TACOMA, Wash. -- Anti-detention activists are holding online protests across the country Thursday to call for the release of immigrant detainees.
Groups are concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in the confined spaces of detention centers, where social distancing is nearly impossible.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has reported 1,200 coronavirus cases in its facilities since late March.
Maru Mora Villalpando is a community organizer for La Resistencia, which supports people locked up in the Tacoma Northwest Detention Center.
"People that are in prisons or in detention centers are at higher risk than anybody else to become positive of COVID-19," she points out. "That's why we wanted to show this national effort and coordinated effort from different places to demand the immediate release of people detained."
La Resistancia's livestream begins at 9:30 a.m. on Facebook.
The Detention Watch Network is coordinating the nationwide protests, which will take place Thursday and Friday. An ICE representative says the Northwest Detention Center is following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protect detainees, including use of personal protective equipment and 14-day isolation of new admissions showing symptoms or in high risk groups.
Nearly 2,000 people in facilities across the country have gone on hunger strikes to demand their release since late March, according to the Detention Watch Network. Villalpando says two people who tested positive for the virus have been transferred into the Northwest Detention Center and that's adding stress for everyone inside.
"'At what point is it going to hit me?'" she raises. "And 'I don't want to die,' and 'I don't want to die in detention.' The level of worry is off the roof in the detention center."
An ICE representative says none of the detainees who have tested positive have come from within the facility.
Villalpando says ICE should be doing more to protect people in the facilities, including making guards wear protective masks. But she says people will have to take these concerns to their local representatives.
"We need to continue pressuring our elected officials to get serious on this because ICE is not taking it seriously, and obviously ICE doesn't care for people's lives," she stresses.
get more stories like this via email
Amid the ongoing debate on immigration, a new report showed how much immigrants boost Virginia's economy.
The report, "Immigrants Are a Vital Part of Virginia's Future," revealed immigrants contribute more than $100 billion to the state's economy and are essential to critical industries such as health care, technology and hospitality.
Freddy Mejia, policy director at the Commonwealth Institute, which helped publish the report, said immigrants are a key part of many industries.
"Sixteen percent of Virginia workers are immigrants and 34% of all chefs, 44 % of all computer engineers in Virginia and 28% of child care workers," Mejia outlined. "Immigrants are playing a vital role in feeding our community, in raising children."
The Immigration Research Initiative and Economic Policy Institute also contributed to the report. The findings come as immigration policies remain a hot-button issue, with critics expressing concerns over job competition and resource allocation.
Critics have argued undocumented immigrants are a strain on public services, yet Mejia pointed out the report highlighted undocumented immigrants, while paying taxes, often cannot access many public resources due to their legal status.
"That group in particular is paying into a system that does not allow them to participate in many of those uh, critical resources that many of us rely on," Mejia explained. "I think that's just important to note."
The report made several policy recommendations, particularly focusing on improving health care access and educational opportunities for immigrant children. Mejia added as Virginia's population ages, immigrants will play an increasingly important role in sustaining the state's economic growth.
get more stories like this via email
Immigration boosts the economy - in Colorado and across the U.S. But new policies are needed to maximize gains and make it harder for employers to abuse workers, according to a new Colorado Fiscal Institute study which found that each year, immigrants generate $54 billion in state economic output.
Despite widespread claims that immigrants are coming to take jobs from U.S.-born Americans, Sophie Shea, policy analyst with the Colorado Fiscal Institute, argues that immigration actually increases opportunities for all Coloradans.
"Research shows, study after study, that there is no fixed number of jobs in the state. When immigrants move to Colorado, the economy grows. That doesn't mean fewer jobs, that means more jobs," she said.
More than a half-million Colorado immigrants work in low-wage, middle-wage and higher-wage jobs. They are nursing assistants, cooks and software developers. Nearly one in five small businesses in the state was launched by immigrants, creating jobs for U.S.-born and new residents alike.
The report also shows how immigration has led to better, not worse, wages for U.S.-born workers.
Immigration has come under increasing scrutiny, fueled in large part by misinformation. Immigrants are tapping taxpayer-funded programs like food stamps, for example. Undocumented immigrants are not currently eligible for safety net programs. But in 2022, they contributed over $436 million in state and local taxes, a number Shea says could be higher if Congress reforms outdated immigration laws.
"If those workers were granted work authorization, that number would increase their state and local tax contribution to $537.8 million. So, that's a $100 million boost," she contended.
Colorado's working-age population is declining at the same time that Baby Boomers are exiting the workforce. Shea believes immigrants will be critical for blunting the impacts of this labor shortage and ensuring that older Coloradans can retire with dignity.
"So, it is really is very important that we are investing now, before we see those large gaps continue to grow, in welcoming and incorporating immigrants to our state, " she continued.
get more stories like this via email
Immigrants who arrive in the United States can face significant barriers in integrating and rebuilding their lives but one Utah initiative wants to help qualified individuals reach their greatest potential.
Among college-educated refugees, 44% experience an education to occupation mismatch or are unemployed, according to a recent study by the Department of Labor.
Natalie El-Diery, director of immigration and new American integration for the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity, said the licensing and re-credentialing process can be a headache for many. But she added the state's Center for Global Talent and New Americans works to support Utah businesses with talent pipelines from existing work-authorized immigrant communities and also help businesses identify opportunities to recruit talent through employment visas.
"We value and recognize that there is a population of immigrants and refugees who live in Utah and have for quite a long time," El-Diery explained. "What we are hoping to do through this work is to bridge existing new American populations with economic opportunities that benefit both themselves and their livelihood."
Utah's workforce is getting older but the state's close to 300,000 immigrants, many of whom are of working age, could be part of the solution. El-Diery said the state's New American Task Force is all about maximizing talent and ensuring more immigrants are able to use their valuable education, skills and experience. New Americans account for more than 8% of the state's population, but account for more than 10% of STEM workers and almost 13% of physicians.
One of the biggest obstacles for internationally trained immigrants and refugees is English proficiency. El-Diery acknowledged while there are many great programs around the state to help with basic English competency, the state could do better to help those looking to reenter the industry they were once a part of.
"We are very cognizant of that being one of the bigger challenges," El-Diery emphasized. "We hear it both from industry and business and we hear it from the nonprofit organizations and from individuals themselves, and so we are hoping to be able to offer more resources."
El-Diery added despite the charged political dialogue surrounding immigration, she is hopeful through the task force's work, Utahns can understand they share more commonalities than differences with the immigrant community in the Beehive State.
get more stories like this via email
Contact
