All of the organizations in attendance expressed the significance of restoring dignity and due legal process for immigrant workers who are, in many cases, exploited for low-wage labor and subject to substandard working conditions and for families that are torn apart because their varying immigrant statuses. All petitioned for a system that rewards good employers and penalizes unscrupulous ones.
The economic implications of the immigration issues cannot be overlooked,” Noorani said. “Fixing immigration will help fix our economy … making sure that every worker is paying taxes.”
The executive director of the Asian American Justice Center reminded supporters that immigration reform is not simply a Hispanic only. “An estimated 10 percent of our communities are undocumented,” Karen Narasaki said. “Across the country, momentum is building in the Asian American community for comprehensive immigration reform. Addressing the family immigration backlog and bring undocumented families out of the shadows are top issues for our community.”
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
