U.S. Rep. Gutierrez on immigration reform

"I love this country," said Rep. Luis Gutierrez during the University's 13th Annual Equity in Action conference. A packed Alumni Hall greeted Gutierrez, who served as advisor to the late Mayor Harold Washington and became the first elected Hispanic Representative in Illinois. He is also an NEIU alumnus and was a student activist.

President Sharon Hahs introduced Rep. Luis Gutierrez at the early Tuesday morning, October 9 event. Provost Frank, Dean Duster, and Board of Trustee member Carlos Azcoitia also attended. In his speech, Gutierrez focused on the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

Over the summer, the U.S. Senate failed to pass an Immigration Reform Bill. Nonetheless, Rep. Luis Gutierrez maintains that immigration reform will happen; it's just a matter of when. "Our economic system will not allow it not to occur," he says. Gutierrez adds that it is in the country's own self-interests and economic security to reform its immigration policies. He notes that even the Wall Street Journal, which has a very conservative editorial board, supported the bill.

The American population is more and more educated and skilled, but there are only more and more unskilled jobs, he explains. There is an adult work force of 137,000,000. Gutierrez is part of the baby boom generation, and when they begin to retire, he says, it will leave 79,000,000 jobs unfilled. "Who is going to step in to fill all these jobs?" he asks.

Gutierrez explains that the U.S. permits only 5,000 unskilled workers a year and has a visa backlog that stretches up to 23 years. It also has 12 million undocumented immigrants. Comprehensive immigration reform would call for 400,000 new low-skilled workers with conditional status and a 6-year visa. Also, it requires a return to the country of origin, a background check, a $1,500 per person fine, English classes and civics classes, and they must work and pay taxes.

"It's really about the color of skin of people who come here," said Rep. Luis Gutierrez. He points to xenophobia, hatred, and fear-mongering by the likes of Lou Dobbs as obstacles that make comprehensive immigration reform difficult.

Luis Gutierrez makes parallels to the Irish when they immigrated to this country 150 years ago. They came here poor, hungry, and Catholic. Xenophobes warned that the Irish were going to unravel the foundations of society. "Sound familiar? This is not new," said Gutierrez. He added that this was an opportunity to confront it. Not with emotion, anger, and frustration, he said, but with language and facts.

There are 3 million American citizen children and 180,000 undocumented immigrants were deported last year, explains Gutierrez. Families are broken because of this, he said, and people continue to die in the desert trying to come into this country. Last year's Sensenbrenner Bill, which would criminalize undocumented immigrants and those who assisted them, led to massive protests and helped the Democrats become the majority in Congress.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez said that when comprehensive immigration reform bills were explained the way he had, with the fines and work requirements, most Americans agreed with it. Still, there are those who are afraid and scapegoat undocumented immigrants. Gutierrez asks us to answer the call in fighting for a greater sense of justice.