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Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) Webinar:

General OverviewMay 30, 2013 at 3:00 EDT

Qudsia Jafree, Senior Policy Associate, YWCA USACapitol Hill Day Webinar 3 out of 3

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Agenda

• Why is Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) a Priority for YWCAs?

• Brief Overview of CIR timeline: Senate and House• Issue Area: Women’s Health and Safety • Issue Area: Economic Impact• Issue Area: Family Reunification• Issue Area: Education• Issue Area: Racial Profiling • Take Action Before Capitol Hill Day 2013

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Why is CIR A Priority for YWCAs?• Impact of CIR bill on immigrant

women, families, and larger community

• History working with immigrant communities since early 1800’s

• One of 3 legislative issues identified as top priorities for YWCA in national survey

• YWCAs across the country have strong presence providing services for immigrants

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Current Reform Proposals See Some Consensus

Source: National Journal Research, 2013. 4

Parties Still Disagree on Whether to Provide Pathway to Citizenship

Both GOP and Democratic politicians want to make more H1-B visas available to attract skilled foreign workers to the U.S.

Democrats

Many Democrats support creating a pathway to earned citizenship for undocumented immigrants to naturalize the 11 million undocumented workers currently living in the U.S.

Republicans

Many, though not all, Republicans oppose granting illegal immigrants amnesty, arguing that this may create an incentive for more undocumented immigrants to come to the U.S.

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Bipartisan “Gang of 8” Introduce Senate Immigration Reform Legislation

The Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 (S.744)

Title I: Border Security

Title II: Legalization (Registered Provisional Immigrant program) and Legal Immigration

Title III: Interior Enforcement

Title IV: Reforms to Non Immigrant Visa Programs.

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Bob MenendezD-N.J.

Lindsey GrahamR-S.C.

Dick DurbinD-Ill.

Michael BennetD-Colo.

Jeff FlakeR-Ariz.

Marco RubioR-Fla.

John McCainR-Ariz.

Chuck SchumerD-N.Y.

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Senate Bill Language and Summaries

• Full Text of Bill (Sen. Schumer’s website)

• Shorter Summary of Bill (DPCC)

• Bill Overview and Other Resources (Sen. Menendez’ website)

• YWCA USA Analysis on Senate Bill

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YWCA Position on CIR

• Path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants

• Inclusive of the particular needs and challenges faced by immigrant women and families

• Any legislation must ensure that immigrants are able to fully integrate into the nation’s social and economic fabric, with all of the rights and responsibilities that entails.

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Path to Citizenship: Senate Proposal

13-15 year path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants

• Individual apply, if eligible, for registered provisional immigrant status (RPI)

• In six years, individuals apply for a renewal of RPI status, which requires a new background check, payment of processing fees, back taxes, a $500 fine, and proof of employment and financial resources that illustrate that the individual will not require federal benefits.

• In three years, RPI’s may apply for lawful permanent residence status (LPR). Eligibility includes: additional $1,000 fine per adult applicant, proof that all applicants are learning English, payment of any previous taxes owed, background check, and proof of employment.

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Issue Area: Women’s Health & Safety

Access to Affordable Healthcare

• 63% of Americans agree that immigrants pursuing legalization should be eligible for Medicaid and 59% believe that they should be eligible for premium assistance on the exchanges.

•Since 2009, states can opt to provide Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage to children and pregnant immigrant women.

•While groundbreaking, the ACA denies coverage or benefits for aspiring Americans, which translates to roughly 11 million people in the U.S. without access to affordable health care options.

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Issue Area: Women’s Health & Safety

Reproductive Health

• 61% of foreign-born women in the U.S. have received a pap smear test in the past three years, compared to 83% of women born in the U.S.

• Incidence and rates of mortality due to cervical cancer for immigrant women have risen over the years, while we have seen a steady decline amongst women born in the U.S

• It costs between $13 to $66 to get a Pap test done, in comparison to $20,000 to $37,000 spent on cervical cancer treatment.

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Issue Area: Women’s Health & Safety

Immigrant Victims of Sexual and Domestic Violence

• The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has historically provided key protections for immigrant victims of domestic and sexual violence.

• Creation of U and T visas to assist victims of domestic violence and sexual trafficking

• While VAWA provisions critical, there is room for improvement: work authorizations, housing options, and an increased cap of U-visas.

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Legislative Asks: Women’s Health & Safety

• Access to affordable health care throughout RPI status without waiting periods

• Access to affordable reproductive care coverage throughout RPI status without wait periods

• Added protections for immigrant victims of sexual and domestic traffic, including work authorizations and increased cap of U-visas

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Issue Area: Economic Impact & Safety NetsImmigrants Contribute to the Vitality of the U.S. Economy • Aspiring Americans paid $11.2 billion in taxes in 2010 • $1.6 billion in property taxes; $1.2 billion in personal income taxes; and $8.4 billion in sales taxes

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Issue Area: Economic Impact & Safety Nets

Immigrants Supplement the U.S. Job Market

• Myth: Immigrants are takers - they displace native born workers

• Myth: Every immigrant that enters the U.S. means another job lost for native born workers

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Issue Area: Economic Impact & Safety Nets

Access to Economic Safety Nets

• All immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, pay taxes in some form: personal income taxes; property taxes; and sales taxes.

• Current Senate legislation, immigrants with RPI status will NOT be eligible for any form of federal public benefits such as: SNAP; TANF; CHIP; or SSI

• Delaying or prohibiting access to federal public benefits will result in millions of aspiring Americans to wait 13-15 years without access to vital economic safety nets

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Legislative Asks: Economic Impact & Safety Nets• Access to economic safety nets such as SNAP, SSI,

TANF, and CHIP throughout RPI status without wait periods

• Immediate access to work authorization provisions for immigrant victims of violence

• Added labor protections for immigrant workers in low-skilled labor industry, such as through proposed W-visas

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Issue Area: Family Reunification

Family and Employment Visa Backlogs

• Proposed Senate legislation outlines an end to family and employment based visa backlogs with 8 years of implementation

• Senate proposal will now exclude siblings and married children from entering the U.S. through a family based visa (Hirono amendment)

• Definition of children and spouse now ‘immediate family’; cutting out 3-8 yearS in the waiting period. Relevant for immigrant victims of violence with a partner that has provisional status

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Issue Area: Family Reunification

Deportations and Detention

• In President Obama’s first term alone, the U.S. has deported 1.5 million immigrants, the highest ever.

• Most immigrants in detention centers or deportation process have no criminal record - often detained for minor traffic violations, drug offenses, or DUI.

•Impact on immigrant families is devastating. Many immigrant households are complex, often made up of undocumented and documented family members.

•Urgent need to fix broken system - deportation is not the solution.

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Legislative Asks: Family Reunification

• Immediate end to all deportations and detention until CIR legislation is passed

• Include siblings and married children as part of family visa category

• Tier detentions and deportations by the seriousness of the crime committed

• Deportation and heightened borders are not the solution to the U.S. unemployment rate - there is no correlation

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Issue Area: Access to Education

DREAM Act Eligibility

• Entered the U.S. before the age of 16

•Have a high school diploma or GED from the U.S.

•Have attended at least 2 years of college or served 4 years in the military

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Legislative Asks: Education

• Support the inclusion of the DREAM Act in the larger CIR bill

• Access to affordable health care and reproductive care coverage without wait periods for all DREAMers

• Access to economic safety nets such as SNAP, TANF, SSI and CHIP without wait periods for all DREAMers

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Issue Area: End to Racial Profiling

• Race and physical appearance is only a descriptor– not a predictor

• Racial profiling has a chilling impact on immigrant communities

• SB1070, 287g have resulted in an uptick in reporting of hate crimes amongst racial and religious communities, racial profiling

• Senate proposal prohibits the use of racial profiling in matters of border security and enforcement.

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Legislative Asks: Racial Profiling

• Inclusion of religious communities in federal data collection process regarding racial profiling

• Ban the use of any sort of profiling as a method to address border security and enforcement

• Strict enforcement and clear consequences outlined for violations of federal prohibition of racial profiling

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Winning Messages

Rebranding Immigrants

DO SAY: Aspiring citizens, New Americans, New American Immigrants

DON’T SAY: Illegal Aliens, Illegal Immigrants, Undocumented Workers

Change the Frame

DO SAY: Freedom to Move, Land of Freedom and Opportunity, People Move

DON’T SAY: Rule of Law, Broke the Law, Secure our Borders

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Take Action Before Capitol Hill Day 2013

• Urge your Member of Congress to support fair, comprehensive reform for all immigrants – click here to send your email.

• Join the YWCA USA on May 30 for a blog carnival on common sense immigration reform. To participate in the blog carnival, contact Qudsia Jafree.

• On June 6, the YWCA USA will host What Women Want: A National Day of Action for Immigration Reform, which will coincide with the YWCA USA’s Capitol Hill Day the needs and challenges faced by immigrant women and their families.

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Question and Answer (Q&A)

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