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Panelists with diverse experience and observations on immigration came together for a lively discussion on the issue Wednesday night at an Independent Forum hosted by The Independent, KUNM and KNME.
The Independent’s Trip Jennings moderated a panel of experts, while KUNM’s Jim Williams posed questions from the studio audience and readers watching the webcast. Here’s a summary of the conversation.
“New Mexico has some of the most sensible immigrants’ rights policies in the country,” said Marcela Diaz, an immigrants’ rights advocate with Somos Un Pueblo Unido.
Although violence is a problem on the border, New Mexico is different from other states for reasons including our low population density, state Rep. Dennis Kintigh, R-Roswell, a former FBI special agent, told the forum attendees.
“In many ways, the New Mexico border has less of a trafficking culture…because we don’t have the same populations so close to the border,” Rep. Kintigh said. “There is a huge open territory between the border and the developed areas…so there’s a disconnect there from the true border.”
Despite the focus on violence in border states, Diaz said immigrants are not causing crime, pointing to a recent Cato Institute report that said “foreign-born (both legal and illegal immigrants) are less likely to commit crimes than the native-born.”
But Kintigh said it’s important to acknowledge that residents along the border to have legitimate concerns about the safety of their families.
We have to ask: “What value do we place on the life of the lawful residents of this country?” Kintigh said.
Many immigrants don’t want to stay permanently; rates are steady
Even though we’re talking about it more, immigration has not skyrocketed across the board, said Prof. DiGregorio.
“Really, immigration has increased over a series of decades but in recent years it’s actually been declining…our rates today are pretty comparable to historic rates if you look at the history of the country,” he told the panel.
And many immigrants only want to come and stay long enough to earn enough money to achieve goals at home.
“We like to think people are all coming here because they want a piece of the American dream and they want to live here permanently. … Usually the dream is: ‘I’m going to go there…save up money…send that home over time…and the end is, I go back home and maybe open up a little store or something,’” Diaz said. Immigrants save much of their income and send it home, she noted.
Kintigh said that pattern of migration should be taken into account when developing immigration policy. And later, Diaz applaunded Kintigh for calling on Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform.
“So many individuals wanted to go home for Christmas, or for the holidays…this is an area where I think the whole concept of the visiting worker needs to be looked at and addressed, so individuals can…come, pursue their dreams…and go home and open their own business,” Kintigh said as Diaz nodded.
“We don’t have a good enough policy to address the number of people who want to come in and go back. There has been historically a flow back and forth…but in the last 20 years we’ve seen a tripling of undocumented immigrants settling in this country and growing roots because they don’t have the opportunity to go back and forth,” Diaz said.
“How do we do this in an orderly, fair, respectful manner?” Kintigh asked. “One of the frustrations is hey, they jumped the line but there are others who have been waiting,” to immigrate legally.
But the lottery for legal immigration is less than 50,000 for a country of 300 million, DiGregorio said.
“People recognize that immigrant community members came in without documentation and we’re willing to do what the government is asking us to do in order to stay,” Diaz said, adding “all we’re asking for is a path for legal immigration.”
Drivers licenses for illegal immigrants
Moderator Jim Williams posed this question, asked by an audience member: “What’s wrong with every driver being licensed and having insurance, regardless of their immigration status?” prompting Rep. Kintigh to reflect on how driver’s licenses have evolved over the years.
“When I got my drivers license it was a piece of paper with my name and things on it. It didn’t have a picture, it wasn’t laminated and it wasn’t plastic. But drivers licences have changed,” he said, explaining that they’ve evolved into a vital piece of identification that tells law enforcement: ”Who are you?”
“In the end we have drivers licenses so we know people can drive safely and we have their records,” Diaz said, noting that lawmakers voted to give drivers licenses to non-citizens for public safety reasons.
“We want to bring immigrants into society…so they can go to banks and they’re not stuffing money under mattresses,” DiGregorio said.
But Kintigh brought the conversation back to driver’s licences and asked why it’s not OK for local law enforcement officers to ask for proof of citizenship.
“That would certainly be an anti-public safety measure,” Diaz said.
But why not allow law enforcement to ask everyone where are you from, Kintigh wanted to know. Why is it not OK to ask, “What are you doing here?” Kintigh said, gesturing to DiGregorio.
“I don’t get asked that. I’m white,” DiGregorio said.
