Point Twelve: Protect the Rights of Immigrants from Latin America and other Nations

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North Carolina should provide immigrants with health care, education, workers rights and protection from discrimination.

Debra Tyler-Horton, NC Justice Center: We must unite with our Hispanic neighbors in our joint struggle against the racist system. African Americans, more than any other group of Americans, know what it is like to be treated as second class “citizens” with no voice and no power.  Here are Erin Byrd, from Southerners for Economic Justice and Marisol Jimenez-McGee of El Pueblo.

ERIN BYRD: DID YOU KNOW the U.S. is now processing 14 year old applications from 1993 for U.S. Citizens trying to bring their spouse and/or children here from Mexico?

DID YOU KNOW that Over 4,000 immigrants have died in the Arizona and New Mexico deserts in recent years just trying to find work and trying to get their families together in the U.S.?

Did You know that immigrant workers who have not been able to get their papers still contribute about $8.5 billion in taxes to Social Security and Medicare every year?

DID YOU KNOW the present laws prevent immigrants with all their papers from getting Medicare, Medicaid, and food stamps for their first five years here? 

Did you know that immigrant students who have not yet received their papers are not allowed to take college courses in most of the NC community colleges and must pay $12,000 out-of-pocket to attend a public university? 

Did you know that North Carolina does not require big farm owners to provide mattresses, access to phones or visitors to their migrant workers?

Did you know that 60% of N.C. migrant workers earn between $2,500 and $5,000 a year.

Marisol Jimenez-McGee:Therefore, we demand the North Carolina General Assembly urge the federal government to enact comprehensive and humane immigration reform.

We demand the stopping local law enforcement from enforcing non-criminal, immigration violations and deny due process to persons because of their immigration status.

We demand laws to improve housing and workplace standards for migrant workers.

We demand undocumented workers be able to protect their rights in the workplace, such as minimum wage, workers’ compensation, payment of wages which would protect the rights of all workers.

And We Demand all N.C. children have access to higher education – regardless of their parents’ immigration status.