Proposed laws to limit immigration worry students and faculty

The public demonstrations and congressional debates now raging over proposed immigration reform may seem far removed from Seattle, but for some UW faculty and students, the issue hits very close to home.

"A lot of the things students take for granted come from immigrant workers," said senior Edgar Flores. "Produce, construction work, restaurant work, landscaping ... a lot of students don't know how much is done by immigrants. They also pay lots of taxes and get very little in return."

Flores is an officer of UW's chapter of MEChA, a nationwide Latino student organization. When the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill with provisions to tighten border security and provide amnesty for undocumented workers, MEChA and other Latino organizations began a campaign of demonstrations and educational events to make their views on the issue known.

For foreign exchange students, one of the proposed laws could make a major difference.

A proposal to the Senate Judiciary Committee by Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) would eliminate the requirement for foreign exchange students to prove they plan to return to their native countries after completing their exchange programs.

Specter wishes to create a new international student visa category for students seeking advanced degrees in so-called STEM disciplines -- science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Holders of this visa would be permitted to seek employment in the United States after graduation.

"We have hopes that certain pieces of legislation will go through and that others will not go through," said Curt DeVere, director of the UW's Office of International Students and Scholars (ISS). "If students in STEM disciplines were exempt from the immigration intent policy, it would be very helpful to us. But if the legislation passed is too heavily enforcement-minded, it could make folks who want to come from overseas to study here feel unwelcome."

Mary Callahan, a professor in the Jackson School of International Studies, feels that many participants in the immigration debate are looking at the issue with the wrong frame of mind.

"People cross borders," Callahan said. "Sometimes they do it to be with their families, sometimes they do it to earn a living. Anything that interferes with people's movement interferes with economic growth. My students used to look at immigration mostly in terms of black and white, legal and illegal, but I think that in the past few years students have come to see how the United States' approval of immigrants contributes to its economy. "

Like DeVere, Callahan feels that stricter criminal penalties for unauthorized entry into the United States will make prospective exchange students feel unwelcome. She said students should take it upon themselves to learn about the issues surrounding immigration since policy changes will have ripple effects throughout the country. Flores agrees.

"Students need more information on this subject," Flores said. "They may think immigration is bad because they don't look at the bigger picture and see that immigrants take lots of jobs that Americans won't bother to take. This country was founded on a basis of immigration."

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