THE MORAL CHALLENGE

OF THE UNDOCUMENTED

POPULATION Raquel Diaz-Sprague, PharmD

APPROPRIATE TOPIC FOR APPE

Appropriate topic - ignorance misinformation abound on

status of Latinos, plight of undocumented immigrants.

Professor Chavez defines collection of stereotypes falsehoods

and distortions as the Latino Threat Narrative.

I will talk about a status near to non-personhood

of undocumented residents in most of the nation

similarity with that of runaway slaves in the 1850’s

IMMIGRATION IS A MORAL ISSUE

Each of us, has received publicly subsidized, graduate education

Moral responsibility to work to serve roader national interest.

Immigration is political, economic issue but also moral issue.

Old as the Scriptures, clear as the US Constitution.

Do we demonstrate that “All Men are created Equal?

Do we treat our fellow men as we would wish to be treated?

WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT

Present some statistics about Latinos, discuss them briefly.

Latino underrepresentation and misrepresentation in media.

Talk about the struggle of a large nonprofit organization in

Columbus, Ohio to work with local authorities to recognize

consular cards as valid ID for undocumented residents.

Will discuss the often unacknowledged issue of privilege

LATINOS IN THE US: STATISTICS

About 55 million. Latinos/Hispanics, the largest minority group

>17% of pop. in the United States.

This includes estimated 10.9 million unauthorized residents

mostly from Mexico and Central America.

Unauthorized population live in the shadows

Legal status is near to non-personhood

RUNAWAY SLAVES & FUGITIVE SLAVE

ACT OF 1850

In 40 states undocumented have status similar to fugitive slaves :

under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

Slaves were not citizens of any state.

They were nonpersons in many jurisdictions.

Even if free states, fugitive slaves could not initiate a legal action -

- they were not legal persons.

Sensenbrenner Bill (HR4437) an immigration bill, that passed the

House in 2006 has similarities with Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

DIFFERENT CENTURIES – SIMILAR

POLICIES

In 19th century, even in free states, runaways were “private property”

They had to be returned to owner or face a $1000 fine.

In 21th century, undocumented Latinos are fugitives of poverty.

They have no legal ID. They can’t get driver’s licenses in most states.

Jailed for minor infractions and for “driving without a license.”

Local jails turn them over to ICE

ICE sends them to Texas detention centers.

Deported back to places of misery from which they escaped

MISINFORMATION, STEREOTYPES

ABOUND

2012 national study conducted by National Hispanic Media Coalition

shows that many non-Hispanic Americans have no understanding of

the broken immigration system

Alarmist rhetoric, pejorative labels and negative images in the

media about Latinos/Hispanics

>1/3 non-Hispanic Americans wrongly assumes that at least half of

Latinos are in the country illegally and are mostly poorly educated.

Media portrays them as low-literacy, low-skill workers, janitors, maids,

and criminals such as gang members, prostitutes, drug traffickers

FEW HISPANIC ROLE MODELS

PORTRAYED IN MEDIA

Few prominent Latino role models in media.

Center for Media and Public Affairs study showed that Latinos

have been in the 2% range of representation in Media for the

past 30 years

Hispanics are virtually absent as characters in the entertainment

media and as correspondents and anchors in news media.”

UNDOCUMENTED NEED ID TO

FUNCTION

Only 10 or 11 states provide driver’s licenses to undocumented

residents.

NYC remarkable in providing a municipal ID card to ALL residents

Many cities accept Mexican Matricula Consular (MC), as ID

Faith based, nonprofit organization, Building Responsibility

Equality and Dignity (BREAD) trying to get MC recognized as ID

for Columbus undocumented residents.

PRIVILEGE, ISSUE NOT OFTEN TALKED

ABOUT

Privilege – things majority population takes for granted

Contrasts with obstacles, disadvantages of daily life of minority

groups especially those without authorization.

Why this matter to me: I’m originally from Peru, trained as a

pharmacist biochemist alumna from Ohio State University.

Taught for years as adjunct faculty at Ohio State, College of

Medicine

Now translate, & consult on research projects, advocate activist

HOW DOES THE PROCESS WORK

Listening process within the 53 congregations, top concerns emerge,

Congregations vote on the top concern to address in a given year.

Over past 15 years many successes

Affordable Housing Trust Fund - ~6000 affordable housing units.

Lowered interest rate that “payday loan” lenders can charge in

Columbus,

Added city bus routes to connect the urban poor with area jobs

In 2012 injustices against undocumented residents was top concern

2012 TOP CONCERN:

UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT

Latinos lives of perpetual anxiety.

Greatly fear local police. Do not report crimes as victims or

Often paid in cash -- targets for robberies.

Stops by police lead to arrest for lack of driver’s licenses

Minor infraction - “broken tail light” - can lead to deportation

“At the end of the day” City Attorney said “I have to uphold the law.”

BREAD questioned using taxpayers resources to enforce immigration law.

Police must protect entire community, including vulnerable crime victims

SISTER CITIES ACCEPT MATRICULA

CONSULAR AS ID

Police in Dayton and Toledo, accept the MC as ID - they don’t

arrest for minor infractions

Dayton police chief believe policy made community safer,

decreased number of arrests, building bridges between police,

residents.

Given positive experiences in Dayton, Toledo, Omaha, and

Chicago, group has been pressing city authorities to issue

Ordinance to accept Matricula Consular as valid ID in Columbus.

We’ve been pressing since 2013, to no avail.

PRESSING FOR ACCEPTANCE OF THE

MC

Met with with City Attorney and County Sheriff but the

Council members and Police chief have refused to meet with us for15 months. Finally met on 2/2 at a heated meeting in City Hall

They reiterated opposition to our request - remain unpersuaded

that accepting MC is a good idea

Not easy to get Council to meet with us. Congregation members

have pressed “people power”

Large groups attended Council meetings and spoke for 3

minutes during the public comment section.

DANGERS OF HAVING HIDDEN

POPULATION

I spoke about public health implication of having unidentified, untraceable large population living in the shadows.

Every human needs and ID to function in society, to access safety and emergency services.

All need to be accounted for in a natural disaster or public health threat.

There are risks to the city in keeping 55,000 residents in the shadows.

We all breathe the same air, we all use the same water supply, we’re all vulnerable to disease, and disaster, and despair and we’re all MORTAL.

WHY IS THE CITY RELUCTANT TO

ACCEPT THE MC?

City’s position may have been informed by a Google search. Many hateful blogs spreading misinformation about the Matricula

Consular posted by anti-immigrant groups.

There is a 2003 FBI report which refers to earlier version low security, consular

Since 2005 Matricula Consular has numerous security features including microtext embedded data,

cryptographic smart chip, optical variable security emblem, biometrics.

At the 2/2 meeting Chief of Police and Safety Director admitted the high security features but indicated they could not accept the MC because they are not in their LEADS system and there isn’t a way they could authenticate cards 24/7

GENDER PRIVILEGE. WHAT IS IT?

In 1994, Peggy McIntosh, Wellesley College wrote about advantages and privileges taken for granted by white men. She noticed the men's unwillingness to grant that they are over privileged, even though they could grant that women are disadvantaged.

They would work to improve women's status, but they wouldn't support the idea of lessening men's.

Denials surround the subject of advantages that men gain from women's disadvantages.

Denials protect male privilege from being acknowledged, lessened, or ended.

PRIVILEGE: INVISIBLE KNAPSACK OF

ADVANTAGES

There’s also white privilege similarly denied and protected.

As a white person, she had been taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts her at an advantage.

She came to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that one can cash in each day. White privilege she said is like an invisible knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks. Among those advantages taken for granted are:

+ I can be sure that if I need legal or medical help, my race will not work against me.

INVISIBLE, UNSEEN ADVANTAGES

+ I can be pretty sure that my neighbors in any location will be neutral or pleasant to me.

+ I can shop alone most of the time, assured that I will not be followed or harassed.

+ I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.

+ When I am told about our national heritage or about civilization, I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.

+ Whether I use checks, credit cards, or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against

the appearance of financial reliability.

WE NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE

PRIVILEGE EXISTS

To redesign social systems we need first to acknowledge their huge unseen dimensions. Obliviousness about white and male advantage matters because it fosters the myth of

meritocracy, the myth that a choice of path is equally available to all people. If white and male privilege exists this is not such a free country; ones' life is not what one makes it; many doors open for certain people through no virtues of their own.

Keeping most people unaware that freedom of action is there for just a small number of people props up those in power and serves to keep power in the hands of the same groups that have most of it already.

We need to, as our coalition of churches is doing in my city of Columbus Ohio, to have people of good faith and good conscience push and pray, pray and push as we do to reconstruct power systems on a broader base