the migration series

untangling immigration, part 1

2007-06-15T11:15:00Z

I attended a lecture and discussion on migration and trade today that was really interesting. Given the seemingly pro-imigration policies being put forth by the president, one might assume that migration / immigration advocacy groups would be on board. As I've increasingly heard, and as confirmed by the speaker this evening, this is not the case at all. Through the negotiation process between dems and republicans, the current bill as is is has been reengineered in such a way to appease too many stakeholders. In the eyes of advocacy groups, a better bill can be had, and a better time may be when dems are in greater strength, not that dems own the immigration charge by any means... after all, it is the president's agenda.

I hardly know enough or understand the intricacies of this debate, but as I find good articles, I will share. Here is a link and excerpt of one that sheds light on the immigration application / green card process.

Hard Line on Immigrants
How long is the queue for green cards?
By Michelle Tsai
Posted Thursday, June 14, 2007, at 5:10 PM ET

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff met with Republican and Democratic senatorson Wednesday, in an effort to revive a proposed overhaul of the nation's immigration laws. Back in May, Chertoff took pains to note that under the new law, illegal immigrants wouldn't be able to skip the line for obtaining green cards. Opponents have argued the opposite, saying that illegal immigrants would indeed get to jump to the front of the line. Just how long is the green card line, anyway?

It depends on whom you know. The spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens skip the line altogether and get to apply for their green cards right away. (It can still take months or years for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to process these applications.) Most other would-be immigrants must wait on one of two lines to get their visas for permanent residence. Those who secure sponsorship from an employer get on the faster track. This one favors the people at the top of their field—like top scientists and athletes—while less illustrious folks can wait for years. Those stuck on the much slower family line—which includes relatives not mentioned above, like siblings—must wait at least six years before they reach the front; some people have been queued up for more than two decades. (Refugees and asylum-seekers move in their own line, with the president deciding how many to accept from regions around the world.)

Cooking up Profit with Migrants

2007-05-29T05:33:00Z

I recently read an article by a Fulbright Scholar currently doing research in the Philippines. While his focus is more on trafficking, he did link up with the NGO I have been working with for a number of years to promote an economic development model that mobilizes migrant remittances to finance development projects. I'm pasting the article below, as well as a link to his blog. Thanks Justin!

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Cooking Up Profit

Social Entrepreneurship as a Key to Development in the Philippines

Written by Justin Hakuta
Edited by Bernice Roldan

Water boils. Machinery grinds and whirls. Dough is shredded into thin ribbons.

I am at a factory in Davao, Mindanao surrounded by piles of pancit, the ubiquitous noodle of the Philippines sold by the kilo, boiled or fried, and devoured by the ton with vegetables and a combination of shrimp, chicken, or pork topped off with a dab of fish sauce and calamansi, the Filipino version of lemon.

But this is no ordinary factory—it is an enterprise funded by the heroes of the Philippines, the balikbayans or overseas migrant workers who are single-handedly saving the Filipino economy from plummeting into disarray one foreign dollar at a time (in 2006, remittances totaled between 12-14 billion US). Two seafarer brothers, the Jandugs, have combined their savings to build this noodle factory named Best Choice, a prosperous, family-owned small business run by a third brother, an ex-teacher who manages daily operations.

Launched in 2001 with the brothers’ savings and a loan from Unlad Kayaban Migrant Services Foundation (Unlad), a social entrepreneurship-focused NGO, Best Choice produces two varieties of pancit (canton or bihon, thick or thin) as well as fruit preserves of coconut and different beans used to make the popular Filipino desert halo-halo, literally mix-mix.

Now self-sustainable, Best Choice has a full-time staff of 22 and has managed to fill a niche market supplying supermarkets and department stores with freshly made noodles and halo-halo ingredients, all while beating off the competition’s cost undercutting by providing a superior quality product and service with a smile.

But this transition from savings to concept, from start-up to self-sustainability did not happen overnight.

Migration Nation
The Filipino economy is heavily dependent on remittances, or money sent home from workers abroad. It is an oversimplification to say that this alone contributes to a stagnant local economy. But a dependence on international labor markets where close to a million workers per year, including many of the country’s best and brightest, seek employment elsewhere has an undeniable impact on the local economy’s productivity and ability to generate new jobs.

I won’t go too in-depth on this topic, Filipino labor migration has been covered in a past entry (click here); however, it is within this culture of seeking a better life through international employment that I stumble upon Best Choice, which was built from the savings of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and is now generating jobs and creating economic activity in a community where previously there was little.

Studies have shown that OFW savings are generally spent fulfilling the basic needs of the family: improving housing, funding educational opportunities for children, and starting or investing in small businesses such as sari-sari stores (your local bodega shop) or money lending businesses. The issue with starting businesses is that many OFWs lack the technical or financial skills required to run a successful operation.

Oftentimes the go-to business solution for returning migrants is to open a sari-sari store. This business can potentially be doomed from the start for a number of reasons including the following:

1) If you create a sari-sari store that is one of say twenty other sari-sari stores within several blocks radius, carving out your niche will be tough. Unless you have a unique product line or genius marketing skills, more than likely you will be one amongst a crowd of stores who are saturating the market with candy, cigarettes, chips, soap, and bubblegum. There is actually a Filipino term for killing a successful business through market saturation. It is called the “hot pandesal syndrome” which refers to the delicious semi-sweet buns you can buy freshly baked on almost every block in the Philippines. Essentially when one pandesal store opens and becomes popular in a neighborhood, the hordes soon follow until there are so many pandesal joints that profit amongst them becomes close to nil. The same phenomena can be observed with water purification stores, chicken breeding, or cell phone accessories—name a popular product and chances are “hot pandesal syndrome” has already struck it.

2) Beware the family, for they eye your products with hunger. It is not uncommon for family members to use the food, drinks, etc. of their sari-sari store without paying for them. While skimming from the top of the inventory may be necessary for those who would otherwise spend the day with an empty stomach, it ultimately results in the store taking a financial loss, and with the size of Filipino families, this loss could be quick and devastating.

Avoiding a variety of these common pitfalls, Best Choice represents something refreshing and unique amidst the economic landscape. It has secured deals with its clientele—as long as its product maintains its quality and reasonable price, it will retain its accounts and beat back the competitors. Because of Unlad’s business trainings and ongoing support, management is equipped with the skills to run a successful business. Complemented by a committed, happy-to-be-employed staff, who by the way receive full healthcare coverage, Best Choice has become self-sustainable and is able to provide jobs to community members with plans of expanding in the near future.

Best Choice is an example of a need being identified, in this case a lack of noodles and fruit preserves, and met with sound business skills and know-how. Best Choice is an example of money being used to not only generate profit for an individual and his/her family, but also to create jobs where previously there were none, and share the wealth. It is a glimmer of possibility for the Filipino economy that the billions of dollars pouring in from abroad can be used towards creating local employment opportunities, where perhaps one day Filipinos will be able to choose between staying in their country or moving abroad for work out of preference, not necessity.

A For Profit Non-Profit
Unlad Kayaban Migrant Services Foundation (Unlad) is a humble non-governmental organization (NGO) with grand ambitions. Tucked away in a quiet Metro Manila neighborhood next to the University of the Philippines, Unlad is one of the organizations at the forefront of social entrepreneurship in the Philippines.

Unlad originates from migrant labor roots. In 1989 its founder and current Executive Director, May-an Villalba, a former teacher, established the Asian Migrant Centre (www.asian-migrants.org) in Hong Kong, which focused on legal assistance and crisis intervention for migrants. Invariably after each case, migrant workers would look for a new employer no matter how harrowing their experiences had been because they had no job opportunities at home and their families depended on them for income. The only option was to find a new job abroad and pray for an employer who would not abuse them.

It was this lack of opportunity and vulnerability of migrant workers that spurred Ms. Villabla to build a mechanism whereby migrants could work abroad in the near-term, but create long-term opportunities in their hometowns so that they would not have to migrate for lack of work or money. In 1996, Ms. Villalba formed Unlad Kabayan to become the dedicated vehicle to develop this concept in the Philippines.

More about Unlad Kabayan straight from the horse’s mouth:

Our strategy is to empower local communities in the Philippines to build strong and sustainable communities through enterprise development. We are different in that we work with previously untapped sources of entrepreneurs and finances: migrants and remittances. As of 2006, nine million Filipinos reside and work overseas, earning and sending money to their families for primary needs and personal consumption. These monies are called remittances, which in 2005 totaled $10.7 billion. If mobilized, remittances can jumpstart local enterprises, creating jobs and income for local people. Unlad works with migrants to curtail extraneous spending and to save and invest in projects that will raise the socio-economic well-being of local communities.

Unlad was established in 1996 to respond to the urgent need for migrant workers to plan and organize their return to the Philippines. In 1994, it started as a special program of the Asian Migrant Center based in Hong Kong organizing savings associations [or groups of migrants that save a percentage of their earnings] as a capital build-up mechanism that would establish income-generating activities in the Philippines.

As it mobilized savings, investments and building enterprises, Unlad realized the potential for migrant savings to generate jobs and income for the unemployed and to support the livelihood of poor farmers and workers [at home in the Philippines]. Upcoming entrepreneurs and small enterprises also confront problems that usually cause their businesses to fail, such as lack of management skills, knowledge and technology. To counter these problems, Unlad [employs training sessions and ongoing project monitoring] towards [developing sustainable businesses that can] compete in a dynamic and challenging economic environment.

Since 1994, Unlad has been involved in migration at various levels, both in addressing its benefits and harnessing it as a tool for socio-economic development.

Through Unlad’s programs, products are created, jobs and incomes are generated, economic transactions in the community are stimulated, and migrant workers can come home with dignity. Since 1996, Unlad has expanded from assisting small trading enterprises such as sari-sari and supply stores to incubating larger enterprises such as food processing, free-range poultry production, and agribusiness production and processing.

Not everyone is born an entrepreneur, and Unlad goes to great lengths to reach out and educate migrants about the risks and rewards of investing. For those who chose to participate, training in savings strategies, business management, and investing is provided.

From left to right: Best Choice's manager, assistant, and Unlad's Executive Director, May-an Villalba, reminisce about Best Choice when it first stared

The idea is to arm returning migrants with the knowledge, skills, and support required to operate a successful business so they can be part of revitalizing the local economy instead of becoming a victim of it.

Successful Unlad projects include Best Choice, a coconut husk processing plant, a biodynamic farm, a rice center, and food processing as well as virgin coconut oil processing enterprises.

Social Entrepreneurship & Human Trafficking
You may be wondering what this has to do with human trafficking (trafficking). Why, if I am conducting a study on trafficking, would I spend my time interviewing an organization that deals not with migrants who have been enslaved, abused, and exploited but instead with those who have finished their overseas contracts and are returning home looking for ways to maximize their earnings?

Trafficking is the product of a number of factors including poverty, poor education, lack of jobs, feminization of migration, organized crime syndicates, government corruption, and low awareness of trafficking at all levels of society. One of the major factors driving migration, and as a result creating a large population that is susceptible to trafficking, is the lack of local job opportunities. Many communities in the Philippines are rife with unemployment, not from lack of demand or motivation but from lack of jobs. The urban centers such as Manila in the north and Davao in the south offer some possibilities, but the demand for jobs far outweighs the supply.

While jobs can be scarce in the Philippines, particularly to those who have not attended a big name university, the global market is hungry for low-skilled, low paying jobs such as domestic and agricultural work that may be viewed as undesirable to those living in the developed world. Globalization has brought countries and economies across the world closer together. A country like the Philippines, who’s economy is based largely on exporting labor, has reacted to this increased connectivity by meeting international demand for these low-skilled jobs.

While this provides opportunities for the unemployed, it also creates a large population of migrants who are vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation at the hands of dishonest recruiters, corrupt government officials, and scheming employers. Further, the nature of jobs like domestic work, where a woman is placed into the home of a family and potentially cut off from the outside world, creates a risky environment for the maid who can be abused by the employer away from the public eye.

Percentage of the Filipino population living below poverty line in 2003, by province. Provinces with darker shades have more people living below the poverty line.Source: Wikipedia

Trafficking is a problem that reflects a variety of issues in a culture and an economy such as a patriarchal society and widespread corruption. This is why a holistic approach to combating trafficking that includes social entrepreneurship is needed. Anything less would be incomplete.

While donations and charity are still needed to address socio-economic issues, social entrepreneurship and the services offered by Unlad are integral in stimulating the local economy and combating trafficking, potentially putting more than 10 billion dollars worth of annual remittances to productive use that could benefit individuals, communities and, if effective on a large enough scale, the country.

Transforming Waste into Profit
Three hours from Best Choice, down dirt rounds, past lines of banana and mango trees and blue-domed mosques with peeling paint, past countless posters promoting local politicians and the projects they have sponsored to drum up support for the coming election in May, past the eyes of countless vigilant cocks confidently strutting and curious half-clothed children, past military check points complete with guards armed with what looked like M-1 Garrands from the second world war, there lies a factory that has taken a formerly useless waste material and converted it into pure profit.

The material in question is coconut, the husks to be exact. Coconuts are harvested for their meat and juice, not for their hard shells, which traditionally are discarded to form heaps of what resemble brownish skulls.

Macabre imagery aside, Davao Oriental Coco Husk Social Enterprise Inc. (Davao Enterprise) is generating serious business. Processing coconut husks into fiber which is used to make anti-erosion nets (for which Unlad won an Ashoka Changemaker Award in 2005), handicrafts, wallpaper, bed fillings and more, Davao Enterprise has found a truly productive use for an abundantly cheap resource that was previously discarded and left to rot.

Launched in 2004, Davao Enterprise was incubated by Unlad and a local development NGO, Kalumonan Development Foundation. It is an example of an enterprise that corresponds to Unlad’s vision of social entrepreneurship: economically sustainable, gender-fair, protects the environment, practices accountability and transparency, and promotes the community’s health and well-being.

Photo by Bernice Roldan

With an onsite staff of 70, an additional 30 home-based artisans, and plans to expand, Davao Enterprise has been able to provide jobs in a community that has few other employment opportunities. Unlad was instrumental in getting Davao Enterprise off the ground and to this day continues to monitor the business and assess opportunities for growth and ways to further streamline the production process and improve efficiency.

Photo by Bernice Roldan

With production nearing 100 tons a month, demand for processed coco fiber is showing no sign of slowing—something that has not gone unnoticed by others. Indeed several other coco-processing factories have sprung up in the past few years, including one started by a local government official, giving Davao Enterprise a run for its money; however, the migrant-supported facility has managed to keep its edge through faster production. China has been one of the main destinations for this processed fiber where it is used to fill mattresses, although a market has emerged for coco fiber handicrafts and anti-erosion nets as well.

100% coco fiber handicrafts

Anti-erosion nets for which Unlad won an Ashoka Changemaker Award in 2005
Photo by Bernice Roldan

The processing plant is a lively place. Women laugh and gossip as they spin thread from the coco fiber. Nearby a dozen men are busy throwing coconuts onto a conveyor belt that moves slowly towards a grinder. Dust fills the air. Shirts cover mouths. Thousands of coconuts sit in patient silence, awaiting their turn. Trucks arrive sporadically with fresh shipments of husks. Processed fiber is packed into bales and stacked on top of one another like giant cubes of shredded wheat cereal.

Inside the factory store, rows of multi-colored handicrafts, from bowls to purses, fans to hats, fill the shelves, each with its unique blend of colors. The texture of the processed fiber is almost rubbery: soft and malleable to the touch yet with enough firmness to hold shape.

May-an, the Executive Director of Unlad, chats with the staff about equipment upgrades and maintenance work. There is discussion about renting an extra machine that will increase production but the plant will be essentially breaking even. This will, however, allow more people to work at the plant. “We should rent the additional machine,” says May-an. After all, this business has two forms of profit: monetary and social. The more staff are employed, the more money flows into the community: supporting families, putting food on the table, supporting education.

This is social capital.

Keeping production constant and increasing processing speed will be integral to staying competitive. There is no shortage of husks. The key is maintaining the machines so they can continue to produce ton after ton of processed fiber.

The processing plant bumps and shakes through the window of my van. The cracking and grinding of husks fade into the distance. It is time to head back. The drive home is spent discussing social entrepreneurship as a tool for social change: everything from blogs to online social networks, biodynamic farms to animal manure, apathy to activism, and dedication, delusion, and romanticism was touched on.

Photo by Bernice Roldan

Two Examples, One Blueprint
I sit in the lounge of my business hotel (free Wi-Fi) in downtown Davao after a day of visiting two Unlad-supported businesses. Sipping a San Mig Light (the Filipino equivalent of Bud Light) and pecking away at my laptop, my head spins from the possibilities and the excitement of seeing such an idealistic concept in the flesh. In many ways social entrepreneurship is idealistic, but this does not mean unrealistic. The concept is based on finding creative ways to address social issues. One interpretation would be running a business whose profit is measured not only in net monetary gain, but also social capital. Other examples of social entrepreneurship include reforming the school curriculum in India to reinforce the cultural identity of minority ethnic groups, working to provide electrical energy to impoverished rural areas in Brazil, or, like Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, usingmicrofinance as a gateway out of poverty for the poor in Bangladeshand beyond.

For Unlad, social entrepreneurship brings with it the promise of using migrant savings to revitalize the Filipino economy, inject much needed cash to poor communities, and create employment alternatives to the exodus that is labor migration.

Of course, like anything else, there are obstacles. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, ninety five percent of small businesses in the U.S. fail within the first five years. For Filipino migrants, who return home with their savings, generally to unemployment and with few viable options beyond reapplying to work abroad, sending a son/daughter who is old enough to be a nurse, domestic worker, or seafarer to the Middle East, Europe, Asia, or the United States, or depending on a cousin or uncle who is currently abroad, the need to generate income from savings is critical to a family’s ongoing financial well-being.

Businesses like Best Choice and Davao Enterprise offer only a taste of what can be achieved with savings and support provided by organizations like Unlad, even within an economy that offers few breaks and is often completely closed to the poor.

Social entrepreneurship is not the be-all end-all of the Philippines’ local economic woes, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. While the government and large corporations are strategizing on how to best maximize labor migration and cater to international markets, organizations like Unlad are pushing the concept of social entrepreneurship and encouraging the use of migrant savings in a way that fuels jobs, benefits the local economy, and ultimately helps lift people out of poverty and the financial vulnerability that allows trafficking to prosper.

Back Home
I return to Manila with a different feeling than what I’m used to after conducting four months worth of trafficking-related interviews. Usually I talk to anti-trafficking NGOs that, after describing their generally excellent programs and revealing an inhuman perseverance, lament about the state of the justice system, the state of the government, and the need for additional funding. These are real, serious issues that often put a damper on the work of NGOs in the face of scarce resources and overworked staff. This is not to say anti-trafficking NGOs in the Philippines do not experience successes—the passing of the anti-trafficking law in 2003, the local systems that have been established to identify, rescue, rehabilitate, and reintegrate trafficking victims, and the push towards creating more aware criminal justice and law enforcement agencies—are all tangible signs of progress that can firmly be accredited to NGOs. But hearing about social entrepreneurship and seeing the possibilities in the flesh was refreshing and uplifting.

It is inspiring knowing that through self-empowerment and providing an opportunity, determined Filipino migrant workers, many of whom took the risk of being trafficked by working abroad, are able to return home and build off of their earnings in a way that can, with enough momentum, help rebuild their country and economy one noodle, one fruit preserve, one coco fiber at a time.

Photo by Bernice Roldan

About the Author
Justin Hakuta is a U.S. Fulbright Scholar currently studying non-governmental organizations combating human trafficking in the Philippines. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University (2004, B.S. in Decision Science), Hakuta has worked as a researcher at the Midtown Community Court in New York City helping formulate policy to reform the criminal justice system and continues to pursue his interest in human rights and social entrepreneurship by collaborating with organizations like Unlad Kabayan.

Related Links
New York Times Magazine- A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves
Carnegie Mellon University News Blog

Deport or Legalize?

2007-05-09T20:22:00Z

With rising deportations and a split federal government on the issue of deportation versus legalization, some cities are taking control of this situation through local enforcements and disincentives. Amidst such national ambivalence on this matter, I’m proud to be a New Yorker and be part of a Council that recognizes the importance of immigrants and their role in fueling our local and national economy:

IMMIGRATION REFORM RESOLUTION

The Council will introduce a resolution urging Congress to institute comprehensive immigration reform. The Council's resolution supports policy changes that would provide legalization, family unification, and ultimately create a path to citizenship for hardworking immigrants. Furthermore, the Council supports the implementation of laws that will protect the rights of all workers and restore fundamental due process and civil rights in order to promote full civic participation and the integration of immigrants. New York City has an estimated 625,000 undocumented immigrants.

Congress is currently considering the Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy (STRIVE) Act of 2007, which is a significant step towards comprehensive immigration reform. Representatives Joseph Crowley and Nydia Velazquez of New York are among the co-sponsors of this bill.

“New York City continues to rely on the hard work of immigrants who have been our city’s backbone for generations,” said Speaker Quinn. “Misguided immigration policies have a terrible impact on families, neighborhoods and communities. I join my colleagues in urging Congress to make real immigration reform a priority.”

“This vital piece of federal legislation is the first step in comprehensive immigration reform,” said Immigration Committee Chair Kendall Stewart. “I applaud the members of the House for putting partisan politics aside and focusing on an issue that affects millions of people across our country.”

“The STRIVE Act of 2007, introduced by Congressmen Luis Gutiérrez and Jeff Flake, demonstrates that congressional bipartisan support for comprehensive immigration reform is achievable. As a country, we can no longer stand by and be party to policies and practices that tear families apart and erode fundamental civil liberties,” said Council member Melissa Mark Viverito.

“More than any other place in the world, New York shows us that immigrants make our economy and our country stronger in so many ways,” said New York Immigration Coalition Executive Director Chung-Wha Hong. “Every day that passes without comprehensive immigration reform is a day that raids and deportations tear apart families, disrupt our economy and create a growing humanitarian crisis across the nation. We need immigration policies that recognize the contributions of every immigrant and encourage the kind of growth and revitalization that happen when immigrants are welcomed as part of our communities.”

Is Immigration a Local Matter?

2007-03-13T15:31:00Z

Since early 2006, the Mayor of Hazleton, a small city in Pennsylvania, has championed the Illegal Immigration Relief Act, requesting his city to ban all illegal immigrants and using disincentives for landlords and business owners to achieve this goal. Their local council and the Mayor passed this along with a local declaration stating that English is their city’s official language. The Mayor was quoted last year calling illegal immigrants a burden in his city and also added that illegal immigrants cause higher crime rates (http://www.smalltowndefenders.com/public/node/10).

Now, this city will be facing a federal lawsuit, challenged by ACLU and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, for possible “discriminatory and overreaching” intentions. In other words, can local legislative bodies set immigration & migration policies?

See the excerpt from the NY Times below …

March 13, 2007 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/13/us/13hazleton.html

City’s Immigration Restrictions Go on Trial (New York Times)

By JULIA PRESTON

SCRANTON, Pa., March 12 — In a test case about the power of cities to crack down on illegal immigration, a federal trial opened here Monday in which municipal restrictions in Hazleton, Pa., are being challenged as discriminatory and overreaching.

City officials in Hazleton were the first in the country to adopt ordinances intended to drive away illegal immigrants by punishing local landlords for renting to them and employers for giving them jobs. The restrictions, which have yet to take effect, have been imitated by at least 80 towns and cities.

“The city has responded rationally to a very real threat,” Kris W. Kobach, a law professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, said in the opening statement on behalf of Hazleton. Mr. Kobach described a surge in violent crime and gang warfare since 2005 that city officials attribute to a growing population of illegal immigrants.

The trial, before Judge James M. Munley of Federal District Court, is the result of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund. It is the first challenge to the municipal ordinances across the country to be heard in a federal trial.

The rights groups say the ordinances encourage discrimination against Hispanic residents, violate federal and state housing laws, and overstep the powers of a local government to deal with immigration, which has been almost exclusively a federal matter.

Witold Walczak, the legal director for the Pennsylvania A.C.L.U., said Hazleton did not have the authority to inquire into its residents’ immigration status. “Law regarding immigration can and must be passed only by Congress,” Mr. Walczak said in an opening statement, warning that the ordinances could unleash racial vendettas in which neighbors would make complaints about Hispanic residents based on their appearance.

Judge Munley’s ruling could be a major marker of how far local governments can go to limit illegal immigration. In another closely watched case, a state court judge in St. Louis on Monday struck down similar employment and housing laws adopted by Valley Park, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis.

In that case, the blunt ruling by the judge, Barbara W. Wallace, means that “as a matter of state law, no city in Missouri should be doing this,” said Linda M. Martínez, one of the lawyers who brought the challenge.

Most of the ordinances that followed Hazleton’s have faced state and federal challenges. So far, not one of the tougher measures has gone into effect, according to a roster compiled by the Puerto Rican rights group.

After first adopting the ordinances last July, Hazleton revised them several times in response to questions raised by opponents. City officials announced another revision on Monday, saying they would eliminate two words that appeared to leave open the possibility that complaints could be brought against tenants solely on racial grounds.

Hazleton’s mayor, Louis J. Barletta, the driving force behind the laws, said his basic purpose remained the same: to make Hazleton hostile territory for illegal immigrants.

“Illegal is illegal,” Mr. Barletta said in an interview. “There is no race in illegal.”

Mr. Barletta said he was spurred to action last year by the daytime shooting death of a Hazleton man, Derek Kichline, in which two illegal immigrants have been accused.

One ordinance withholds business licenses from employers who knowingly hire illegal workers. Another requires all tenants to register with City Hall, presenting proof of identification that the authorities can check against federal databases.

Mr. Barletta said that some Hispanic businesses had complained of losing customers and that some immigrants had moved away.

“We witnessed many people leaving in the dark of night,” he said. “We have to assume they were illegal aliens.”

Testifying against Hazleton, José Luis Lechuga, a legal Mexican immigrant who said he had lived in the city for 16 years, recounted how his grocery specializing in tortillas and chorizo and his restaurant with home-cooked tacos had failed in recent months. “Many people did not want to come to Hazleton anymore because they did not feel safe,” Mr. Lechuga testified. Hazleton residents “look at us as enemies now.”

Under cross-examination by a Hazleton lawyer, Harry G. Mahoney, Mr. Lechuga confirmed that his financial troubles had started well before the ordinances were passed, and he acknowledged that many of his customers might have been illegal immigrants.

Still, the court testimony left an impression of a harsh social change in Hazleton for some Hispanic residents.

“I saw a lot of fear” after the laws were adopted, said one resident, Agapito López, a retired ophthalmologist. “It was hurting my people. Latinos are a family.”

Judge Munley ruled Friday that the illegal immigrants who were plaintiffs in the case did not have to appear in court but could present their depositions as evidence, meaning they would not face cross-examination.

Last year, Hazleton also adopted an ordinance making English the city’s official language. That law is the subject of a temporary restraining order issued by Judge Munley, but it is not at issue in this trial.

Is the glass ceiling still there??

2007-03-13T02:29:00Z

For first generation immigrants, there are often common barriers related to language & cultural differences. But what about the 1.5, 2nd, and even 3rd generation immigrants? When do they stop becoming an immigrant and just a citizen? If you don't "look American," you will always be asked "where you are from." And if that person replies, "I'm from New Jersey," 99 out of 100 times, the following response will be, "no, where are you really from??" There was an interesting article in the NY Times last week about the emergence of Asian-adopted jewish girls going through bat-mitzvahs (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/08/nyregion/08batmitzvah.html?_r=1&oref=slogin) and I wonder whether they would be treated like second-class Americans when they grow up. The underlying point to all this is that as long as mainstream America continues to ask, "where are you really from," the glass ceiling will always be there.

How do you feel about this topic? Also, please take a second to take this poll.

introspecting migration

2007-03-12T07:35:00Z

My first post to the migration series is a personal contribution on the topic from a person who is an American, a son of immigrants, and a young man who not too long ago went home to better understand his roots.

Ones environment has indelible influence on a person and colors the lens through which we view the world. And for Americans, this is a view of power, privilege, what is ours, and what everybody else wants (which is what we have).

Naturally, this is a vast generalization, and there is of course a wide spectrum of opinion and even disagreement. Acknowledging this, I still sense that in America, the door of migration is more closed than open, and immigration is perceived to be more bad, than good.

Surprisingly, even “new” Americans, or recent immigrants, adopt this perspective and form prejudices against those from other ethnic groups trying to follow. There have been a number of sociological studies indicating that instead of being sympathetic and supportive of prospective immigrants, new Americans can be wary.

With this as a backdrop, immigration was an issue that I did not care about growing up, and if forced to answer would be hesitant to support. It was not until I traveled to my parent’s homeland to live for a year that my perspective on migration was turned on its head.

Through the migration series, I hope to share what I’ve learned (there’s too much to write about in this first blog) and to hopefully provide insight from a person with my background. For some, I’m sure what I’m going to write may be sadly elementary, but consider that I’m probably more knowledgeable than the larger body of Americans on migration issues. And for others, maybe you’ll find it fresh and worthy of debate. Either way, I’m game for whatever.

I look forward to the possibilities.

Should Immigrants Oppose the War?

2007-03-10T16:04:00Z

For many of us who have immigrated here, the United States remains a place of hope and security. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Americans who stood up and fought for the rights and privileges we often take for granted. From Thomas Paine to Frederick Douglass

to the countless activists in the labor and civil rights movements who sacrificed their lives to hold America to its promise, there is an obligation for us to give back as well.

Yet, how far should this obligation take us? Should immigrants take up arms and participate in the invasion and occupation of Iraq? Must our debt of gratitude be paid back with our blood and the blood of others? For many immigrants, there are few options. Already, a large segment of our armed forces are composed of immigrants -- some of whom have joined out of patriotism; while many have joined out of necessity.

Where do you stand?

For those of you in New York, check out tonight's immigration forum on the war:

Saturday, March 10
6:00-8:00pm
TERRAZA Café
40-19 Gleane St. Elmhurst, NY
(just south of Roosevelt between 83rd & 84th streets)
Subway: 7 train to 82^nd St.--expect construction-related detours & delays
Program in Spanish with English translation
Organized by the World Can't Wait Coalition

announcing the launch of the migration series!

2007-03-09T23:04:00Z

welcome to the launch of the migration series!

the migration series is a new initiative and a fresh approach to community blogging and discussions. technically, the migration series is a community blog... managed by no one, and owned by everyone.

its mission is to raise awareness and promote dialogue about migration / immigration issues that have come center-stage around the planet as humans are migrating at levels never before seen. why is this happening? how should migrants be received and treated? what are the implications for the communities that they join, as well as the ones they have left behind?

the migration series is a vehicle to discuss and debate these issues with the hope of building perspective to counteract the myths, fears, and questions that sometimes cloud this debate.

participate in the migration series today and 1) write a blog post, 2) share photos related to migration on our community gallery, or 3) bring discussions to the forums for more active discussions

the migration series and grooted.org, social change... groundUP!