Citizenship vs. legal status
The Pew Research Center surveyed 701 Hispanic and 802 Asian-American adults — both U.S.-born and foreign-born — by phone in October and November. Pew did not ask the respondents about their legal status in the U.S. Here is what the respondents said:
It is more important for immigrants living illegally in the U.S. to be able to live and work in the U.S. legally without the threat of deportation.
Hispanics
All: 55 percent
U.S.-born: 48 percent
Foreign-born: 61 percent
Asian-Americans
All: 49 percent
U.S.-born: 53 percent
Foreign-born: 48 percent
It is more important to have a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who meet the requirements.
Hispanics
All: 35 percent
U.S.-born: 44 percent
Foreign-born: 27 percent
Asian-Americans
All: 44 percent
U.S.-born: 42 percent
Foreign-born: 44 percent
Deep coverage
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has been covering the national debate over immigration from Georgia to the U.S.-Mexican borders in the Southwest. Read more of the AJC’s coverage here: http://www.myajc.com/s/news/on-the-border/
Proposals for giving illegal immigrants a pathway to U.S. citizenship have become a major sticking point in the congressional debate over revamping the immigration system.
Opponents say this congressional legislation would reward lawbreakers and encourage more illegal immigration. Supporters say the measures would boost the nation’s economy by bringing vulnerable people out of the shadows.
But the majority of Hispanics and Asian-Americans don’t view a pathway to citizenship as the top priority for immigrants living illegally in the U.S., according to a pair of Pew Research Center surveys to be released Thursday.
Of those polled, 55 percent of Hispanics and 49 percent of Asian-Americans said being able to legally live and work in the U.S. without the threat of deportation is more important than citizenship. Smaller percentages said citizenship is more important, according to the surveys, which were conducted by telephone in October and November.
The survey results are significant because they indicate there could be space for more agreement in Congress next year.
“There may be room for compromise, either on the legislative front or even possibly as some advocates have asked the president to do — to use his executive power to stop deportations,” said Mark Hugo Lopez, director of Hispanic research for the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan polling organization based in Washington.
Pew surveyed 701 Hispanic and 802 Asian-American adults — both U.S.-born and foreign-born — by phone. Pew did not ask the respondents about their legal status in the U.S.
Bipartisan immigration bills that would create a route to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants remain stalled in Congress. The House and Senate proposals would require applicants to learn English, submit to background checks and pay fees, penalties and any federal tax liabilities.
House Republican leaders are refusing to take up those measures, dismissing them as “amnesty” for lawbreakers. They are instead taking a piecemeal approach with smaller immigration bills, some focused on border security and immigration enforcement.
Critics say legalizing illegal immigrants and granting them work permits could displace U.S. workers.
“Their presence in the workforce depresses the labor market,” said Roy Beck, the executive director of Numbers USA, a nonprofit that supports lower immigration levels. “It either totally displaces certain workers or it drives down the wages.”
Supporters say just the opposite. They contend providing a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants would sharply reduce the federal deficit and boost the labor force, wages and U.S. gross domestic product, a measure of economic growth
Interviews with 10 immigrants living without legal status across Georgia revealed a range of opinions on the subject.
Delia Dominguez illegally entered the U.S. in the late 1990s, fleeing poverty in Mexico. She now lives in Cobb County and works in a warehouse, assembling dog beds. A mother with six children, Dominguez said she would like to become a U.S. citizen. But she is most concerned with finding a way to legally remain with her large family in the U.S.
“I live with fear that at any moment they could deport me to Mexico,” she said in Spanish as one of her sons interpreted for her.
Raymond Partolan of Macon has received a two-year reprieve from deportation. Partolan said he and his parents legally came to the U.S. from the Philippines when he was an infant, but they overstayed their visas. Partolan, who wants to become a U.S. citizen, sees the issue as a matter of fairness for illegal immigrants who are working and paying taxes but are not eligible for the same benefits as U.S. citizens.
Partolan also sees the limits of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which granted him his temporary reprieve from deportation. The program allows immigrants like him to receive work permits and remain legally in the U.S. for two-year increments. But it does not provide them with a path to legal permanent residency or citizenship. Nor does it make them eligible for state or federal financial college aid.
“There exists this seemingly permanent underclass of American society,” said Partolan, the Student Government Association president at Mercer University. “We are contributing equally to the U.S. economy and to the American society, but we are not afforded the same benefits as anyone else.”
Ninety-three percent of Hispanic immigrants who are not U.S. citizens want to become citizens, according to a nationwide survey the Pew Research Center conducted last year. Yet, only 46 percent of Hispanic immigrants who are eligible to naturalize — or become U.S. citizens — have done so, the center found in an analysis of government data.
The costs to naturalize and the English language test turn off some immigrants, Lopez said. The filing fee is $595 plus an $85 fee for a biometric check, though the government can waive fees for people with financial hardships.
Martin Lopez of Atlanta was illegally brought to the U.S. from Mexico when he was a child. He has received a two-year deportation deferral. Lopez said he probably would apply for U.S. citizenship if he could. But he is focused on protecting his parents, who are living illegally in Georgia.
“With me, I would just be happy if my mom and my dad were able to get licenses to drive without the threat of having them in a detention center,” said Lopez, who is now studying at Syracuse University in New York.
Osvaldo Flores of Union City was illegally brought from Mexico to the U.S. when he was 3 years old. Flores now considers the U.S. his home and wants to go to college and study nursing and international relations here. He said he can’t afford to do so without some financial aid for college. Flores, who has received a two-year deportation deferral, wants to become a U.S. citizen.
“I was raised here,” Flores said. “I am involved in politics, so I actually would like to vote. I would like to travel. I would like to get involved fully — 100 percent — with everything everyone else does.”
Silvia Carrera of Woodstock said living with a two-year reprieve from deportation has been like living in limbo. Her work permit and deportation deferral last only two years, though she may reapply for them.
“It takes away some of the fear — but not completely,” said Carrera, who was illegally brought from Mexico to the U.S. when she was 5. Like Flores, Carrera considers the U.S. her home and wants to become a U.S. citizen. “It’s the only country I’ve known.”
