Immigration
Building Opportunity: A Toolkit for Virginia’s Future
We all want to believe that if we meet our obligations and if we work hard at the things we choose to do that we’ll be rewarded with opportunities to get ahead.
Revived Travel Ban a Lose-Lose for Refugees and Virginia’s Economy
We now know that refugees are net-contributors, adding to the gross domestic product and tax base, and the recent ban hurts both vulnerable families seeking to resettle and our state’s bottom line.
Deportation: Bad for Virginia’s Children, Bad for Virginia’s Bottom Line
Deportations and discriminatory rhetoric don’t just hurt unauthorized immigrants, they hurt our families, our communities, and our state by diminishing the readiness and well-being of a large segment of our future workforce.
Working, Paying Taxes, Hitting Barriers
Despite paying taxes, unauthorized immigrants are not offered many of the social services that their taxes pay for. Essential safety net services such as Medicaid or the Earned Income Tax Credit, are not offered to unauthorized immigrants in any form, with very few exceptions. Furthermore, unauthorized immigrants in Virginia also pay a higher share of their incomes in state and local taxes than the wealthiest 1 percent of Virginians.
The High Local Cost of Forced Immigrant Detention
The immigration system in the United States is broken, and too many Virginians are caught up in it because of minor problems with their immigration status and minor criminal charges. Virginia should not add to this by requiring local and regional jails to treat detainer requests as mandatory without a court order. And the state should not force sheriffs and regional jail officials to choose between a confusing state law and the constitutional rights of individuals, not to mention the possible costs to their local taxpayers.
Getting Out of First Gear on Training and Testing Virginia Drivers
Some immigrants who are lawfully present can’t legally drive due to their particular type of federal immigration status. The stakeholder task force recommended expanding access to driver’s licenses to these individuals and all legally present individuals. This important recommendation could be put into effect if legislators pass HB2020 (Del. Villanueva) or HB1866 (Del. Lopez), both of which use the draft bill language that was developed by the stakeholder’s task force.
Shared Challenges: Heightened Policing and Harsher Consequences
African-American Virginians and immigrant Virginians face different types of law enforcement contact, but both groups are too often being “policed” rather than “protected,” and members of both communities often face far harsher punishments for the same crimes than U.S. born white Virginians.
Shared Challenges: Paid Time Off
Many immigrants and African-American Virginians have significant family caretaking responsibilities, but are less likely than others to have access to key options that would allow them to better balance work and family responsibilities.
Shared Challenges: Low Wages
This Saturday the national Fight for 15 movement will rally in Richmond to fight for a $15 minimum wage and “connect to the broader fight for immigrant justice, Black Lives Matter, and against racism.” This rally comes at an important time.