July 3, 2007

New Survey Suggests Undocumented Favor Immigration Bill

Joseph Pimentel/Asianjournal.com

LOS ANGELES - A New America Media (NAM) survey released June 21 revealed that undocumented immigrants living in the United States favor the new comprehensive immigration reform bill.

The survey is the first ever of its kind, giving undocumented immigrants a voice in the immigration debate, said Sandip Roy, an editor of NAM.

The poll surveyed 1,600 undocumented immigrants originally from Latin America who arrived in the US before January 1, 2007.

Although the participants are immigrants from Latin America, the poll assumes its findings would be representative with other undocumented immigrants in the US from different countries.

“Eighty-three percent of Latin American undocumented immigrants in the United States are willing to comply with this new [proposed comprehensive immigration reform bill] law, are willing to fulfill the requirements, willing to pay the fines and fees,” said Sergio Bendixen, president of Bendixen & Associate, the company that conducted the poll.

“An overwhelming majority will comply, will go along and cooperate to make this bill a success…I have no evidence to confirm this, but I would assume that [undocumented] immigrants [in the US] from other parts of the world…would react in a similar fashion,” he added.

On June 7, the proposed immigration reform bill stalled on the senate floor but the following week senators made a compromise to bring it back for discussion. If passed, the bill would legalize an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants.

According to the survey, Latin American undocumented immigrants reported that they would be able to comply with all of the requirements of the new “Z” visa, the first step of the citizenship process. Ninety-four percent of those surveyed said they were willing to undergo a criminal background check; 83 percent were willing to pay the “Z” visa fines and fees; and 85 percent were willing to register at a government office and admit that they were in the US illegally.

However, there are cautions about the poll. The poll does not reflect the feelings of the Asian undocumented immigrants since they were not included. There is also a concern that the survey does not address all other issues about the proposed immigration bill and the surveyors, themselves, might not understand the full extent of the process if the immigration bill were to pass.

According to the proposed immigration law, it would require undocumented immigrants to wait nine to 13 years to receive a green card and another five years to become citizens. They would have to pay a $4,000 fine and pass an English proficiency test. To complete the application, the immigrants must “touchback” to their home country and finish the application for the green card at the country’s US consulate without a guarantee to come back.

Dan Huang, immigrant policy advocate for the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, said the poll is helpful, it does shed some light on Latin American immigrant feelings about the immigration issue, but undocumented immigrants might not understand the intricacies of the proposed green card process.

“They [undocumented immigrants] would have to be included in the new merit based system and might not be eligible under the new requirements so they would stay in the ‘Z’ visa category,” said Huang. “People might be in this probationary status forever.”

Huang also disputes the polls finding about the touchback requirement.

He said Asians would especially find it difficult to come back to their home country without a guarantee because of possible political instability and/or the cost of the trip. The poll found that 35 percent of undocumented immigrants from Latin America would go back to their home country to pick up their new work visa without a guarantee to come back.

“For many Asians who are originally from Cambodia, Vietnam, countries with hostile governments, the idea of having to go back there waiting months or years, having no guarantee; they’re not going through with that,” said Huang. “I need to reiterate that the touchback requirements in the proposed immigration bill are entirely not workable.”

Another issue that is raised is the total cost of citizenship. To apply for the Z visa, the head of the household must pay $3,000 in fines and fees, and additional $2,000 for each undocumented member of the family. The Z visa has an option renewal every four years for $1,500. Critics estimate the total cost for an immigrant family of three waiting the full 12 years for citizenship could run about $20,000.   

Bendixen said it is a high price but that is what congress is considering.

“As I mentioned before, undocumented immigrants [said] are willing to pay for it; that it makes sense for them to invest that money to be legal… so they can come out of the shadows and be able to function in this society legally,” said Bendixen.

Regardless of the criticism, NAM officials hope that bringing immigrant voices to the debate will spark interest with politicians from both sides of the table for a workable immigration reform bill.

The survey also found that over 80 percent of the Latin American undocumented immigrants living here rate their quality of life as good.

“Yes, they maybe poor, work two or three jobs but their very optimistic their going to make it. It’s the true immigrant spirit,” said Bendixen.
(www.asianjournal.com)