(Latin Pulse, April 7, 2008) The immigration issue in the U.S. is once again a hot topic of discussion. It is an election year, and the economy is in a downturn. The United States is a nation founded on immigration, however, with every new wave of immigrants, social and economic pressures often cause a backlash.

This heats up the debate within the political arena. The most recent wave of immigrants, both legal and illegal, is from Latin America, with the majority coming from Mexico.

Is illegal immigration a necessary evil? Or an impossible problem that has to be solved?

En Español:

El Asunto de la Inmigración

El tema de la inmigración es una vez más una discusión acalorada. Este es un año de elecciones y la economía esta en declive. Los Estados Unidos es una nación fundada por inmigrantes, sin embargo con cada ola de nuevos inmigrantes las presiones sociales y económicas a menudo provocan un contragolpe como resultado.

Esto enardece el debate en la arena política. La mas reciente ola de inmigrantes legales e ilegales viene de Latinoamérica y la mayoría de ellos de México.

¿Es la inmigración ilegal un mal necesario, o un problema insostenible que tiene que ser resuelto?

GUESTS:

John Amaya

Legislative Staff Attorney

MALDEF - Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

John Amaya is responsible for managing and executing MALDEF's federal legislative strategies related to immigration policy. Prior to joining MALDEF, Mr. Amaya served as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice in the office of Immigration Litigation where he represented the United States in Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals and Federal District Courts. Mr. Amaya has previous legislative experience having worked as a congressional fellow for Senator Maria Cantwell (WA) and as an aide for Congressman Norm Dicks (WA). A native of Los Angeles, California, Mr. Amaya holds a Juris Doctor and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Washington where he previously served on the board of Regents.

Alejandra Rincón, Ph.D.

Writer

Alejandra Rincón, Ph.D. is the author of a forthcoming book entitled "Undocumented Immigrants and Higher Education: Sí se puede!" This book reviews the history of struggle by undocumented immigrant students to gain access to college by paying in-state tuition rates. These efforts, which have been successful in ten states thus far, are the current expression of past civil rights struggles and may have broader implications for the population as a whole. The book will be available in August from LFB Scholarly Publishing (http://www.lfbscholarly.com) as part of their series entitled "New Americans: Recent Immigration and American Society."

She is also the 2006 recipient of the Human Relations Award conferred by the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC). The NACAC award celebrates someone who dedicates themselves to making postsecondary education opportunities available to historically underrepresented students.

Having earned her doctorate in Education Administration, she is an avid advocate for immigrant rights in the educational system. She has developed programs to encourage Latino and immigrant high school students to attend college. Working for over six years with two of Texas’ largest school districts, she has been active in the passage and implementation of Texas legislation that allows undocumented high school students to attend Texas colleges at in-state tuition rates. She has served as the director of Multicultural Affairs at Prairie View A&M University and is the adviser of Jóvenes Imigrantes por Futuro Mejor, an association of immigrant college students throughout Texas.

Michele Waslin

Senior Research Analyst at the Immigration Policy Center (AILF)

Michele Waslin, Ph.D., is Senior Research Analyst at the Immigration Policy Center. She has authored several publications on immigration policy and post-9/11 immigration issues. Ms. Waslin appears regularly in English and Spanish-language media. Previously, she worked as Director of Immigration Policy Research at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and Policy Coordinator at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. She received her Ph.D. in 2002 in Government and International Studies from the University of Notre Dame, and holds an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in Political Science from Creighton University. (mwaslin@ailf.org)

About IPC

The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is the research arm of the American Immigration Law Foundation (AILF). IPC was established in 2003 with the mission to provide policymakers, academics, the media, and the general public with access to accurate information about the effects of immigration on the U.S. economy and society. The IPC attracts nationally recognized scholars as research fellows and guest authors, and publishes timely reports on the role of immigrants and immigration policy. Together, the IPC director, fellows, and staff have been a major voice in the national debate on immigration. They have testified before Congress and regularly serve as experts on immigration law and policy issues for members of the media.

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