ImmPolitic Blog

The Christian Science Monitor the other day published a story, “Who’s creating US jobs? Mexicans.”  The story noted an increase in Mexican entrepreneurs coming to the U.S. in order to escape drug cartel violence and kidnapping.  There are special visas available to immigrant entrepreneurs willing to come to the U.S. to create jobs.  In the last decade, there has been a steady increase in the number of Mexicans who have been transferring their businesses here, buying and renovating businesses here, or starting new ones.

In the immigration debate, we hear a lot (from anti-immigrant groups) about immigrants “taking” American jobs.  Not enough is said about immigrant entrepreneurs and the jobs they create for Americans.

Each year, the Kauffman Foundation puts out an Index of Entrepreneurial Activity. The index “is a leading indicator of new business creation in the United States.” 

Their latest, the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, 1996-2008, reveals some important “shifts in the demographic and geographic composition of new entrepreneurs across the country.”  

For a number of years, researchers have found that immigrants have a greater rate of entrepreneurial activity than the native-born.  According to the latest Index, the difference between immigrant and native-born entrepreneurial activity is growing.

The immigrant rate of entrepreneurial activity increased from 0.46 percent in 2007 to 0.51 percent in 2008, further widening the gap between immigrant and native-born rates. Native-born rates increased only slightly, from 0.27 percent to 0.28 percent.

The increase in entrepreneurial activity among immigrants in 2008 from the year before, the report notes, is driven by startups in “low- and medium-income-potential” types of businesses, such as grocery stores, child care services, and restaurants.  However, the report notes that immigrants are “also more likely to start high-income-potential types of businesses than the native born.”  That list includes various types of manufacturing, wholesalers, and medical and legal services. 

Looking at ethnic groups, in 2008 Latinos (.48 percent) and Asians (.35 percent) had a higher rate of entrepreneurship than non-Latino whites (.31 percent).  The report also notes that it doesn’t take a college degree to start a business.  In fact, 

While business-creation rates increased for less-educated individuals, the college-educated experienced a decline in entrepreneurial activity rates, from 0.33 percent in 2007 to 0.31 percent in 2008.

The Kauffman report and others such as this one from the Immigration Policy Center estimating that comprehensive immigration reform will boost our economy by $1.5 trillion over ten years, make it increasingly clear that, as we grapple with ways to pull out of the current economic slump, immigration reform must be part of the solution.

Photo by Flickr user Sugi. 

Democrats have become the party of “I can’t” while Republicans have become the party of “I won’t.” But the overwhelming majority of Americans (conservatives, independents and everyone else) is saying, “Get to work on our nation’s problems and fix the broken immigration system!”

While the pundits, naysayers, and quitters in Washington are telling everyone that nothing can get done, the Campaign to Reform Immigration FOR America is enlisting the American people in a massive effort to force the hand of the House, Senate, and President to finally fix our broken immigration system.

You can feel the rumbling in the pews, at the town halls, and at overflow auditoriums across the country.

In January the campaign organized across 40 states, more than 150 events  that could barely accommodate the overflow crowds of Americans who wanted to voice their support for immigration reform.

·                In Denver, CO, an overflow crowd of thousands cheered Senator Michael Bennett’s pledge to champion comprehensive reform in the U.S. Senate.

·                In Grand Rapids, MI, hundreds gathered with community faith leaders to call on elected leaders to get a comprehensive immigration bill done this year.

·                In Charlotte, NC, overflow crowds gathered at a meeting of African American and Latino community leaders to show overwhelming support for reform.

·                In Little Rock, AR, 1,000 gathered on a cold night  to urge Senators Lincoln and Pryor to support immigration reform.

·                And in Ohio, a series of events all over the state culminated in a rally of thousands in Cincinnati – that included leadership from the African American, labor and business communities

·                All this followed not long after more than 60,000 Americans mobilized for a single telephone call in October of 2009 with supportive leaders of reform in the U.S. Congress.

In the last month, communities of faith have exhibited courage and clarity that we wish our elected leaders would show. Religious leaders from across the theological and ideological spectrum and Members of Congress kicked off a nationwide mobilization called “Together, Not Torn: Families Can’t Wait for Immigration Reform,” that included the delivery of more than hundreds of thousands of postcards to Members of Congress from people of faith in their states and districts.

Over the course of the President’s Day recess, local leaders from churches, small businesses, labor locals, and community organizations across the country descended on district offices. Americans in Ohio, Alaska, Arkansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and other states met with their Members of Congress to ask for comprehensive immigration reform to move forward in 2010. Some district offices  received a visit every hour, on the hour, for four days straight!

This is beyond a campaign.

This is America at its very core saying loud and clear we need a functioning immigration system that stops  unscrupulous employers from exploiting American and immigrant workers, but encourages honest employers to play by the rules.

Since June 1, 2009, the campaign has organized over 700,000 calls and faxes into the White House and Congress calling for reform. This is a significant number of Americans, but the decibel is nothing compared to that of entire news channels (and multiple talk radio shows) that are primed and ready to scare Congress from endorsing an immigration solution that serves our nation.

So, while our campaign is made up of over 750 faith, labor, business, progressive, African American, civil rights and immigrant organizations working to reform our immigration system in the interests of America’s families, we need your help. Please:

·                Have your church, business, labor local, organization endorse the campaign;

·                Text “JUSTICE” to 69866 to plug in;

·                Join us on March 21st in Washington DC when tens of thousands will March For America, demanding immigration reform for New American families and economic justice for all American families.

Onwards,

Crossposted at Huffington Post

A question on the minds of many these days is, “Can Washington govern?”

That question has been the subject of much comment in the last week since the surprise announcement by Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, thought to have excellent re-election prospects, that he would not run for re-election. 

Bayh explained his reasoning in an op-ed for the New York Times on February 20.  In his piece, Bayh lists a series of ills causing the dysfunction in Congress that led to his decision.

…strident partisanship, unyielding ideology, a corrosive system of campaign financing, gerrymandering of House districts, endless filibusters, holds on executive appointees in the Senate, dwindling social interaction between senators of opposing parties and a caucus system that promotes party unity at the expense of bipartisan consensus.

Certainly, advocates for policy reform on a range of issues that face the nation today are wondering whether our political system can respond to the challenges.  Rather than working to solve the nation’s problems, too many lawmakers now seem to be working to prevent solutions from moving forward.

Douglas Rivlin, on News Junkie Post, proposes a test for lawmakers who always seem to say (in front of the TV Cameras, at least) that they want to work with the other side.  That test is immigration reform.

Four years ago, the Senate passed an immigration reform bill with 38 Democrats and 24 Republicans.  Not all of those Senators are still in office.  Is bipartisanship still possible?

In the past year, we have seen the rise of the “teaparty” movement.  Republicans have felt obligated to curry favor with this segment of its base.  With its strong nativist streak, the tea party effect on the immigration issue has been to make Republican support more uncertain.  For example, John McCain had been not just a supporter, but a champion of immigration reform.  In the past couple of years, he has distanced himself from the issue.  As to whether he still would vote for reform, as Rivlin notes, “with a tough [re-election] challenge from immigration hawk JD Hayworth, it is hard to tell.”

As for the Democrats, all the noise coming from this small but vocal constituency seems to have made them reluctant to step out and advance solutions.  A proposed solution to a problem will inevitably become a target for political opponents.  On the other hand, the election is coming up, and I would hate to have the job of trying to motivate voters to leave their houses and vote for someone who has not made an honest effort to solve the immigration crisis (or any of a number of other problems voters expected lawmakers to work on.)

Republicans and Democrats who step up and support comprehensive immigration reform might find that they will be backed up as never before.  The Reform Immigration FOR America Campaign has been channeling the energy of faith-based organizations, business groups, labor unions, progressives, law enforcement organizations, immigrants, immigrant advocates, and ordinary citizens who see the suffering caused by our broken immigration system. 

On March 21, thousands of these citizens will be coming to Washington to ask Members of Congress: Can you still govern? 

The answer to that question may determine whether millions of people have a reason to go to a voting booth in November.

Image by Flickr user brownpau.

A question on the minds of many these days is, “Can Washington govern?”

That question has been the subject of much comment in the last week since the surprise announcement by Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, thought to have excellent re-election prospects, that he would not run for re-election. 

Bayh explained his reasoning in an op-ed for the New York Times on February 20.  In his piece, Bayh lists a series of ills causing the dysfunction in Congress that led to his decision.

…strident partisanship, unyielding ideology, a corrosive system of campaign financing, gerrymandering of House districts, endless filibusters, holds on executive appointees in the Senate, dwindling social interaction between senators of opposing parties and a caucus system that promotes party unity at the expense of bipartisan consensus.

Certainly, advocates for policy reform on a range of issues that face the nation today are wondering whether our political system can respond to the challenges.  Rather than working to solve the nation’s problems, too many lawmakers now seem to be working to prevent solutions from moving forward.

Douglas Rivlin, on News Junkie Post, proposes a test for lawmakers who always seem to say (in front of the TV Cameras, at least) that they want to work with the other side.  That test is immigration reform.

Four years ago, the Senate passed an immigration reform bill with 38 Democrats and 24 Republicans.  Not all of those Senators are still in office.  Is bipartisanship still possible?

In the past year, we have seen the rise of the teabag set.  Republicans have felt obligated to curry favor with this segment of its base.  With its strong nativist streak, the teabagger effect on the immigration issue has been to make Republican support more uncertain.  For example, John McCain had been not just a supporter, but a champion of immigration reform.  In the past couple of years, he has distanced himself from the issue.  As to whether he still would vote for reform, as Rivlin notes, “with a tough [re-election] challenge from immigration hawk JD Hayworth, it is hard to tell.”

As for the Democrats, all the noise coming from the teabaggers seems to have made them reluctant to step out and advance solutions.  A proposed solution to a problem will inevitably become a target for political opponents.  On the other hand, the election is coming up, and I would hate to have the job of trying to motivate voters to leave their houses and vote for someone who has not made an honest effort to solve the immigration crisis (or any of a number of other problems voters expected lawmakers to work on.)

Republicans and Democrats who step up and support comprehensive immigration reform might find that they will be backed up as never before.  The Reform Immigration FOR America Campaign has been channeling the energy of faith-based organizations, business groups, labor unions, progressives, law enforcement organizations, immigrants, immigrant advocates, and ordinary citizens who see the suffering caused by our broken immigration system. 

On March 21, thousands of these citizens will be coming to Washington to ask Members of Congress: Can you still govern? 

The answer to that question may determine whether millions of people have a reason to go to a voting booth in November.

Image by Flickr user brownpau.

An interesting pair of articles appeared in the Washington Post on February 21. 

In the first, Dana Milbank reported on the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, where each year Republican Presidential hopefuls attempt to woo participants of this gathering of the right and the far right. 

Glenn Beck gave a keynote speech at the end of the conference, in which he demanded that Republicans admit they are “addicted to spending and big government.”

“But as of yet I haven’t heard anyone say that,” Beck added. “All they’re talking about is: ‘We need a big tent. We need a big tent. Can we get a bigger tent? How can we get a big tent?’ “

“What is this, a circus?”

A couple of pages later, there was an article, “Republicans look to rebuild their traction with Hispanic voters.”  In that article, the essence of the problem was summed up in this paragraph:

After back-to-back hammerings in the 2006 and 2008 elections, the GOP is trying to figure out how it slid so far behind with Hispanic voters. With their traditional white-male base shrinking, Republican strategists talk with increasing urgency about wooing Hispanics, who are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population and who vote mostly Democratic.

The root of the GOP’s problem, appeared a few paragraphs later.

The most vexing problem is the immigration debate, in which hard-liners and “tea party” activists have alienated many Hispanics with their harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric.

It is the same activists who express contempt for Republican party efforts to expand their tent that have pushed Hispanic voters to the Democrats.

The article has plenty of statistics showing the rapid rise of the Hispanic vote and the impact the immigration debate has had in swinging that vote away from Republicans.  Here’s one:

Bush received 54 percent of the non-Hispanic white vote in 2000 and finished in a dead heat with Al Gore. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) got 55 percent of that vote in 2008 and lost the election by seven percentage points.

America’s Voice recently released a paper on the power of the Latino vote.  The paper contains polling data that helps explain why Latino voters, not just undocumented immigrants who can’t vote anyway, are upset by the heated rhetoric on immigration.  It is the closeness of the immigration experience that makes immigration reform, and how politicians talk about it, a threshold issue.  This is a point the Post article makes as well.

Adrian Garcia … is a Democrat who thinks Republicans did lasting damage to their brand, particularly among young Hispanic voters who are experiencing politics—and choosing sides—for the first time. “Immigration has galvanized the emerging generation, and they see it very clearly,” said Garcia, whose parents and siblings were born in Mexico. “This is personal. It is personal to the fastest-growing community and to the next generation of community leaders.”

According to America’s Voice, “82% of Latino voters said that the immigration issue is important to them and their families, and 69% said that they personally know someone who is undocumented.”  When politicians show contempt for undocumented immigrants, the friends and family of those undocumented immigrants—many of whom are citizens—feel it.  America’s Voice cites a national survey of Latino voters, which found that 87% of Latino voters say “they would not consider voting for a candidate who was in favor of forcing most of the undocumented population to leave the country.”

People no matter who they are like being treated with a little respect.  The Republican party right now is in the midst of a tug-of-war between those who are trying to bring new constituencies into the fold and those who are looking for groups of people on whom they can unload their vitriol.  It might be great fun to watch a bunch of entertainers get the crowd worked up about THE ILLEGAL INVASION.  Trouble is, those entertainers are loyal to an idea of America that has long ceased to exist.  They will keep up their performance until there is not much of a crowd left to work up.  Politicians who are seduced by that performance might find themselves in a very small tent indeed.

Image by Flickr user basheem.