La Plata League Current Studies

In June 2007,The League of Women Voters launched a two-year Immigration Study aimed at helping communities understand the implications of immigration at the local, state, and federal level. As part of this project, League members and leaders will explore the underlying values and principles regarding immigration, reasons for immigration, current federal immigration policy, and the impact of immigration in American society.
Other related topics covered will include:

business and economic effects and impact
diversity
effects of global interdependence on migration
motivation of refugees, asylees and other immigrants

Immigration Study Key Dates

*Thursday, February 28, 2008- LWV of La Plata and the FLC Professional Associates will co-sponsor a Life Long Learning lecture by FLC Professor John Baranski entitled "They take our jobs".
The lecture, from 7-8:30pm in FLC 130 Noble Hall, will be based upon a look backwards at contemporary immigration debates in the US. John Baranski is Assistant Professor of History at Fort Lewis College. He has been a volunteer on local and global projects, from workers and tenant rights to ending sexual violence and war.
*January 16 and January 23, 2008, the LWV of La Plata County held two Consensus Meetings related to the LWV-US Immigration Study. These consensus meetings were held from 10 - 12pm at Christ the King Church. The next step in this consensus process will be the forwarding of our local consensus to LWVUS.
Local members were provided with a worksheet to help in the organization of their thoughts and prioritization of the issues for the local Consensus Meetings, for a copy click immigration worksheet.
*Thursday, October 25, 2007, the LWV of La Plata County held an information meeting related to the LWV-US Immigration Study. This meeting, open to the public, was held from 2 - 4pm at Christ the King Church, 495 Florida Road in Durango. LWV-US Consensus questions were read by the Study Chairman and can be viewed by clicking consensus questions (summary). Members of the LWV-LPC Immigration Study read research papers which may be viewed in the section entitled LWV-LPC Immigration Research found below.

LWVUS Position

*4/10/2008: LWVUS Board Adopts Immigration Position
After a lengthy and comprehensive study of this complex issue by our grassroots members, the LWVUS Board of Directors unanimously adopted the League's position on immigration which calls for a path to citizenship for current unauthorized immigrants. The 18-month study was successful thanks to the hard work of the Immigration Study Committee, led by LWVUS Board Member Carolie Mullan, and the high level of participation + 67 percent (560 Leagues). The new position provides for federal enforcement of immigration laws and full due process rights for immigrants. State and local Leagues may oppose efforts in their communities to deport, detain or harass unauthorized immigrants who have no history of serious criminal activity.

To read the full LWVUS position, click lwvus-immig
to read a press release from LWVUS on the immigration position, click "lwvus press

Letters from our Members

*2/18/2008 Letter to Durango Herald Editor from Ross Park concerning Life Long Learning lecture, 2/28/08, highlighting Professor John Baranski.

*1/8/2008 Ellen Park, President, LWV-LPC
Hi Members,
The second of the 2 scheduled Immigration Consensus Meetings with take place next week. We had 21 members at the first meeting and a terrific discussion with consensus on most, but not all of the questions we covered. My own thinking was broadened by other views, and even changed on several items.
The questions stand individually and you did not have to participate in the first meeting to provide your input to the second. We will be discussing questions 2, 4b, 5 and 6 on your worksheet (let me know if you need one). Please plan to attend the discussion and the following luncheon - we look forward to seeing everyone!
Wednesday, January 23
10 AM-noon (or earlier if we are finished)
Christ the King Church
495 Florida Road
to be followed when we are done by:
Celebrate your Heritage!
Noon-1:30
Please bring a dish to share that reflects your heritage - costumes are optional! Dishes can be refrigerated and/or reheated in the church kitchen. We will provide bottled water, coffee and tea as well as cups, plates, napkins and utensils.
Ellen

*Immigration: the Great Policy Debate, Author- Marilyn Brown, published 11/25/07 Durango Herald Sunday Opinion Page

LWV-LPC Immigration Research

To reference the LWV-La Plata research papers on immigration, click on the links below:
Globalization and Immigration, Author - Ellen Park
Demographics, Author - Pat Chatfield
Current Visa System , Author - Nadine Ancel
Enforcement, Author -Marilyn Brown
Immigration Reform Options and Recommendations, Author - Doreen Hunter

LWV-US References

For more information on the background and purpose of the LWV-US Immigration study, click background

For a view of the complete(unabridged) LWV-US consensus questions related to the 2007-2008 Immigration Study, click consensus questions (full)

To reference the LWV-US research papers on immigration, click on the links below:
US Immigration Policy: Family Reunification, Author - Patricia Hatch, LWV of Howard County, MD
What Motivates Immigration to America,Author - Patricia Hatch, LWV of Howard County, MD
Federal Immigration Policy: Enforcement Issues, Author, Barbara Margerum, LWV of Santa Barbara, CA
Immigrants: Diversity and Inclusion, Author - Deborah Macmillan, LWV of East Windsor-Hightstown, NJ
Effects of Global Interdependence on Migration, Author - Dorrit Marks,LWV of Miami-Dade County, FL
Economic Aspects of Authorized and Unauthorized Immigration, Author - Dorrit Marks,LWV of Miami-Dade County, FL
Immigration and the Economy, Author - Chris Carson of Glendale-Burbank, CA
Overview: Federal Immigration Policy and Proposed Reforms, Author - Deborah Macmillan of East Windsor-Hightstown, NJ

Other Immigration Study References

*3/2/08: New York Times Week in Review, The Border and the Ballot Box, David Leonhardt, Immigration has a fantastically complicated political history in the United States. It has produced enough populist anger to elect Know Nothing mayors of Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington and San Francisco, all in the 1850s and, more recently, to help Lou Dobbs reinvent his television career and become a best-selling author. But when national politicians have tried to seize on such anger, they have usually failed -- and failed quickly. "While immigration has always roiled large sections of the electorate," said Eric Rauchway, a historian at the University of California, Davis, "it has never been the basis for a national election, one way or the other." For a view of the full essay, click NYT3/2/08

*for a view of Migrant Money Flow, click moneyflow (source: NY Times Nov 18, 2007)

*Immigration and America's Future: A new Chapter, A report of the independent task force on immigration and America's future, Co-Chairs: Spencer Abraham and Lee H. Hamilton, Migration Policy Institute, September 2006

*June 2007 Policy Brief from the Migration Policy Institute available on the MPI website
Their discussion regarding Migrant Remittances presents a perspective on immigration you may not have thought of. Excerpts from the summary of the article by Dilip Ratha, senior economist and manager of Migration and Remittances Team at the World Bank are as follows: Migrant remittances are the most tangible and perhaps the least controversial link between migration and development. Remittances have become a major source of external development finance. In 2006, recorded remittances sent home by migrants from developing countries reached $206 billion, more than double the level in 2001. The true scale of remittances, including unrecorded flows through formal and informal channels, is believed to be even larger. [The article itself says these remittances are almost as large as foreign direct investment and more than twice as large as the official aid received by developing countries.] Remittances provide a convenient angle for approaching the complex migration agenda. They play an effective role in reducing poverty. Since remittances are personal flows from migrants to their friends and families, they tend to be well targeted to the needs of the recipients. And these flows typically do not suffer from the governance problems that may be associated with officialflows...A strong flow of remittances can also improve the receiving country's credit-worthiness, lowering their cost of borrowing money in the international markets...

*June 11, 2007, Immigration Policy in the 21st Century, Video presentation by Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow, Migration Policy Institute. To view click Meissner video
If you experienced difficulties viewing the video, click Meissner summary

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: April 28, 2008 13:11 PDT.