Notes from Immigration Discussion #1

Immigration and Nationality Act -- USDA.gov

obtaining work visas/green cards:
*"new measures to make it easier for professionals to obtain work visas and green cards"
*"the government is very selective based on your country of origin" > "leads to illegal immigration"
*"how much money you have makes a difference" > "can just buy your way out"

effects on immigrants:
*"inability to travel back home and return once visa is expired"
*"must work 'off the books'"
*"breakup of families when immigrants get deported"

enforcement:
*"US Dept of Labor enforces these laws and regulations"
*"bribery and corruption figures heavily"
*"is there an effort to educate immigrants about their rights?"
*"corporations bring people over the border, but the immigrants are penalized when the law is enforced"
*Schlosser Chapter 8: legal penalty against corporation drastically reduced; fine so small it is meaningless
"how is an illegal immigrant going to hire a lawyer? they just get picked up and tossed"
*Food Inc.: "these companies hire them outside the country and bring them over, then the immigrants get arrested leaving work or at home and get tossed out of the country without getting paid"
*October 12, 2008 raids of Agroprocessors: about half of the work force arrested after reports from workers of child labor and poor working conditions; Guatemalan workers sentenced 5 months.

"corporations don't care"
"it's not about corporations caring, but the government caring: these people are in your country, even if they are here illegally"

"illegal immigrants do jobs citizens don't want"
"some immigrants keep the same jobs after they obtain citizenship"