이민 개혁 추진 단체들, 오바마 대통령과 만나 이민 개혁 추진 촉구

3월 21일 워싱턴 디씨에서 대규모 이민 개혁 촉구 집회가 준비되고 있는 가운데, 오늘 오바마 대통령은 이민 개혁 캠페인을 펼치고 있는 커뮤니티 단체, 종교단체 및 노동조합 지도자들을 백악관으로 초청하여 이민 개혁에 관한 회의를 가졌다. 오는 3월 21일 워싱턴 디씨에서 10만 명 집회를 준비하고 있는 이들 단체들은 오바마 대통령에게 회의 이민 개혁의 시급성을 다시 한 번 강조하고, 이민 개혁을 위해 행동에 나서줄 것을 요청했다.

오바마 대통령은 이들 단체들의 의견을 경청한 후 현재 준비 중인 슈머/그라함 상원의원의 이민 개혁안을 공동 상정할 공화당 상원의원을 확보하기 위해 노력할 것과 상정 이후 이를 지지할 것을 약속했다. 이민 개혁 달성이 그리 쉽지 않은 것임을 재차 언급한 오바마 대통령은 이들 단체와의 회의 외에도 슈머/그라함 상원의원 및 히스패닉 의원 총회와의 회의를 추진하는 등 이민 개혁을 위한 속도를 높이기 시작했다.

수년 간 이민 개혁 캠페인을 전개해 온 미주한인봉사교육단체협의회는 3월 21일 워싱턴 디씨 10만 명 집회를 알리기 위해 지난 8일 내셔널 프레스 센터에서 열린 기자회견 이후에 이번 백악관 회의가 성사된 점을 주목할 필요가 있다고 말하며, 이민 개혁을 촉구하는 목소리를 지속적으로 전달하는 것이 무엇보다 중요한 시점임을 강조했다. 또한, 전국의 공동 노력으로 백악관과 의회에 압력을 행사한 것과 같이 이민 개혁이 미국의 경제회복과 안정된 미래를 위해 필수적인 요소라는 인식을 미국의 일반 대중에게 확산시킬 수 있도록 최선의 노력을 기울이겠다고 밝혔다. 미주한인봉사교육단체협의회는 전국에서 약 150명의 한인들을 조직하여 워싱턴 디씨 집회에 참여할 예정이다.

Immigrant rights group slam Obama, Democrats for slow action with legalization bill

By N.C. Aizenman and Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 9, 2010; A02

Leaders of nearly a dozen grass-roots immigrant rights groups excoriated President Obama and congressional Democrats on Monday, accusing them of moving too slowly to legalize the status of undocumented immigrants and citing a record number of deportations in 2009.

“Our community is angry. Our members feel betrayed,” said Brent Wilkes, executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens. “We never believed in our wildest dreams that President Obama would have a record like this.”

The critique, among the harshest to date from Obama’s erstwhile supporters, comes as the president is struggling to deliver on a campaign promise to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws and with time running out for legislative action before this fall’s midterm elections.

Advocates have promised to bring tens of thousands of demonstrators to Washington for a March 21 protest and to punish Democrats at the polls in November if an immigration bill is not brought to a vote.

“No legalization. No reelection,” Emma Lozano, executive director of the Chicago-based Centro Sin Fronteras, told reporters.

White House officials said the president will be meeting soon with Sens. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) to discuss the bipartisan immigration bill. The president’s “commitment to fixing our broken immigration system remains unwavering,” said Nicholas Shapiro, a White House spokesman.

Immigration advocates in Washington and lobbyists working with the two senators said privately that the effort amounts to political damage control.

“We just don’t see how this can happen in 2010. The best we can do is to get an outline [of a bill] out and have a couple of hearings,” said one lobbyist, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing talks. “This is a way for everyone to say, ‘We are doing something, and we are committed to getting something through Congress after the election.’ ”

That may not be enough, said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum.

“A legislative show is not going to be acceptable,” he said. “The necessity here is a bipartisan piece of legislation that gets to the Senate floor, and that will be the marker that immigrant voters and others will use in November 2010 and November 2012 and beyond.”

In February, the immigration advocacy group America’s Voice reported that Hispanic voters could prove decisive this fall in 40 gubernatorial, Senate and House races. The list includes eight Senate seats, including the one held by Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), as well as those in California and New York.

The tough line at Monday’s news conference taken by the grass-roots groups — which tend to work directly with immigrants in local communities — stands in contrast to public statements by the main national immigrant organizations lobbying the White House and Congress. Those groups have refrained from criticizing the president so directly.

The outcry, however, reflects the growing disillusionment on the ground in Latino and immigrant communities.

“People are suffering. Millions and millions of people cannot drive, cannot go to school, live in fear,” said Dae Joong Yoon, the executive director of the Korean Resource Center in Los Angeles. “In 2008 many of our community members voted for change. . . . We’ve been waiting, waiting, waiting. But since then our president, our Congress members, have been in a deep sleep. So now we’re saying, ‘We can’t take it anymore! Wake up! Do something!’ ”

Staff writer Scott Wilson contributed to this report.

풀뿌리 단체들이 나서
추방과 구금을 단계적으로 확대하고 있는 백악관을 규탄한다.
2010년 3월 8일, 월요일 내셔널 프레스 클럽에서 기자회견 개최
현 행정부의 정책에 대한 커뮤니티의 좌절과 분노를 표현하기 위해 풀뿌리 지도자들이 나선다.

행사명: 오바마 행정부에 의해 단계적으로 확대되고 있는 추방과 구금에 대한 반대의견을 제시하기 위한 기자회견.
오바마 행정부가 저버린 약속은 차후 실시될 선거 결과에 엄청난 변화를 불러 일으킬 것이다.

일시: 2010년 3월 8일, 월요일 정오
간단한 점심이 제공됩니다.

장소: Holeman Lounge, 내셔널 프레스 클럽, 529 14th St. NW, Washington, DC

연사: Angelica Salas, executive director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles
Pramila Jayapal, executive director, OneAmerica (Seattle, WA)
Artemio Arreola, Mexican-American Coalition for Immigration Reform
Brent Wilkes, national executive director, League of United Latin American Citizens
Nitza Segui Albino, National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities
윤대중, 민족학교 사무국장

내용: 고도의 전략을 구사하는 오바마 행정부의 단속은 이민 단속의 새 장을 열어 우리 가정과 커뮤니티에 악영향을 끼치고 있다. 국토 안보부의 나폴리타노 장관 지휘 아래 이민세관단속국은 2009년 한 해 동안 기록적인 수치의 이민자들을 추방했다. 또한 오바마 행정부 취임 이래 추방은 60% 이상 증가하였다.

우리 커뮤니티는 “더 이상은 안 된다!”라고 하나되어 외칠 것이다. 3월 8일 월요일 정오, 미 전역 여러 단체들의 풀뿌리 지도자들이 기자회견을 열어 오바마 행정부의 단속 및 추방 전략을 중단할 것을 강력히 요청할 것이다. 우리 커뮤니티는 오바마 대통령이 이민 단속에 관한 보다 인도적인 방안을 실천할 것이라는 전제하에 선거에서 그를 지지하였다. 우리는 이 시점에서 오바마 대통령이 상원의원 재직 당시 했던 말을 기억해 본다. “우리는 1200만 명의 사람들을 추방 시킬 수 없고, 추방 시켜서도 안 된다. 추방을 계속 자행하면 미국은 우리와 맞지 않는, 우리가 원하지 않는 방향으로 움직이게 될 것이다. 우리의 국경 안보를 강화하기 위해 노력하는 동시에, 1200만 명의 서류미비자들을 위한 현실적인 해결책이 필요하다. 이들 대부분은 이 나라에서 수 년간 성실히 일하고 거주해 왔다.”

오바마 행정부가 취임한 지 15개월이 지났지만, 우리 커뮤니티는 여전히 고통 받고 있다. 우리 가정들은 여전히 생이별한 채 살아가고 있다. 더 나은 삶을 위해 이 나라에 와 성실히 일해온 사람들이 지속적으로 감옥에 갇히고 추방되고 있다. 우리는 더 이상 침묵하지 않을 것이며, 이러한 잘못된 이민 정책이 지속되는 것을 지켜보고 있지 않을 것이다. 이제 우리는 우리의 확고한 우리의 메세지를 전달할 것이다. 오바마 대통령님, 단속을 중지해 주십시오! 더 이상의 추방이 있어서는 안됩니다! 지금 포괄적 이민 개혁을 해야 합니다!

###
FIRM (Fair Immigration Reform Movement)은 미 전역 풀뿌리 커뮤니티 단체들 간의 연합체입니다. 이 연합체는Center for Community Change의 주최로 포괄적 이민 개혁과 이민자 권익옹호에 관한 활동을 진행하고 있습니다.

Contacts:
Kat Lee, KRC, hayeon@krcla.org
Eunyoung Lee, KRCC, eunyoung@chicagokrcc.org

Building a Stronger America, One Dream at a Time
Dream Scholarship Fund: Helping Students Reach Their Fullest Potential

(Los Angeles) The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), Korean American Resource & Cultural Center (KRCC) and Korean Resource Center (KRC) are excited to begin the application process of the Dream Scholarship Fund. Founded in 2007 by Korean American youth who have tirelessly campaigned the last nine years for the passage of the DREAM Act – tailored legislation that would provide a path to legalization for eligible immigrant students who grew up in the United States – the Dream Scholarship Fund will award $1,000 scholarships to students in California and Illinois with financial need and who face undue hardships.

“Students are tomorrow’s leaders and an investment to their future is an investment to a creating a more vibrant, creative, and healthy country. That is why we at FYSH and AKASIA, youth groups in Los Angeles and Chicago, are fundraising within our communities and building the grassroots support for the Dream Scholarship Fund. We believe that every individual deserves a fair chance to study, get their degree, and become the doctor, teacher, engineer they dream of being – this value is at the core of the Dream Scholarship Fund,” said Hye Joo Kim, member of Fighting Youth Shouting Out for Humanity (FYSH) in Chicago, IL.

“Immigrant students have been working for the passage of comprehensive immigration reform and the DREAM Act since the late 1990s. We believe that reform is vital in rebuilding America’s economy and that is why we are working towards that goal this year. But while we continue to build the immigrant rights movement, our peers need support in continuing their studies. That is why the Dream Scholarship Fund was created and we hope that new immigrant student leaders will be identified and given the opportunity to fully give back to society,” said Jeffrey Kim, Co-Chair of Alliance of Korean American Students in Action (AKASIA) in Los Angeles, CA.

For more information, to download an application, or to make a donation to the Dream Scholarship Fund, please visit nakasec.org/blog/2010-dream-scholarship-fund. Please note that this year, the Dream Scholarship Fund will not receive applicants from states outside of Illinois or California. Applicants from Illinois may visit www.chicagokrcc.org for more information; applicants from California may visit www.krcla.org. Deadline for applications is May 15, 2010.

On February 27th, students, parents, seniors and workers will come together and walk the CA “Trail of Dreams” to recognize that immigrants are key to rebuilding America’s economy (downloadable flyer). To get involved or for more information, contact HyunJoo at hlee@nakasec.org/323-937-3703 x 202.

Please note that it may rain – we will walk even if it rains so wear rain gear and bring an umbrella. If we end up having thunderstorms or heavy rain and wind, we will fold the walk into a rally in the gym at the Seoul International Park, our Trail starting point. The gym is located in the southeastern corner of San Marino St and Ardmore Ave. We will make a call on Saturday at 7:00 AM on whether to have the walk as planned or to have the rally instead. Check the www.krcla.org/trail website after 7AM or text message “trail rain” to 213-973-3330.

Also, for a detailed look at the route, go here. See you this Saturday!

Here is the press advisory for the event: English & Korean

By Alexandra Zavis and Anna Gorman

6:30 PM PST, February 16, 2010

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s latest proposals to close California’s budget shortfall would end public assistance for most new legal immigrants, eliminating emergency cash, food and medical aid for those who don’t yet qualify for federal welfare.

The proposal would represent an about-face for the state. In 1996, Congress denied access to welfare for most legal immigrants who weren’t citizens. California and other states established programs to fill the gap.

Now, officials say the state can’t afford the price tag. Schwarzenegger’s plan would save $304 million but leave tens of thousands of elderly, disabled and impoverished people with no safety net in a deep recession.

“How are we going to live?” asked 70-year-old Yong Hak Cho, who emigrated from Korea four years ago and is raising two grandchildren in Los Angeles. “Immigrants pay taxes like anybody else. So why do they want to eliminate programs for us? It is unfair and it is un-American.”

State officials say the cuts are painful but necessary, and there was no attempt to single out any population group in the proposed budget.

“The fact that we have to close a $20-billion budget gap, on the heels of a $60-billion gap last year, means that we have had to make the difficult decision to propose curtailing or eliminating many state-only programs, and these fall into that category,” said H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the Finance Department.

When families petition to bring relatives to the U.S., they are required to sign affidavits agreeing to support them financially for up to 10 years. But many of these families have fallen on hard times. Affidavits are not required for people entering the country under various other programs.

Federal benefits have been restored to some recent arrivals, but most are not eligible for supplemental security income, food stamps, transitional assistance for needy families or Medi-Cal until they have lived legally in the U.S. for five years. Exceptions are made for refugees and a few other categories.

Only a few other states still provide cash or food aid to new, legal arrivals. Advocates for stricter immigration controls say that a waiting period to receive benefits is appropriate.

“Five years is a legitimate time to ensure that people who have come here the right way are willing to assimilate and be loyal tax-paying Americans,” said Barbara Coe of the California Coalition for Immigration Reform.

The proposed cuts include:

* Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, serving about 8,500 low-income elderly and disabled people. The projected savings is $107.3 million.

* California Food Assistance Program, which provides benefits to about 37,000 low-income immigrants, for savings of $56.2 million.

* Calworks benefits for about 24,000 new legal immigrants, for savings of $22.5 million. The program provides cash, job training, child care and other services to help families transition from welfare to work.

* Full-spectrum Medi-Cal services for 48,570 new legal immigrants and 65,000 undocumented people who tell the state they are known to immigration officials and their deportation is not being sought. The projected savings is $118 million. Pregnant women and children would still be covered.

The Legislature last year rejected proposals to eliminate some of the same programs, but many recipients have seen their benefits reduced.

UCLA professor of public health Alex Ortega said immigrants are frequently targeted in tough economic times because they can’t yet vote, do not speak English well and are often poor.

“They have all the factors that contribute to being vulnerable,” Ortega said.

Community activists say the budget proposals will leave many without a lifeline.

“These are elderly, often frail individuals who rely on this support to buy their medicines, pay rent and eat a basic diet,” Hala Masri, a policy advocate for the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, said in an e-mail.

Cho is so worried that he has considered returning to Korea. But he said, “I have no roots there . . . I am American now.”

The $835 in aid the family receives each month doesn’t even cover rent.

After working 21 years at a U.S. military base in South Korea, Cho went back to school to learn how to repair computers. When that did not yield a job, he enrolled in English classes and became certified as a security guard. Then his son-in-law died of cancer. His daughter works long hours at a Chinese restaurant, so he took in his two grandchildren, 11 and 8.

Cho now works part-time at a community center, advising other immigrants. His wife works for a program providing in-home care to the frail and disabled, but that too is slated for cuts.

“I will have to find some other work,” Cho said, staring at his tea cup on a chilly morning in Koreatown. “What company would hire an old person like me?”

The California Immigrant Policy Center argues in a new report that the savings from the proposed cuts would be offset by increased homelessness and costly emergency room use.

“Not only are these cuts not fair, they are not smart,” said Reshma Shamasunder, who runs the advocacy group. “They are not going to save us money in the long run.”

Teddy Lechadores, 70, who emigrated legally from the Philippines in 2007, relies on Medi-Cal to pay for dialysis. He also sees doctors for his prostate cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure, and needs eight prescription medicines.

“If I were in the Philippines I would have been dead now,” Lechadores said.

He was laid off last month from a security guard job. He now makes $160 a week for doing maintenance and office workat the Pilipino Workers Center west of downtown. His bank account is overdrawn, he sleeps at the center and keeps most of his belongings in his 1996 Acura, which was damaged recently when someone rear-ended him.

“I’m down to nothing,” he said as he looked through his Medi-Cal forms on a recent afternoon. “Medi-Cal is very, very important.”

alexandra.zavis@latimes.com

anna.gorman@latimes.com

Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times

Responsibilities Include:
• Lead legislative and policy advocacy activities related to immigrant rights and civil rights issues.
• Be a part of a team that develops grassroots mobilizing campaigns that includes components of organizing, communications, and education.
• Lead and participate in on-going advocacy efforts to promote policies and legislation of importance to immigrant, Korean American, and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
• Research and analysis on relevant policy issues
• Build and maintain excellent relationships with relevant organizational and institutional partners nationally and locally.
• Work closely with and provide technical assistance & program support to NAKASEC affiliates.
• Coordinate and oversee certain fundraising activities related to the project including grant reports and fundraisers.
• Oversee the publication of relevant public education materials.
• Public speaking at conferences and events.
• Coordinate relevant media & publicity efforts.

Required Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree and 3 or more years experience working community issues and/or civic participation initiatives. Excellent written and oral communication skills. Ability to work independently, think creatively and prioritize multiple tasks. Demonstrated track record of working collaboratively in local-national partnerships and/or with multi-ethnic or multi-sector communities.

Desired Qualifications: Experience in policy advocacy, research, and community organizing strongly preferred. Experience developing campaigns and strategic planning an asset. Fluency in the Korean language preferred, but not required.

To apply: Send cover letter, resume, writing sample, and salary history and requirement to Jeong Yeon Hong, Director of Community Education & Administration, NAKASEC, 900 S. Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90019 or via email at jhong@nakasec.org. NAKASEC offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience and full health, dental, vision and life insurance.

NAKASEC is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage women and minorities to apply.

For more information: please visit our website at www.nakasec.org.