New York, September 2006
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Immigration Reform May Not Happen
 WASHINGTON, DC
- When millions of immigrants felt threatened by the introduction of legislation
that would have made their stay in the United States a crime, many marched in
unity to protest this last spring. Marches occurred throughout main cities in
the United States where large Hispanic communities are present. Those who
marched came from different backgrounds and ethnicities. Many on the streets
were
illegal immigrants, but others were simply present for support. Some wore
white t-shirts to show solidarity and peace, and different country flags along
with the American flag were waved during the marches. For the most part, the
marches were peaceful. Many activists hoped that these marches would bring about
change like encouraging more immigrants to become permanent residents, which is
a critical step in gaining United States citizenship in the future. In addition,
activists hoped this would encourage more citizens to register to vote. One of
the chants of the immigrants was “Today We March, Tomorrow We Vote.”
Due to the growing number of immigrants who wish to become United States
citizens and the growing number of Hispanics, this segment represents a
tremendous opportunity for political parties. However, even with all the hype of
the marches and stronger unity among the
immigrants, their chant has apparently
not translated into actions. Some places where marches took place were Denver,
Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles, but no recent spikes in new voter
registration has surged. Possible explanations offered include that many
Hispanics are yet not old enough to vote or have not attained
United States
citizenship. Another explanation offered is that no prominent leader has evolved
for the recent immigration movement in the United States. In addition, to
increase voter registration substantial financial resources are needed to
attract new voters. Still many organizations who were actively involved in the
marches believe it is possible to register one million new voters by 2008.
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Organizers Plan On Making Immigration Marches Ongoing
 LOS ANGELES, CA
- Due to the huge success of immigration marches that took place throughout
major cities in the United States, more marches are planned in the future for
the same causes. One of the most successful marches last spring took place in
downtown Los Angeles, California. The number or participants in this march were
estimated at about half a million. Recent marches have not drawn as many
supporters with the numbers being in the hundreds or at most low thousands. The
participants include a wide range of people from illegal immigrants to labor
unions. Anti-immigration groups have also made their presence known at some of
these marches. Exchange of words has taken place between both sides, but for the
most part the confrontations have been peaceful. Some claim that the low turnout
for the immigration marches has been due to a lack of coordination.
Participants continue to stress legalization for the nearly 12 million
immigrants residing in the United States. Religious authorities like Cardinal
Roger Mahogany from the Roman Catholic Church have gone as far as faxing letters
to Congress and President Bush encouraging them to introduce pro-immigration
reform. One of the recent immigration marches took place in Illinois and covered
a distance of 50 miles. About 150 participants walked the full distance to the
office of Dennis Hastert who is a House of Representative. Many immigrants
consider his stance on issues to be anti-immigrant. Others joined the 150
participants throughout the four-day march. On Labor Day similar marches took
place in Arizona and Texas with the final destination being a government
building like the state Capitol or City Hall. Organizers say that this is only
the beginning of more marches to come.
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U.S. Drivers License Applications
 NEW YORK, NY
- A driver license or state ID is a major form of identification in the United States. It is an official government-issued ID. In addition to operating a motor vehicle, a U.S. drivers license can be used as a form of identification for several other purposes such as cashing checks, opening bank accounts, traveling within the United States, and as proof of legal age to buy alcohol and tobacco. A State ID can be used as a form of identification, but not to operate a motor vehicle.
Unlike other countries, the United States federal government does not issue a national
drivers licenses or identification card. Each of the 50 U.S. States issue their own
drivers licenses and state IDs, and they can be used anywhere in the United States, Canada, and even abroad in certain countries.
There are generic requirements for obtaining a
U.S. driver license such as a written test, road test and vision test. However, each of the 50 U.S. states (and U.S. territories) have their own requirements and application procedures. There are also different procedures for first-time applications, out-of-state transfers and renewals. Certain states allow foreign licenses to be used a proof of an individual's ability to operate a motor vehicle, thus not requiring the individual to take the road test again. There are also different “classes” of
licenses depending on what type of vehicle you wish to drive: cars, motorcycles, trucks or commercial vehicles. You can also transfer your out-of-state license to your new home state. This process differs from state to state, but in general you have to take the vision test and/or the written test excluding the driving test.
Proof of Immigration Status: After 9/11, the federal government has added extra security measures when obtaining a
state identification card, a
driver license, a
social security card among other legal documents. A new federal law (called the Real ID Act) was introduced that made it a requirement to show proof of legal immigration status in the United States to obtain a drivers license from any state. As of May 2008,
driver licenses issued by the states that do not meet these requirements will not be accepted as legal identification to gain entry into a federal building or to board an airplane in the United States.
All 50 U.S. states are gradually updating their requirements and starting to request proof of [legal] immigration status in the United States. However, in several states this is still not a requirement. |
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Consequences of removing millions of immigrants from the United States
 FRESNO, CA
- Some economists believe that if the nearly 12 million illegal immigrants were
to leave the country, the results would be disastrous for the United States.
Workers earning on the lower end of the pay scale would see their income rise
since the supply of labor would shrink significantly. Even with higher wages,
employers would still have difficulty finding workers to fill their vacancies
due to the shortage of workers. Another downside is that the higher labor costs
would be passed on to consumers, which would most likely result in a drop in
overall retail spending. Local and state governments would see decreased
spending in the area of social services like education and healthcare since
there would no longer be 12 million immigrants in the United States to provide
for. Some economists estimate that the savings would be in the billions of
dollars. However, the United States government would also lose out on money that
illegal immigrants contribute to Medicare and
Social Security but that they are
unable to collect due to their legal status.
Industries like construction, farming, food service, hotel and manufacturing
would take a big hit. These are some of the most common industries worked by
illegal immigrants. To attract domestic workers the wages would have to be
increased. However, some places already have a tight labor market as it is. In
addition, there are jobs that many domestic workers would not take even with
higher wages. The types of
jobs that require long hours under the sun and back-breaking labor are not
popular among Americans. The jobs are highly undesirable and are considered to
have no prestige or little if any. The reality is that many domestic workers in
the United States do not want to work long hours, do tiresome work and break a
sweat unless it is highly compensated. The majority of American workers would
prefer to work in an office with air conditioning and do a job that is more
prestigious.
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Not all identify theft has the same purpose behind it
 BOSTON, MA
- Many times identify fraud is committed with the intention of financial gains,
yet there are instances when the intention is another.
Illegal immigrants often
purchase fake identification cards and
social security numbers (SSN) to obtain
employment. It is estimated that on an annual basis the identities of
approximately 10 million Americans are stolen. However, it is not clear what
percentage of identify thefts can be attributed for the purpose of stealing
money and how many for work purposes. Approximately 5% of the workforce in the
United States is made up of illegal immigrants. Most immigrants work with
fraudulent social security numbers which can easily be obtained. The cost can
range anywhere from $40 to hundreds of dollars. The social security may also be
used to take out loans and credit cards, which can damage the credit record of
the individual assigned the SSN. Most
immigrants who use another individual’s
social security number do not damage their credit history, but it will take
substantial time to clear up the record.
On an annual basis the
Social Security Administration finds that nearly 10
million earning reports that are mismatches are filed with the Internal Revenue
Service. Some of the mismatches are due to women who recently got married and
changed their name. Other mismatches are due to mistakes on behalf of employers.
The remaining are due to individuals using numbers that are not their own. It is
important to note that the rightful owner of a stolen
social security numbers
does not reap any of the benefits accumulated during the fraudulent use.
Employers are not penalized for employees who use mismatches. Most of the
mismatches are found in industries with typically high employment of illegal
immigrants like construction, food service and agriculture. In 2000 it was found
that just in Utah there were slightly over 130,000 individuals that were using a SSN that did not belong to them. Many whose SSN is being used do not find out it
is currently used or was used until they take out a loan or run a credit check.
Even when the Social Security Administration finds that the SSN is being used by
someone rather than the original owner, the agency is banned from letting the
original owner know this information.
Warning: Do not work illegally in the United State or use some else's
Social Security Card.
Click here to apply for your own Social Security Card.
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