1. Candidates avoid immigration
2. Study finds contributions to OK
3. Experts fret switch in 2010 census
4. MO gov. signs enforcement act
5. MD county declines support for ICE
6. Hispanic group wants more hires
7. Advocates take disputes to court
8. Illegal grads fret over future

1.
Both Obama, McCain avoid immigration policy discussion
By Todd J. Gillman
The Dallas Morning News, July 8, 2008

Washington, DC -- John McCain and Barack Obama will happily engage on Iraq, taxes or health policy. The economy? Anytime, anywhere. But when it comes to immigration, neither is enthusiastic to talk, even though they largely agree on the solutions.

Both candidates view Hispanics as a vital target audience. But immigration policy is fraught with political risk.

On the right, hardliners remain suspicious of Mr. McCain, even after he pledged to focus on border security and suspended his push for a guest worker program and other elements of a comprehensive reform. In the Democratic camp, most labor unions also resist policies that would bring in more foreign workers.

"There is no benefit. They've said as much as they can safely say about it," said Demetrios Papademetriou, president of the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. "There's no reason to agitate any part of their constituencies."

That's one reason activists on both sides of the immigration fight are watching closely as the candidates navigate a three-week gantlet of appearances before Hispanic groups – wooing those voters without alienating others.

"I do not feel they've addressed it directly. We need a lot more from them," said Rosa Rosales of San Antonio, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens. "They have not been very specific on the plan of action."
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http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stori...

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2.
Undocumented workers aid economy, study claims
By Devona Walker
The Oklahoman (Oklahoma City), July 8, 2008

A recent study conducted by the Waco, Texas-based Perryman Group shows Oklahoma would lose $1.8 billion in spending and nearly 13,400 jobs if undocumented workers were removed.

Oklahoma ranked 13 among states most heavily impacted by undocumented workers. Consumer spending nationwide is estimated to decline by $1.7 trillion without undocumented workers, and there would be an estimated loss of about 8.1 million jobs.

"The undocumented work force is vital to U.S. business growth and prosperity and in some cases sustainability and thus an enforcement-only and removal approach is simply not viable,” said Ray Perrryman, a financial analyst and president of the Perryman Group.

"It eliminates a huge part of our work force without looking at our work force needs or offering any alternate solutions. If you put a program in place with nothing but building walls and penalizing business, it's going to disrupt the economy.”
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Illegal immigration foes say this analysis is less economic theory than mere eye balling. It does not take the effect undocumented workers have on low-skilled, native-born workers. The Center for Immigration Studies estimates undocumented workers pay about $16 billion per year in various taxes, but they create a tax burden of about $22 billion.

"There is no question that the U.S. economy is significantly larger in size because of immigrations, illegal and otherwise,” said Steven Camarota, the center's director of research. "But that does not in anyway tell us if the native-born population is any better off.”

Immigrants, according to CIS research, have suppressed low-skilled wages by 10 percent in the last two decades.

When looking specifically at men without high school diplomas, that number balloons to about 22 percent. For men with high school diplomas, the effect is about 11 percent.

"Is that really fair? Is that good policy? Is that really what you want? Clearly it's good for the immigrants and in the short-term and for some sectors it's good for business and consumers,” Camarota said, adding those short-term benefits pale in comparison to the burden on taxpayers in the United States.

"The idea that the key to economic success in the U.S. is to dramatically increase the supply of high school dropouts does not make sense. It's problematic. It reduces wages for our own poor. It creates a large cost to our taxpayers. In addition, it retards economic mechanization,” Camarota said.

"You can't just say that all that matters is willing workers and willing employers. There is just so much more to it than that.”

"The undocumented work force is vital to U.S. business growth and prosperity and in some cases sustainability and thus an enforcement-only and removal approach is simply not viable.”
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http://newsok.com/article/3267226/

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3.
Census Switch Worries Some;
Return to Paper Forms Leaves Little Time for Adjustment
By N.C. Aizenman
The Washington Post, July 8, 2008

With the 2010 Census less than two years away, independent demographers and congressional overseers are worried that the Census Bureau will not be prepared to accurately record the nation's racial and ethnic minorities, illegal immigrants and the poor -- groups that historically have been undercounted.

Much of the concern stems from the bureau's decision in April to scrap a plan to use wireless hand-held devices to collect information from people who don't mail back their census forms. Minorities, immigrants and poor people are more likely to lack fixed addresses and to find census forms confusing or suspicious and therefore are less likely to return them by mail, experts said. Following up with home visits is crucial to ensuring that they are tallied.

During previous censuses, agency field workers conducting follow-ups recorded people's answers using pen and paper. The hand-held devices were supposed to enable workers to relay the information to headquarters much faster, making it easier to avoid duplicate visits to a home and freeing them to go to more locations. Instead, technological problems with the devices have left the bureau little time to organize the switch back to the original system.

"We're really treading on new ground with such a large change being made at such a late date," said Terry M. Ao, director of census and voting programs at the Asian American Justice Center, which serves on the Census Bureau's Advisory Council for the 2010 Census. "It just makes me very nervous that things are not going to happen when they need to happen."

Using the devices also would have been considerably cheaper than the paper-based system. And although Congress approved $210 million in extra funding for the 2010 Census as part of the supplemental budget signed by the president June 30, many watchers wonder whether, amid the worsening economic climate, Congress and the White House will come through with the rest of the $2.2 billion to $3 billion that the return to a paper-based census is expected to add to the $11.5 billion cost.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/07/AR200807...

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4.
New Missouri law goes after illegal immigrants
By Chris Blank
The Associated Press, July 7, 2008

Jefferson City (AP) -- Gov. Matt Blunt was signing legislation Monday that creates new restrictions on illegal immigrants and new requirements for businesses that employ them.

The governor was scheduled to make stops in Joplin and Kansas City to publicize the legislation. Lawmakers passed the bill on the final day of their annual session under a threat from Blunt that he would call a special session if no bill were passed.

Under the immigration legislation, applicants for food stamps, housing and other public benefits will need to prove they are U.S. citizens or are legally in the country; the Highway Patrol will need to seek special federal immigration training; commercial driver's license tests will be given in English with no translation assistance; and cities would risk some state aid and grants if community leaders adopt policies to not cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

The Washington-based Pew Hispanic Center estimates from U.S. census data that 35,000 to 65,000 illegal immigrants live in Missouri - roughly the equivalent of the populations of Cape Girardeau or St. Charles. Missouri is projected to have less than 1 percent of the 12 million people estimated to be in the United States illegally.

The immigration bill passed the Legislature with wide majorities. Only Democrats living in and around Kansas City and St. Louis voted against the bill.

But the thorniest provision left Republican lawmakers and Missouri's business community arguing over how to address what bill supporters called "the magnet" attracting illegal immigrants to Missouri - the prospect of a job from an employer who does not care whether the applicant is legally in the country.

Under the legislation, all public employers, including state and local governments, will need to use a federal database that searches records from the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to determine whether someone is authorized to work in the country.

So will businesses that have a government contract worth more than $5,000 or that receive state loans or tax breaks. But private employers won't have to use the E-Verify system unless they are caught hiring an illegal immigrant.
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http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/07/07/ap5189055.html

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5.
Montgomery declines police support to federal agents on immigration raids
By Kathleen Miller
The Examiner (Washington, DC), July 7, 2008

Washington, DC -- Montgomery County is the only county in the Washington area that wouldn’t automatically provide local police protection for federal agents conducting a workplace immigration raid.

In Anne Arundel County, local authorities sent 50 police officers for a recent raid that netted dozens of suspected illegal immigrants last week.

In Loudoun County, police sent two officers, and Prince William County sent four officers to provide support for immigration officials that ranged from traffic control to officer protection during recent immigration raids in their counties.

While Prince George’s County police didn’t respond to calls about their policies, Fairfax and Arlington officials say when federal law enforcement asks for backup or public safety assistance, they provide it if they can.

Not always so in Montgomery.

“Montgomery County police only provide public safety assistance to [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] authorities when there is a criminal investigation,” police spokeswoman Lucille Baur said. “We typically would not provide public safety assistance if they are providing strictly an immigration raid — Montgomery County police are not involved in those.”

Baur said the county police would respond “if violence did break out” and noted that she was not aware of the county ever being asked to assist in immigration busts.
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http://www.examiner.com/a-1476933~Montgomery_declines_police_support_to_...

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6.
LULAC Urges '08ers to Place More Hispanics in Government
By Alexa Ainsworth
The ABC News, July 7, 2008

With John McCain and Barack Obama set to address the League of United Latin American Citizens on Tuesday, the Latino organization held a press conference Monday in Washington, D.C., to urge the presidential candidates to make Hispanic representation in the federal government a priority.

LULAC's executive director specifically challenged the candidates to reissue federal order 13171.

On immigration, LULAC president Rosa Rosales said that both candidates have not been "direct" enough on comprehensive immigration reform.
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http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/07/lulac-urges-08e.html

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7.
Advocates Speak Up for Illegal Day Laborers Cheated of Wages
By Pamela Constable
The Washington Post, July 8, 2008

It was a relatively small amount, $720, that Jose was owed for 72 hours of construction work in the District. Most immigrant day laborers, fleeced by a casual employer and unaware they had any legal recourse, would have swallowed their anger and let the matter drop.

Jose, 45, who has family to feed in El Salvador, was determined to fight back. He had kept a record of the painting, drywalling and other jobs he had done for a small contractor. He went to a church, which found him a team of lawyers, who took his case to court.

Although few immigrant day laborers realize it, they have the same right as any worker to sue employers for unpaid back wages, even if they are here illegally. In recent months, advocacy groups in the Washington region have been helping such workers file administrative claims and lawsuits, and in some cases they have won.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/07/AR200807...

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8.
Having degree of anxiety;
Undocumented graduates see a mixed future.
By Gale Holland
Los Angeles Times, July 8, 2008

He took 15 AP classes in high school, and kicks himself for passing up two others. Now, he is graduating from UCLA, with a double major in English and Chicano Studies and a B-plus grade point average.

But for all his success, Miguel does not share the full-bodied exuberance of the graduating seniors who marched last month five abreast into Pauley Pavilion, belting out the '60s hit "Build Me Up, Buttercup." A native of Puebla, Mexico, he is an illegal immigrant.

Around the UCLA campus, ubiquitous kiosk signs encourage students to "Jump Into Great Jobs!" But for Miguel, any employment will be difficult. Like many undocumented students, he may elect to prolong his studies to stave off an uncertain future.

"When you're in school you have a place in society, you're a university student," Miguel, 23, said during an interview at a campus coffee spot on graduation day. "When you graduate, you're just an immigrant again."
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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/crime/la-me-ucla8-2008jul08,0,6274243....