Chicano Studies - Zine Final

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 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR THE CHILDREN OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

2

 GARDASIL VACCINE REQUIRED FOR YOUNG WOMEN IMMIGRATING INTO THE UNITED STATES..............6

 UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES....................8

The

United

States

Current Issues Citizenship

and

Immigration Services added Gardasil, an HPV vaccine that protects from four strains of the virus and from cervical cancer resulting from infection, to their list of required vaccinations for immigrants seeking entry into the United States. Young women between the ages of 11 through 26 that want to become US residents are mandated to receive this vaccination. Continued on pg. 4

About the Author My name is Alexandra Mirsakova. I am a 19-year-old student at CSUN. After extensively researching this topic, I have decided that I am pro-immigration rights and I support the rights of undocumented workers in the United States.

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Higher Education for the Children of Illegal Immigrants

However, higher education is a different

matter

Once

illegal

all

together.

immigrants

graduate from high school, they have few options. Some states have already passed legislations that grant in-state tuition to children of illegal immigrants, but

in

other

states,

such

proposals have been rejected. Students marching for the DREAM Act

Opponents

According to Peter Katel, 10

million

illegal

believe

it

to

be

unfair of the government to

immigrants

grant in-state tuition to children

currently reside in the United

of illegal immigrants because

States, and 1,400 more arrive

they are in the United States

each day. A lot of women bring

illegally. Greenblatt writes that

their

United

citizens

States with them, in hopes that

“public

their

subsidized by taxpayers, and

children

child

education

to

will here.

the

receive

an

Primary

therefore

are

angry

because

institutions

all

students

are

―

education must be provided for

including illegal immigrants ―

everyone residing in the United

receive an indirect form of aid

States, be they legal or illegal.

form

state

of

local

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governments.” Because illegal

immigrants by denying them a

immigrants do not pay taxes,

right to an education. Former

one can see why citizens are

Arkansas

vexed. Even though the parents

Huckabee says, “We are a better

of illegal immigrants do not pay

country than to punish children

taxes, their children should not

for

have to suffer for it. Every child

Those who support education

deserves an education. It is

for illegal immigrants want them

illogical to offer children primary

to be as educated as much as

education and then take away

possible because they will be

their opportunity to go on any

living the rest of their lives in

further.

the United States.

Opposing

citizens

what

Governor

their

Senator

Mike

parents

Orrin

G.

did.”

Hatch

complain that their tax money is

proposed the DREAM Act, a bill

being wasted to educate people

that

who shouldn’t be here in the

from

first place, and that children of

young

illegal

permanent legal status if they

slots

immigrants huge

taking

deportation adults

to

students

and

allow

qualify

for

completed high school and at

would

least two years of college or

otherwise go to legal citizens.

military service.” The act would

Others believe it is unfair to

also allow all states to offer in-

punish the children of illegal

state tuition and other benefits

subsidies

amounts

protect

of

public

and

are

“would

that

4|Page

for illegal immigrants at public institutions.

DREAM

of

illegal

Act

immigrants are not criminals,

would make it possible for illegal

and they should not be punished

immigrants that graduate from

for

universities

become

Governor Huckabee says, “If a

permanent citizens, and in doing

child is in the back seat of a car

so it would also allow them to

when a father drives drunk, it's

acquire jobs. They will become

perfectly appropriate to put the

productive citizens and they will

father in the drunk tank, but you

help the economy.

don't put the child in the drunk

Many

The

Children

to

legal

what

their

parents

did.

residents

tank.” Huckabee believes that

resent the fact that their money

children who have come to this

subsidizes

immigrants.

country illegally at a young age

Mehlman, of FAIR, alleges, “Our

are at no fault of their own, and

view is that they shouldn’t be

if they work hard, they should

there in the first place, and they

have the opportunity to go to

certainly

shouldn’t

be

college. If a parent commits a

subsidized

by

taxpayers.”

crime, does his or her child go to

Republican Steve King believes

jail? Punishing children of illegal

it is unfair to hold taxpayers

immigrants is unjust. America is

accountable

the only country the children of

illegal

to

provide

discounted education to people in this country illegally.

illegal

immigrants

have

ever

5|Page

known. America is their country.

–

Debate.” The CQ Researcher

They deserve a chance.

18.5

Sources

–

Douglass, Linda. “Interview with Mike Huckabee”. The National Journal.

Greenblatt, Alan. “Immigration

–

Katel, Peter. “Illegal Immigration.” The CQ Researcher 15.17

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Gardasil Vaccine Required for

Ironically, the vaccine still “remains

Young Women Immigrating

a recommended – not mandatory – immunization

into the United States

who

are

for

young

women

U.S.

citizens,

already

leading some to question why it is being forced upon immigrants.” John Abramson, who chairs the CDC, said that the decision to mandate the Gardasil vaccine for young immigrant women “is not a The

United

Citizenship

and

States Immigration

Services added Gardasil, an HPV vaccine that protects from four strains cervical

of

the

virus

cancer

and

from

resulting

from

infection, to their list of required vaccinations

for

seeking

into

entry

immigrants the

United

States.

ages of 11 through 26 that want to become US residents are mandated receive

“is

not

a

disease

that

is

communicable.” The

vaccine

also

raises

concerns because of its reported side effects. According to Judicial Watch, a Washington-based public interest group, in 2007 at least three more deaths were linked to the vaccine, and more than 1,600

Young women between the

to

good idea” because cervical cancer

this

vaccination.

An

estimated 130,000 women a year will be affected by the requirement.

adverse

reactions

have

been

reported. Rosemary Black writes in her article for NY Daily News, “as of June 30, the FDA had received nearly 10,000 reports of adverse

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reactions

following

Gardasil

injections.” According to the CDC, serious side effects reported so far have

included

Guillian-Barré disorder

blood

clots

Syndrome,

that

causes

extremely

expensive

for

people

without insurance." The cost of the vaccine will

and

make it even more difficult for

rare

women to immigrate legally into

muscle

the U.S. The National Coalition for

a

weakness. The CDC released a

Immigrant

Women’s

Rights

also

report stating that “as of December

raised concerns about the new HPV

31, 2008, there have been 32 U.S.

vaccine requirement. They claimed

reports of deaths among females

that the addition of Gardasil is

who have received the vaccine.”

similar to “surcharge applied only

Not only is the vaccine a risk

to young immigrant women” that

to women’s health, it is also very

will bar them from immigrating into

expensive. The vaccine’s cost adds

the United States.

more than 300 dollars to the U.S.

Sources

immigration $1,410

application

for

young

fee

of

–

afety/vaers/gardasil.htm

immigrant

women. So far, it is unclear as to

–

for-young-women-seeking-

for the vaccine. "If the immigrant

real

burden,"

says

Dr.

Jessica

http://sefora.org/2008/10/29 /gardasil-vaccine-required-

who will be responsible for paying

has to pay for it, this would be a

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines

immigration-to-us/ –

Black, Gardasil

Rosemary. cervical

“New cancer

Sessions of the Ryan Community

vaccination requirement for

Health Center on the Upper West

immigrants

Side. "It is a great vaccine but it is

stirs

9|Page controversy.”

NY

Daily

News.

1995 to 6 million in 1998, to 7 million in 2000, and between 8 and 10 million in 2003.” Willing

to

work

for

low

wages, illegal immigrants are said to be threatening the economy and

Undocumented Workers in the United States

taking

jobs

away

from

legal

citizens. Peter Katel writes, “While illegal immigrants only make up about 5 percent of the U.S. work force,

critics

of

the

nation’s

immigration policies say that illegal immigrants take American’s jobs, threaten national security and even change the nation’s culture by An eleven-year-old boy carries chili pepper bags on a Texas farm. Federal law allows for children as young as 10 to work on the farms.

refusing to assimilate.” Numerous legislations have

P.

been proposed by critics to bar

the

illegal immigrants from obtaining

Mexicans who successfully enter

jobs and citizenship. They include

illegally

the Real ID bill (which blocks states

According Huntington,

to

Samuel

“estimates

each

year

of

range

from

105,000 to 350,000 during the

from

1990s.

total

illegal workers) and guest worker

number of illegal immigrants in the

programs, which grant temporary

Estimates

of

the

United States rose from 4 million in

issuing

driver

licenses

to

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legal

status

to

undocumented

workers.

Tom

Tancredo,

who

advocates

stricter anti- immigration policies,

Advocates

pro-

says “The reason we do not have

immigration policy claim that illegal

secure borders is because of an

immigrants

Americans

insatiable demand for cheap labor.

refuse to take and that by doing so

We have the ability to secure the

they boost the economy.

border; we choose not to.” One

fill

of

jobs

Brendon Flanagan, director

should think that undocumented

of the legislative affairs for the

workers are undeserving of the

National

hate they receive from citizens. It is

says

Restaurant

that

Association,

“Restaurants,

hotels,

nursing homes, agriculture – a very

the

employers’

greed

that

is

“hurting” citizens in the long run.

broad group of industries – are

To

former

candidate

for

looking for a supply of workers to

President John McCain, immigration

remain productive.” According to

reform

Flanagan, in many parts of the

undocumented

workers

country

here

He

legal

available.

workers

Harvard

are

not

means

legally.

allowing to

stay

reasons

the

economist

nation’s economy depends on their

George Borjas counters Flanagan

cheap labor. “As long as there are

with “He is leaving out a very key

jobs to be had…that won’t be done

part of that phrase. He should add

by Americans [illegal immigrants]

‘at the wage I’m going to pay.’”

are going to come and fill those

Citizens are angry with the government for not enforcing antiimmigration

policies.

Republican

jobs.” Some

critics

of

pro-

immigration rights call immigration

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a “product of organized crime.”

According to Katel, at least

“The same people responsible for

50

drug shipments from the south are

farmworkers are poorly paid illegal

also dealing in sex slaves and

immigrants. Americans spend less

illegal

on food than citizens of any other

labor

and

weapons.

Our

businesses should not be working

percent

of

the

U.S’s

industrialized nation.

with these people or encouraging

Migration

Policy

Institute’s

these people,” says William Gheen,

director Demetrios Papademetriou

the

says

President

of

Americans

for

Legal Immigration.

that

illegal

immigration

“maintains a standard of living for

But pro-immigration activists

everyone in American that is, in a

disagree with Gheen, who they say

sense, beyond what we can really

is “simply appealing to primitive

afford. When you continue to have

fears.” Juan Hernandez, the former

low-wage workers streaming in, all

director of the Center for U.S. -

products

Mexico Studies says “There are

cheaper. It has actually become a

many

subsidy

to

performed if undocumented people

America.

We

where not here. Why can’t we

hooked.”

come

jobs

up

that

with

would

ways

not

in

be

services

every have

Sources

Mexico to the United States can get

–

a quick permit, come up, do a job

all

Katel, Peter. “Illegal Immigration.” The CQ Researcher 15.17

become

person

which

individuals who want to come from

and go back?”

and

in

become

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–

Huntington, Samuel P. “The Hispanic Challenge.” Foreign Policy.

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