements for bringing 6 dependents across the border, this will not be enough. Since someone outside the family is being used as a sponsor, Pedro's income is not counted towards the sponsorship requirements. They are informed unless they find another sponsor they will only be granted three visas out of the desired six.
Outside the consulate they unsuccessfully call friends in the U.S. trying to find an additional sponsor. Sitting in the the consulate the next day, prepared to discuss other options with the immigration official, young Juan breaks down in tears. He approaches his parents as they ask him why he is crying and try to calm him down. In tears he gets out:
"You’re all going over there, and you’re not going to take me,"
His parents of course tell him that there is no way they would break up the family and do comfort him, but the viewer is still left heartbroken for the 8-year-old. The scene is a powerful reminder of the need to reform our immigration laws for those whose only desire is to come to this country in search of opportunity and to be with their loved ones.
UPDATE: Steve Rhodes from Blogcritics points out that several people who produced The New Americans were also involved in the making of Hoop Dreams, another of my favorite documentaries.
Posted by Peter Mork at 10:13 PM | Comments | TrackBack
September 13, 2004
The Politics of Immigration
The WSJ notes today that the nativist wing of the Republican Party had a major set back in Nevada and Arizona. Pro-immigration Republicans, Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake, easily won their primaries against opponents funded by anti-immigration organizations. As the Journal notes:
The message is that anti-immigrant populism may look good in some polls but it doesn't work come Election Day, even on the front lines where illegals add to the burden on local law enforcement and social services. Some Republicans who listen to Fox's Bill O'Reilly or his imitator, CNN's Lou Dobbs, have been led to believe that immigration is a winning issue, but as with trade protectionism the votes never materialize.
Let's hope the trend continues.