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28 February 2008
Asian American Lawyer Discusses Immigrants, 2008 Elections
Ask America webchat transcript, February 26
Deepa Iyer, lawyer and executive director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), answered questions in a February 26 webchat on the impact of immigrants on the 2008 elections.
Following is the transcript:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of International Information Programs
Ask America Webchat Transcript
Immigrants and the 2008 Elections
Guest: Deepa Iyer
Date: February 26, 2008
Time: 8:00 a.m. EST (1300 GMT)
Deepa Iyer, South Asian Americans Leading Together
Moderator: Welcome to our webchat! We look forward to hearing from you--please submit your questions now or during the live webchat
Nothing will appear on this screen until the live chat begins today at 1300 GMT.
Deepa Iyer: Hello. It’s a pleasure to be here today to speak with you all about immigrants in the United States, and how they will affect the upcoming elections in November. I am the director of an organization called South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)[http://www.saalt.org/], which advocates around civil rights and immigrant rights issues facing the South Asian community in the United States. I look forward to a discussion about the experiences of immigrants in the United States, their role in the upcoming election, and how immigrants are being treated.
I want to start just with some quick statistics. You can find these statistics and others at the Migration Policy Institute website’s data hub. [http://www.migrationpolicy.org/]
-USA population: a little over 300 million people
-Foreign-born population in US in 2006: 12.5% of total US population (around 37 million)
-Where are immigrants coming from (2006):
Mexico (30.7%)
Philippines (4.4%)
China (4.1%)
India (4%)
Vietnam
El Salvador
Korea
Cuba
Canada
United Kingdom
These 10 countries are source of over 58% of immigrants residing in US in 2006.
Question [Chat Participant]: Hello. We are from Dushanbe Deafschool #8.
We think every country has their immigrants but as for America we are sure that there a lot of immigrants from all countries. We read from books that the main immigrants are from Mexico. Nowadays there will be the immigrants from other countries too. America is a big develop country and every have opportunity to find work there.
We have a question: Can the immigrants vote in elections too? What do they think about American politics?
Deaf students from Dushanbe. Thanks.
Answer [Deepa Iyer]: Welcome! The US actually is the top country in the world with the largest number of migrants. It is followed by the Russian Federation, Germany and France.
You are right in that Mexican immigrants comprise the largest foreign-born population in the United States - about 31% of the foreign-born population is from Mexico. Following Mexico are the Asian countries (Philippines; China; India; Vietnam and Korea).
Q [IRC Cairo: Amgd Adle]: do the new Immigrate has the right to vote and if not when could he vote?
A [Deepa Iyer]: A few of you have been asking about the rights of immigrants to vote in America. Here is a brief answer:
In order to be able to vote, an immigrant has to first become a US citizen. How do you become a US citizen? First, an immigrant has to become a permanent resident of the United States. This is also known as getting your “green card.”
You can get a green card in four ways: (1) by being connected to a family member who is a US citizen or green card holder; (2) by being sponsored by an employer; (3) by adjusting your status from being an asylee or refugee; or (4) by participating in the diversity visa lottery.
What happens once you get the green card?
Once you have a green card, you have to wait 5 years before you can apply to become a naturalized citizen. You then have to pass an exam to show your knowledge of English and civics.
Q [Fox Mulder]: I am a Chinese university student, I have obtained the bachelor degree of civil engineering. I read much about your country, including culture, military, education, and so on. But because of the policy your government, it's very difficult to Chinese to be a immigrant of the U.S. I wanna know whether this situation could be changed in future?
A [Deepa Iyer]: Over 1 million people came to the US in 2006 on student visas. Immigrants face many challenges when they come to the US – they are in a different culture; they might have problems understanding or speaking English; and they sometimes face harassment or mistreatment. Your immigrant experience will also depend on where you live – if you are in an area like California, New York, Florida, Texas or Illinois, which have the highest numbers of immigrants, you might find a support network to rely on.
Many universities have associations and programs to help international students adjust to their new life in America. Make sure to do your research and identify the support networks that might exist at the university or in the community. Good luck!
Q [Chat Participant]: SAALT--what is purpose of this group?
A [Deepa Iyer]: SAALT stands for South Asian Americans Leading Together. We are a national, non-profit organization with an office in the Washington DC area. SAALT's goal is two-fold: we aim to inform South Asians in the United States about their rights and about issues affecting us as immigrants and minorities; and we aim to inform policymakers, media and the general public about the South Asian community.
When we use the word "South Asian," we mean people who trace their background to Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, as well as the groups of immigrants who settled in places like the Caribbean, Africa and Canada before coming to America. You can find more on SAALT at www.saalt.org and you can sign up for our listserve there. In the past five years, our work has focused on raising awareness around post 9/11 issues; immigrant rights; and civic engagement.
Q [Chat Participant]: "immigrants and 2008 election" what group of migrants is the most influential in 2008 election? What influence south asians have on 2008 election?
A [Deepa Iyer]: You've asked which group of citizens can be most influential in the 2008 elections. Since 2004, we have all been looking closely at the Latino community to assess the voting patterns.
According to the Pew Hispanic Center, Latinos are the nation’s largest and fastest growing minority group. There are 46 million Latinos in the United States and they make up about 15% of the U.S. population. In 2008, Latinos will comprise about 9% of the eligible electorate nationwide.
Can Latinos be a swing vote? Perhaps in some areas. Latinos are heavily affiliated with the Democratic Party according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
You also asked about whether and how South Asians can influence the 2008 elections. There are about 2.5 million South Asians in the United States currently. South Asians are getting very involved with the 2008 elections - there are efforts to register people to vote; and people campaigning for McCain, Obama and Clinton. It's doubtful that South Asians can be a swing vote by themselves, but it is interesting to see how engaged South Asians -especially those in the second generation-are in this year's elections.
Q [mhijar]: HELLO AMERICA,
THE ONLY ONE CANDIDATE WHO RAISES THE ISSUE OF THOSE DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THE LONG WAIT OF THE IMMIGRATION PROCESS IS MR BARAK OBAMA.
I THINK THAT LEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITH PENDING CASES WITH CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES ARE [not being heard in this election cycle], AND THUS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH SUPPORT TO LOBBY THEIR VOICE AND HAVE IMMIGRATION OBSTACLE KNOWN TO LAW MAKERS IN AN ATTEMPT TO FACILITATE THE LONG TRIP TO EITHER CITIZENSHIP AND OT OBTAINING THE GREED CARD.
THANK YOU KARIM MHIJAR
A [Deepa Iyer]: You are correct. Since September 11th, the wait to get one’s green card or citizenship has become a lot more difficult due to some requirements such as a security name check process that the Federal Bureau of Investigation must do on each applicant. As a result of these requirements, many individuals have had to wait years after filing for a green card or for naturalization.
As of May 2007, there were 300,000 FBI name checks pending with over 30,000 of them pending for over 3 years. Just this month, the US immigration service announced a new policy – for those applicants who have waited over 180 days for the FBI name check to clear, their application may be approved. There will be further inquiry made after that approval, and this doesn’t apply to naturalization applicants.
Q [Kuba]: Hello! Given the mission of your organization, how do you feel about US first high-ranking official elected to highest position in state of Louisiana?
As a person of Indian heritage do you support the candidate on HERITAGE or PARTY? I think this question is important in presidential election as well. Thank you!
A [Deepa Iyer]: Thank you for your question. Recently, the state of Louisiana elected Bobby Jindal to the office of Governor. Mr. Jindal had previously served as a Republican congressional member from Louisiana. As the Governor of Louisiana, Mr. Jindal is the first South Asian to hold such office in the history of the United States. Mr. Jindal's performance as Governor is being watched closely for many reasons.
Mr. Jindal's election was viewed in different ways by members of the Indian American community. Many in the "first generation" sent out press releases congratulating Mr. Jindal and taking pride in his position. Many in the "second generation" took a different approach - primarily because Mr. Jindal has approved of policies that have had a harmful impact on minorities, women and immigrants.
The organization I am with - SAALT - cannot support or endorse a political candidate since we are non-partisan. However, we have released a statement on Mr. Jindal's election; in it, we point to Mr. Jindal's record and ask community members to monitor how we implements policy in Louisiana. You can find that statement here - http://saalt.org/pdfs/SAALT%20Statement%20on%20Jindal%20Election.pdf.
Q [Regina]: Thank you for the information. Does socalled melting pot exist still? To what degree if yes? Or is US now changed more by new immigrants?
A [Deepa Iyer]: In countries with multiethnic communities, different phrases have been used to describe the process of integration and identity. In the US, the term "melting pot" came into being as early as the 18th century to describe how various ethnic and linguistic groups could be fused together to form a national identity.
This description has been criticized for many reasons. For example, can non-white immigrants really be part of a "melting pot" when they face mistreatment or discrimination? How can ethnic groups keep their own cultural and linguistic traditions/values alive in a "melting pot"?
Another description that has been used to describe the US is that of the "salad bowl" - where different groups can retain their own cultural identities and values alongside one another. Here, there might be the possibility of forging alliances and identities with each other that are more complex than the identity of "American" - which has so many different meanings today.
Certainly, America and its community of immigrants are grappling with these two different models today.
Q [selinawang]: Hello, I am a Chinese Junior High school student. I want to study in the United States someday. So I want to know what I will face and what is the biggest challenge for me to conquer after I go to America. Thank you.
A [Deepa Iyer]: Hi Selina- I answered a similar question earlier about the challenges that students might face when they come to America. Here it is again.
Over 1 million people came to the US in 2006 on student visas. Immigrants face many challenges when they come to the US – they are in a different culture; they might have problems understanding or speaking English; and they sometimes face harassment or mistreatment. Your immigrant experience will also depend on where you live – if you are in an area like California, New York, Florida, Texas or Illinois, which have the highest numbers of immigrants, you might find a support network to rely on.
Many universities have associations and programs to help international students adjust to their new life in America. Make sure to do your research and identify the support networks that might exist at the university or in the community. Good luck!
Q [mhijar]: WHY ALL PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE SUFFERINGS OF THOSE TRAPPED IN THIS LONG IMMIGRATION PROCEESS?
A [Deepa Iyer]: Presidential candidates have been focusing their remarks on immigration around the broken immigration system, border security, and how to deal with the undocumented population of 12 million people. They have spoken about the long waits that immigrants have to endure, the separation from family members, and the lack of employment choices for some immigrants. Perhaps these remarks are not being highlighted enough in the media.
Another point to keep in mind is that the United States has had some tough political battles recently (in the last three to four years) around immigration policy. Neither the Congress or the White House were able to come to any agreement about how to change the immigration system.
At the local level, there have been efforts by cities and municipalities to prevent immigrants from renting apartments or getting business licenses. This is a time when immigrants really have much to gain or lose - and immigration is one of the top five issues in the 2008 elections as a result.
Moderator: Dear participants, we continue to take your questions.
Q [selinawang]: One more question.
Will the culture problems and the harassment or mistreatment affect my daily work or study in America? If so, could you give me some good advise? Thank you.
A [Deepa Iyer]: Immigrants have different experiences in the United States. In many communities around America, people welcome immigrants and appreciate the strength that immigrants bring.
It is not the case that all immigrants suffer harassment and mistreatment, but many often do. The types of harassment that immigrants face can range - from verbal insults about ethnicity or religious beliefs to discrimination in the workplace to physical assaults.
In terms of how you can make your experience positive, there are a number of things you could do. First, as I mentioned earlier, connect yourself with organizations on campus, or religious centers in the community, or groups with social causes that work with Asians (or international students). Almost all campuses that have international student populations have some sort of program that brings students together to discuss issues, address problems, etc.
Another thing you can do is to make sure that you understand what your rights are. Learn to recognize bias or mistreatment; know your legal rights; and say something if you feel you are being discriminated against in any way. Opening dialogue and talking about your cultural identity and values with other Americans is also a positive way to find commonalities, rather than differences.
A [Deepa Iyer]: Thank you, everyone, for participating in the discussion today! In my closing comments, I encourage those who have an interest in immigrant communities to keep in mind that the 12.5 million foreign-born individuals in the United States today can wield strong influence in the 2008 elections.
In 2005, there were 14.9 million naturalized citizens in America. Clearly, these citizens who now have the power to vote will be looking at the various presidential candidates to ascertain their positions on a range of issues – from healthcare to education to economy to immigration and civil rights to the war in Iraq.
To follow this topic, I encourage you to keep some of these websites in mind:
Migration Policy Institute (www.migrationinformation.org)
South Asian Americans Leading Together (www.saalt.org)
Asian American Justice Center (www.advancingequality.org)
Center for Community Change (www.communitychange.org)
National Immigration Forum (www.immigrationforum.org)
Moderator: We wish to thank Deepa Iyer for joining us today. The webchat is now closed. A full transcript of today's chat will be posted to our Ask America homepage http://www.america.gov/multimedia/askamerica.html (usually within one business day).
(Speakers are chosen for their expertise and may not reflect the views of the U.S. Department of State.)
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
