A presentation by Alejandra C. and Jagpal G. Undocumented Immigration

The Problem “Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." These words are engraved on our Statue of Liberty and have been the hope and the invitation for countless immigrants. Do those words still hold meaning in our minds? Or are they just words representing a time when the US was more welcoming. An economy in recession. No jobs. Rising cost of living. These are the fears of many people in America. Discrimination. Random searches. Fear of deportation. Separation from families. These are the fears that plague the undocumented along with the ones mentioned earlier. But even though they are here illegally, the undocumented immigrants have certain basic human rights. The problem is, not many of those undocumented are aware of their rights and it is time that they learn and we must do something to protect the lives of those in our community.

Statistics Mexican:33% Other Latin American Countries:22% Asian:13% Europe & Canada: 6% Elsewhere: 3% The majority of those reside in the State of California. About 30,000 people are detained in detention centers awaiting deportation on any day. 2.4 million undocumented kids with uncertain futures through no fault of their own. 65,000 graduate high school each year. In 2004, 17 undocumented valedictorians graduated from high school.

Proposal AB540: This law allows undocumented students who qualify, to attend college with in- state tuition instead of out-of-state, which is much more expensive. We ask the City of Bell Gardens to educate students and parents about their opportunities. Scholarships: Scholarships would assist the students, no matter how much, in paying for college, whether it be just for books or personal expenses. We ask the City of Bell Gardens to raise funding to provide some sort of scholarships that do not ask for their residency status. DREAM ACT: The Dream Act would allow undocumented children to go to college and would create a path to legal residency through a period of six years, in which they must remain in “good standing” and continue their education. We ask the City of Bell Gardens to pass a resolution supporting this act.

Civic Action’s Already Taken Presentation/Survey to Raise Awareness: We presented the purpose of our project and our intentions to a class of students in Bell Gardens Intermediate. We then asked students about their opinions on the undocumented immigrant fiasco. Among those included in our survey are students from BGI and BGHS as wells as a few teachers and parents. Petition to Raise Awareness: Again we presented our project to several classes in Bell Gardens High School and asked for support for the City Council Meeting.

Created Community Involvement: We included other students to assist us in our project such as the video. Other students also became involved in Ricardo Lara’s campaign, in which we called community residents to inform them of Ricardo Lara’s campaign for Assembly member from the 50 th district. Lara is a strong supporter of the immigrant cause (in fact he was one of the two who penned the AB540 Bill). So we ask our community to become activists and to voice their opinions. Community Involvement

Civic Actions yet to be taken Present proposal to City of Bell Gardens: We are collaborating with City Council member Sergio Infanzon in order to construct a proposal that will be included in the agenda at the July 26 th city council meeting. We also intend to get in contact with those who signed our petition to ask them to come support us at the council meeting. Brochure: We intend to design a brochure that will be distributed at important city events, such as Neighborhood Watch and National Night Out, to raise awareness of this issue. Website: We also intend to create a website that offers information about immigrant rights, AB540, the Dream Act, and other workshops or activities that will be taking place for this cause. This website will be in collaboration with other issues that are affecting our society.

Proposed Agenda June 1: Meeting June 21: Councilmember Sergio Infanzon submits request to staff (MEMO) to include Resolution in the agenda. If item is going to be included, contact potential sponsors to cover printing cost. June 10-21: Work on design and content of brochure June 21: Send press release; work on template for brochure (include potential activities in brochure such as quarterly/monthly workshops and forums, festivals, Neighborhood Watch Program) June 24: Send brochures to immigration attorney’s office July 26: City Council Meeting; discuss Resolution June 28-July 1: Print Brochure Develop Community Outreach Strategy

And what happens? Economists agree that immigration has a beneficial impact on the economy in the long term. Adam Davidson argues that wages for low-skilled workers go down but this results in lower costs for restaurant meals, agricultural production and construction. So with our proposal the fears that plague our immigrants will decrease as well as raising their morale with the thought that at least the City of Bell Gardens does support the immigrant dream.

What Can You Do? If an undocumented immigrant were to be confronted in a situation where they are asked to produce valid identification or answer questions regarding their status in the US they: Have the right to remain silent as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. They are not required to give more than their true name. Only a judge can require more information. A search warrant is required to search private property. If a warrant is not provided you can refuse the search. Everyone has the right to see a lawyer; so an immigration officer cannot continue to question you if you ask for a lawyer.