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Illegal immigration hurts African Americans; Vanderbilt professor believes Congressional Black Caucus is ignoring the issue
%20is%20not%20doing%20enough%20about%20it.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p></o:p>In%20a%20new%20book%20of%20essays%20called%20Debating%20Immigration,%20which%20<a%20href=%22http://www-old.law.vanderbilt.edu/faculty/swain.html%22>Carol%20Swain</a>%20edited%20and%20contributed%20to,%20Swain%20said%20that%20African%20Americans%20are%20losing%20more%20jobs%20to%20illegal%20immigrants%20than%20other%20racial%20or%20ethic%20groups,%20yet%20low%20income%20black%20workers%20don’t%20have%20political%20input%20in%20the%20debate.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p></o:p><span> </span>“African%20Americans%20have%20been%20left%20devoid%20of%20a%20strong%20black%20voice%20in%20Congress%20on%20a%20topic%20that%20affects%20them%20deeply,%20given%20their%20high%20unemployment%20rates%20and%20historic%20struggle%20to%20get%20quality%20housing,%20health%20care,%20education%20and%20other%20goods%20and%20services,”%20said%20Swain.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22>Swain%20used%20a%20study%20conducted%20by%20the%20<st1:place%20w:st=%22on%22><st1:placename%20w:st=%22on%22>Pew</st1:placename>%20<st1:placename%20w:st=%22on%22>Hispanic</st1:placename>%20<st1:placetype%20w:st=%22on%22>Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>,%20which%20found%20high%20unemployment%20rates%20among%20African%20Americans%20and%20Hispanics%20was%20partially%20attributed%20to%20the%20large%20number%20of%20low-skilled%20immigrants.%20Swain%20added%20that%20lax%20or%20non-existent%20immigration%20rules%20help%20businesses%20get%20away%20with%20hiring%20illegal%20immigrants%20instead%20of%20legal%20workers.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22>“The%20greatest%20competition%20occurs%20among%20people%20at%20the%20margins%20of%20society;%20a%20multi-racial%20group%20that%20includes%20poorly%20educated%20blacks,%20whites%20and%20Hispanics%20who%20compete%20against%20each%20other%20and%20against%20new%20immigrants%20for%20low-wage,%20low-skill%20jobs.”</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p></o:p>Swain%20found%20that%20cuts%20in%20governmental%20programs,%20like%20student%20loans,%20make%20it%20harder%20for%20low-income%20African%20American%20students%20to%20train%20for%20higher%20paying%20jobs.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22>Swain%20also%20found%20that%20some%20African%20Americans%20feel%20threatened%20by%20surges%20of%20immigrants%20to%20the%20<st1:country-region%20w:st=%22on%22><st1:place%20w:st=%22on%22>United%20States</st1:place></st1:country-region>%20because%20of%20the%20immigrants’%20potential%20impact%20on%20affirmative%20action.%20Swain%20said%20any%20parallel%20between%20immigrant%20issues%20and%20the%20black%20civil%20rights%20movement%20is%20weak.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22>“Most%20illegal%20immigrants%20have%20willingly%20left%20their%20homelands%20to%20seek%20their%20fortunes%20in%20a%20more%20prosperous%20nation.%20They%20were%20not%20brought%20in%20chains,”%20she%20said.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p></o:p>Swain%20said%20that%20by%20not%20taking%20a%20stand%20on%20immigration,%20the%20Congressional%20Black%20Caucus%20is%20ignoring%20the%20interests%20of%20their%20constituency.<br%20/>%0a<br%20/>%0aSwain%20found%20the%20CBC%20does%20not%20list%20immigration%20reform%20as%20a%20legislative%20priority%20and%20the%20CBC%20only%20mentioned%20immigration%20in%20one%20press%20release%20out%20of%20almost%20a%20hundred%20on%20its%20web%20site.%20Swain%20said%20some%20of%20the%20lawmakers%20in%20the%20CBC%20have%20large%20numbers%20of%20Hispanic%20constituents%20in%20their%20districts,%20which%20may%20lead%20to%20a%20conflict%20of%20interest.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p></o:p>Swain%20said%20unless%20there%20are%20big%20changes%20within%20the%20CBC,%20there%20will%20not%20be%20official%20black%20representation%20on%20the%20immigration%20issue%20and%20she%20believes%20that%20is%20hurting%20African%20Americans.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22>Debating%20Immigration%20is%20a%20compilation%20of%20essays%20from%20some%20of%20the%20world’s%20leading%20experts%20on%20immigration.%20It%20is%20the%20first%20of%20its%20kind%20to%20examine%20the%20issues%20of%20race%20and%20religion%20as%20they%20apply%20to%20contemporary%20immigration%20issues.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p></o:p>For%20more%20news%20about%20Vanderbilt,%20visit%20the%20News%20Service%20homepage%20at%20www.vanderbilt.edu/news.<br%20/>%0a<o:p></o:p><br%20/>%0aMedia%20Contact:%20Amy%20Wolf,%20(615)%20322-NEWS<br%20/>%0a<a%20href=%22mailto:amy.wolf@vanderbilt.edu%22>amy.wolf@vanderbilt.edu</a></p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p> </o:p></p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p> </o:p></p>){kind=small}
%20is%20not%20doing%20enough%20about%20it.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p></o:p>In%20a%20new%20book%20of%20essays%20called%20Debating%20Immigration,%20which%20<a%20href=%22http://www-old.law.vanderbilt.edu/faculty/swain.html%22>Carol%20Swain</a>%20edited%20and%20contributed%20to,%20Swain%20said%20that%20African%20Americans%20are%20losing%20more%20jobs%20to%20illegal%20immigrants%20than%20other%20racial%20or%20ethic%20groups,%20yet%20low%20income%20black%20workers%20don’t%20have%20political%20input%20in%20the%20debate.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p></o:p><span> </span>“African%20Americans%20have%20been%20left%20devoid%20of%20a%20strong%20black%20voice%20in%20Congress%20on%20a%20topic%20that%20affects%20them%20deeply,%20given%20their%20high%20unemployment%20rates%20and%20historic%20struggle%20to%20get%20quality%20housing,%20health%20care,%20education%20and%20other%20goods%20and%20services,”%20said%20Swain.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22>Swain%20used%20a%20study%20conducted%20by%20the%20<st1:place%20w:st=%22on%22><st1:placename%20w:st=%22on%22>Pew</st1:placename>%20<st1:placename%20w:st=%22on%22>Hispanic</st1:placename>%20<st1:placetype%20w:st=%22on%22>Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>,%20which%20found%20high%20unemployment%20rates%20among%20African%20Americans%20and%20Hispanics%20was%20partially%20attributed%20to%20the%20large%20number%20of%20low-skilled%20immigrants.%20Swain%20added%20that%20lax%20or%20non-existent%20immigration%20rules%20help%20businesses%20get%20away%20with%20hiring%20illegal%20immigrants%20instead%20of%20legal%20workers.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22>“The%20greatest%20competition%20occurs%20among%20people%20at%20the%20margins%20of%20society;%20a%20multi-racial%20group%20that%20includes%20poorly%20educated%20blacks,%20whites%20and%20Hispanics%20who%20compete%20against%20each%20other%20and%20against%20new%20immigrants%20for%20low-wage,%20low-skill%20jobs.”</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p></o:p>Swain%20found%20that%20cuts%20in%20governmental%20programs,%20like%20student%20loans,%20make%20it%20harder%20for%20low-income%20African%20American%20students%20to%20train%20for%20higher%20paying%20jobs.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22>Swain%20also%20found%20that%20some%20African%20Americans%20feel%20threatened%20by%20surges%20of%20immigrants%20to%20the%20<st1:country-region%20w:st=%22on%22><st1:place%20w:st=%22on%22>United%20States</st1:place></st1:country-region>%20because%20of%20the%20immigrants’%20potential%20impact%20on%20affirmative%20action.%20Swain%20said%20any%20parallel%20between%20immigrant%20issues%20and%20the%20black%20civil%20rights%20movement%20is%20weak.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22>“Most%20illegal%20immigrants%20have%20willingly%20left%20their%20homelands%20to%20seek%20their%20fortunes%20in%20a%20more%20prosperous%20nation.%20They%20were%20not%20brought%20in%20chains,”%20she%20said.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p></o:p>Swain%20said%20that%20by%20not%20taking%20a%20stand%20on%20immigration,%20the%20Congressional%20Black%20Caucus%20is%20ignoring%20the%20interests%20of%20their%20constituency.<br%20/>%0a<br%20/>%0aSwain%20found%20the%20CBC%20does%20not%20list%20immigration%20reform%20as%20a%20legislative%20priority%20and%20the%20CBC%20only%20mentioned%20immigration%20in%20one%20press%20release%20out%20of%20almost%20a%20hundred%20on%20its%20web%20site.%20Swain%20said%20some%20of%20the%20lawmakers%20in%20the%20CBC%20have%20large%20numbers%20of%20Hispanic%20constituents%20in%20their%20districts,%20which%20may%20lead%20to%20a%20conflict%20of%20interest.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p></o:p>Swain%20said%20unless%20there%20are%20big%20changes%20within%20the%20CBC,%20there%20will%20not%20be%20official%20black%20representation%20on%20the%20immigration%20issue%20and%20she%20believes%20that%20is%20hurting%20African%20Americans.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22>Debating%20Immigration%20is%20a%20compilation%20of%20essays%20from%20some%20of%20the%20world’s%20leading%20experts%20on%20immigration.%20It%20is%20the%20first%20of%20its%20kind%20to%20examine%20the%20issues%20of%20race%20and%20religion%20as%20they%20apply%20to%20contemporary%20immigration%20issues.</p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p></o:p>For%20more%20news%20about%20Vanderbilt,%20visit%20the%20News%20Service%20homepage%20at%20www.vanderbilt.edu/news.<br%20/>%0a<o:p></o:p><br%20/>%0aMedia%20Contact:%20Amy%20Wolf,%20(615)%20322-NEWS<br%20/>%0a<a%20href=%22mailto:amy.wolf@vanderbilt.edu%22>amy.wolf@vanderbilt.edu</a></p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p> </o:p></p>%0a<p%20class=%22MsoPlainText%22><o:p> </o:p></p>){kind=small}
4/30/2007
1:13 pm
Contact:
 Carol Swain, professor of law and political science [Media Note: Vanderbilt has a campus broadcast facility with a dedicated fiber optic line for live TV interviews and a radio ISDN line. A high resolution photo of Carol Swain is available at www.vanderbilt.edu/news.] New research by a Vanderbilt professor of law and political science found that illegal immigration is hurting African Americans and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is not doing enough about it. Swain used a study conducted by the “The greatest competition occurs among people at the margins of society; a multi-racial group that includes poorly educated blacks, whites and Hispanics who compete against each other and against new immigrants for low-wage, low-skill jobs.” Swain also found that some African Americans feel threatened by surges of immigrants to the “Most illegal immigrants have willingly left their homelands to seek their fortunes in a more prosperous nation. They were not brought in chains,” she said.
Debating Immigration is a compilation of essays from some of the world’s leading experts on immigration. It is the first of its kind to examine the issues of race and religion as they apply to contemporary immigration issues.
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