OCR Text |
Show Campus News Monday, Oct. 24, 2011 Page 3 From Page 1 Attending college can be difficult for undocumented immigrants story, there are currently about 11.2 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. And 2.4 percent of Utah's population is estimated to be illegal immigrants. Both the Office of Analysis, Assessment and Accreditation and the USU Admissions Office were unable to provide conclusive statistics regarding illegal immigrants. "I almost never tell anyone about being illegal," Ayala said. "They usually react negatively." Campus & Community CPD dedicates new playground Crossing Over Many of the immigrants know nothing about the place they were born, Flores said, and many of them came to Utah by their parents' choice, not their own. Flores said he was one such immigrant. "Because infants don't need passports, it's fairly easy to bring a baby across the border," Flores said. "My parents trusted an American family to take me in their car across the checkpoint, while they swam across the river. They met the family on the Texas side and got me back. I'm glad I don't remember it. Swimming the river at night sounds terrifying. It reminds me of the stories you hear about people sneaking out of the Soviet Union." Some immigrants pay high tolls to "coyotes," experienced border guides, to help them across, Ayala said. That is what her family did. Others just overstay their visa. Immigrants and Crime There is definite racial discrimination that occurs regarding undocumented immigrants, Ayala said. One of the most common misconceptions is that undocumented immigrants are more likely to commit crimes than other groups. "My personal opinion is that Mexicans have a more violent culture," said Golden Zollinger, a USU business major. "They definitely contribute to our crime." Presidential candidate Ricky Perry, quoted by CNN, said, "It is not safe on that border." According to USA Today, Americans living near the U.S.-Mexico border are generally safe. A USA Today analysis of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California in July found that crime within 100 miles of the border is below both the national average and the average for each of those states — and has been declining for years. Despite this, Americans continue to associate undocumented immigrants with drugs and thievery, Flores said. "People think that by building a wall along the southern border they are going to stop drug trafficking, but they are focusing on results, not causes," Flores said. "Until Americans control their own drug consumption, the problem will always be there." In fact, Flores said, the drug cartels have gotten stronger since security on the border has increased. Ayala echoed this sentiment. "Things are getting so much more strict along the border," she said. "It used to be a lot easier to cross the border by yourself, without a coyote. Now the only way to get across is if you ask the drug cartels for help, and so a lot of them have been able to build up their little STARTING IN THE LATE 1980S the number of Mexican immigrants started to increase, and many of the immigrants came across along passes such as Eagle Pass in Texas, before moving farther north. Photo courtesy Jacob Keyes kingdoms." Cartel problems do not exist all over Mexico, only in the border towns, Flores said. The unique situation along the border has helped them to find a lot of recruits, especially as the U.S. continues deporting thousands of people to border towns — people desperate to get back to their families and homes. "When we go back to Mexico, we go through Laredo, (Texas,) which is generally safe," Flores said. "But if you are a Mexican, then towns like Tijuana are extremely dangerous. The drug cartels own those towns. They have AK-47's, and if you are lucky, all they do is ask you a few questions, maybe take your car. If you are unlucky, they take you hostage and make your family pay $3,000 or $4,000 to get you back." In towns like Tijuana, Mexico, it is unsafe to be out on the streets past 7 p.m., said Jaqueline Garcia, an undeclared sophomore and sister of Elizabeth Garcia. Flores said hundreds of deportees are brought daily into Tijuana, Mexico, more than any other city. Many of the deportees are women and children, he added. The Immigrant Driven Economy - Many Mexicans are accused of "stealing our jobs," Ayala said. Her mother gets rude comments on her accent at work, she said, and her father, who is a construction foreman, once got in a fight with one of his employees, and the employee told him to go back to his country and stop taking our jobs away. What many people fail to realize, is that an increase of people does not mean a decrease in jobs, said Tyler Bowles, head of the economics and finance department. It may be that immigrants, through the self-selection process of coming here, are more likely to create jobs, he said. Steve Jobs was a first-generation American, Bowles said. His father was a Syrian that came to the U.S. to go to college. Jobs grew up American, and knew little of the land from which his father came — just like many of the immigrants today, he said. At a young age, Bowles said, Jobs was an economic powerhouse. He created thousands of jobs and created a market sector that employs hundreds of thousands. "Thank heavens Steve was born here," Bowles said. Many Latin American immigrants are also job-creating entrepreneurs, especially because many of them cannot apply for employment, Garcia said, whose mother owned a store for a while. Ayala said her father employs quite a few men of all races in his construction business. "If you took all of these millions of people and sent them back, our economy would go downhill," Ayala said. "I don't think you should blame other people just because you are unable to find work." Zollinger's father owns a dairy farm, he said, and without immigrants it couldn't function. "I'll tell you, agriculture wouldn't work without illegals," Zollinger said. "I'm against illegal immigration but at the same time I'm for it. They fill our low-end jobs." Well over half of the 1.9 million cows in the U.S. are milked by people who are here illegally, said Justin Jenson, professor of animal science. "At first I was totally against (immigration) until I took global economic institutions," Zollinger said. "Since then I have come to realize that an increase of people doesn't mean an increase in unemployment. Many Mexicans have great work ethic and they pay taxes. They are a boost to our economy." According to a study by Raul HinojosaOjeda, a UCLA associate professor of Chicano and Chicana studies, immigration benefits the economy. According to Hinojosa-Ojeda's report, comprehensive immigration reform could increase the country's gross domestic product by $1.5 trillion over 10 years. However, right now the U.S. is losing money by deporting undocumented immigrants, Flores said. According to the New York Times, deportation costs the government at least $12,500 per person, and it often does not work. Between October 2008 and July of this year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement spent $2.25 billion sending back 180,229 people who had been deported before and come back anyway. The Bureaucratic Nightmare Many wrongly assume there is a process you can easily go through to become legal. In reality the system is a mess, Ayala said. "It's very hard," she said. "My parents have been filing paperwork and talking to lawyers for 18 years, and we still do not have citizenship status." Flores said he attained his citizenship status last year, after 19 years of waiting. In the meantime, immigrants have to find other methods. One of the most common ways is to apply for temporary protection status, Ayala said, which does not give you the same rights as a citizen but keeps you from being deported. "You have to reapply for the status every 18 months, and it costs $500 to apply," Ayala said. "If it is not approved then you are out $500. My friend Jasmine's parents both applied but didn't get it. Now they both have to leave. She's staying by herself." A MONUMENT ON THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN BORDER reads "amistad," which means friendship in Spanish. However, approximately 700 USU students endured countless trials when crossing into America. Photo courtesy Jacob Keyes - evan.millsap@aggiemail.usu.edu From Page 2 Unemployment and health care discussed by economist wage goes up, unemployment does as well, he added. "Right now 53 percent of black, male teenagers are unemployed," Skousen said. "That is a powder keg waiting to explode. That is Keynsian economics at work." Keynesian economics is the school of thought started by John Maynard Keynes, a British economist. Keynesian economists believe as long as the money supply is increasing, the economy will improve. Skousen said the major problem with this theory: historical evidence doesn't back it up. Rising health care costs and tax increases on businesses are other factors contributing to Briefs the poor economy, Skousen said. "Health savings accounts could have solved the health care problem, but no one in Congress except for Ron Paul listened," Skousen said. "Since `Obamacare' has been implemented health care costs have risen 15 percent." He said Keynsian economists believe that consumer spending drives the economy. "There isn't a textbook out there that doesn't say that spending drives the economy, and saving causes stagnation. But does consumer spending really drive the economy?" Skousen asked. "I'm here to tell you it doesn't. Look at China, consumer spending has been steadily declining as a percentage of per-capita income, yet growth is increasing. China defies what everyone is being taught in the West. The only reason Keynesians think that spending creates a good economy is because spending often accompanies a strong economy." Spending is a result of a strong economy, and not the other way around, Skousen said. "Let me tell you what really drives the economy," Skousen said. "People like Steve Jobs are what drive the economy. Entrepreneurial spirit is what drives the economy." - evan.millsap@aggiemail.usu.edu The Center for Persons with Disabilities celebrated a new milestone recently with the dedication of its new Developmental Playground. Nearly 100 people attended the event. Many of them cooperated to make the playground possible. Landscape architects, occupational therapists and educators worked together to ensure that it would be more than fun; it would also encourage a child's movement, speech, cognition and social development. Private donors contributed more than $15,000 toward its construction. The vision for the new playground came from experts at the CPD who are well aware of the many benefits of play: how it stimulates physical and social development, fosters language, and even helps a restless child relax. Graphic novels on display at library Starting Monday, Oct. 24, the atrium of the Merrill-Cazier Library will be taken over with different types of graphic novels, along with a 6-foot model of Spiderman who will hang from the stairs. All are featured in the exhibit "Ka-Pow! Graphic Novels and Their Use in Academics" provided by University Libraries at USU. Graphic novels have been used in the classroom by many Utah State professors because they use both written word and visual images to convey ideas. The combination of media appeals to students who have different learning styles. There are 10 panels in the display from different graphic novels, representing different genres. The panels focus on race, gender, ethnic issues and other world issues. The display features regional authors and artists as well as international examples. To kick off the exhibit, there will be an opening reception Thursday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m. in Merrill-Cazier Library, Room 101. USU professors will discuss the use of graphic novels in their curriculum and the Spiderman display will be raffled at the reception. The exhibit goes until Dec. 10 at Merrill-Cazier Library during library hours. USU professor wins book award USU archaeologist Steven R. Simms won the 2010 Utah Book Award for nonfiction this month for Traces of Fremont: Society and Rock Art in Ancient Utah. The book explores new theories of the Fremont — an indigenous group who lived along the Fremont River in Utah from 300 to 1300 A.D. — using artifacts they left behind. "The book is serendipitous for me," Simms said. "I was approached with a spiral bound notebook of beautiful color photos and a rough text. I held onto it for about two weeks and saw an opportunity to tell a story." Simms, a professor of anthropology, partnered with wildlife photographer Francois Gohier to examine new evidence about the Fremont people that points to greater cultural complexity than previously acknowledged by scholars. In recent decades rock art has gained acceptance among scholars as a way to understand the nature of Fremont society, its religion and worldview. Simms and Gohier traveled across Utah to investigating artifacts and rock art left behind by this group no longer able to tell its own story. ClarifyCorrect The policy of The Utah Statesman is to correct any error made as soon as possible. If you find something you would like clarified or find in error, please contact the editor at 797-1742, statesman@aggiemail.usu.edu or come in to TSC 105. a Co mp ile d from staff and media reports |