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State Representative Jeanne Poppe
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4193
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
NEWS COLUMN
Local students' national award sheds light on issue of immigration
Anthony Hernandez and Dustin Gillard, both sophomores at Austin High School, were recently awarded the Grand Prize in the national C-SPAN StudentCam video competition for their documentary "Anywhere, U.S.A.: The controversy of a small town". The video is about border control, the hot-button issue that has spurred wide debate across our state and nation.
I want to offer my congratulations to both Anthony and Dustin. Their video is an insightful, revealing story in which I was pleased to play a small role. As a state legislator, I am aware of the highly charged reaction the immigration issue is getting across the nation. There are many dimensions and many of them elicit strong emotions.
According to the Pew Hispanic Center, there are between 55,000 and 85,000 unauthorized immigrants in Minnesota. The large disparity in the number gives some indication of how difficult it is to accurately estimate the illegal immigrant population. Most of them came here to find employment, while some were brought here by their parents as young children. Whatever the case may be, they are here and we are challenged now to move forward.
There are some people who believe this topic is being brought forward for political reasons, meant to distract from other more important issues. While there may be a few politicians who will use immigration as a wedge issue in the upcoming campaign, I believe we must have an honest dialogue and discussion, without the heat of politics and partisanship. This debate is going to say a lot about who we are and what this country is going to look like for years to come. That's particularly true in our part of the state, not only because so many of our businesses employ workers who are recent immigrants, but also because the immigrant experience is part of our heritage.
As Americans, we are proud of our rich tradition of open doors and open arms. Since the beginning of our country, we have been viewed as the land of freedom and opportunity and our own ancestors came to this country with those same goals. It is this rich tradition of diversity that has made our country great, and continues to make us great. You don't have to look any further than downtown Austin to see the new businesses that reflect our cultural diversity and help to improve our community.
While I am supportive of some policies to control the number of immigrants entering this country each year and sending some undocumented immigrants home, we have to proceed with caution. For instance, I don't think it's wise to support a federal proposal that would make it a felony to be in our country illegally. The majority of these men and women have not come here to do us harm, but rather to share in the American dream. I was pleased to learn that this bill is not being pursued at the national level due to lack of support.
There are a number of proposals being considered that approach this issue in a more positive light. They include an income tax credit to offset the costs of learning English and applying for citizenship, expansion of the number of visas and employment-based green cards issued by federal immigration officials for high-tech fields, and grants to provide "work-readiness English language instruction" for recent immigrants. By focusing on these kinds of solutions, we can help workers become responsible citizens in our communities.
I also think it's important that we focus not just on problems of immigration, but also its benefits, both to our economy and our communities. Earlier this fall, the Governor released a report on the cost of undocumented workers to the state. The report drew a great deal of fire because it looked only at a narrow band of costs and didn't factor in any of the economic benefits. For example, those 55-85,000 undocumented workers who are estimated to be here contribute an estimated $1 billion in tax revenue to the state and $1.56 billion in additional net value to the Minnesota economy.
Realistically, there isn't a lot that we can do at the state level to address this issue. It is a federal policy that is broken, and Congress needs to fix it. We cannot monitor or control borders and we don't set national policy. At this point in time, it seems more beneficial to ask how we might help current foreign workers get the proper paperwork needed to become legal and productive members of our community.
This debate is important and we need to continue it in a thoughtful, respectful and constructive manner. Please feel free to contact me with your suggestions and feedback. I can be reached by phone at 1-888-682-3180 or 1-651-296-4193, by mail at 231 State Office Building, 100 Martin Luther King Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155 or via e-mail at the above address. If you are interested in receiving my weekly session e-newsletter, please email me at rep.jeanne.poppe@house.mn and your name will be added to our list. If you would like to stay more closely in touch with what is happening at the legislature, visit my website at http://www.house.mn/27B or the House of Representatives website at www.house.mn.
News Items
- POPPE SELECTED AS AGRICULTURE POLICY COMMITTEE CHAIR - (Posted: 2012-11-16 00:00:00)
- Rep. Jeanne Poppe Encourages High School Juniors to Apply for Minnesota House of Representatives Page Program - Application Deadline is November 19th - (Posted: 2012-11-12 00:00:00)
- HORMEL INSTITUTE EXPANSION SIGNED INTO LAW - 2012 legislative session adjourns sine die - (Posted: 2012-05-11 00:00:00)
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