NEW YORK—Mayor Michael Bloomberg's speech on Capitol Hill on Wednesday highlighted the importance of immigrants, both legal and illegal, to the nation’s economy. Meanwhile, back home in New York City, pro-immigrant advocate Rodolfo Estrada said he has mixed feelings about Bloomberg’s immigration push.
“A lot of times it's a step forward and a step backward,” said Estrada, executive director of Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights.
It's a step forward, Estrada explained, because the mayor is advocating increasing legal immigration and he supports the DREAM act, which creates a path to citizenship for immigrants who have lived here for many years and have either served the country or gone to college for two years. But it's also a step backward, he says, because of the ongoing deportation of illegal immigrants arrested for crimes they may or may not have committed.
“The NYPD is still known for sometimes being overly aggressive with immigrants or individuals of color. I think it’s a very mixed bag,” said Estrada.
However, overall, Estrada praised the mayor's speech and his attempt to draw attention to the issue of immigration.
“I think it’s really helpful and important, especially in this political climate, to have people who are out there standing up for immigrants,” he said. “One of my concerns is that, with the election year coming up, people are going to be more and more shy of that. I think we just need more people to come forward to say that immigration is a very important issue that should be addressed.”
In his speech in Washington, Bloomberg said that immigrants are the key to jump-starting the American economy. He called for more visas to be handed out for economic reasons. Only 7 percent of green cards are currently given out based on economics, a situation the mayor calls “national suicide.”
Bloomberg also recommended allowing foreign students earning degrees in America to permanently work in the country.
The United States give out more than 1 million green cards each year, of which 85 percent are given for family reunification and refuge from harm. Family reunification refers to scenarios when an American marries a foreigner or when a green-card holder brings over family members from abroad.
Estrada hopes that family reunification and refuge from harm continues to be prioritized, despite Bloomberg’s emphasis on giving visas for purely economic reasons.
“One of the things that we advocate for is keeping the whole idea of family reunification going. We see how difficult it is sometimes for immigrants who are legal here to bring their families here,” he said. “If you think about it, if foreign individuals were able to come here legally, they would be able to get jobs to buy more goods, buy houses, and I think that's really important.”
