viewpoint
SCIA’s response to Viewpoint article
Letter to the Editor | Tuesday, August 28, 2018
As members and supporters of the Student Coalition for Immigration Advocacy (SCIA), we are committed to fostering awareness and education on the subject of immigration. Thus, we felt the need to respond to the claims that were made. The purpose of this essay is not to try to change Mr. Murphy’s opinion on immigration — we know that attempting to do so would be naive and futile. Rather, our response is meant to add much needed context surrounding the issues that the article mentioned and clarify the manipulated statistics, of which there are many. Such abhorrent claims and repeated use of “illegal alien” are often used as a hate-mongering and ad hominem attacks against undocumented immigrants in order to deprive them of their humanity. SCIA simply could not let these careless arguments remain unaddressed.
As a senior at a prestigious university, we would hope that Mr. Murphy knows better than to cherry-pick data in order to try and defend his arguments. Moreover, it is incredibly disappointing that such a hostile and sloppy article was written by the leader of a student group on campus that was created to be an inclusive space for a marginalized group — on the first week of school, nonetheless. We understand the importance of free speech and that The Observer has the discretion to publish articles as they see fit. Sadly, this reactionary and spiteful article greeted undocumented and DACAmented Notre Dame, St. Mary’s and Holy Cross students — some of whom are part of the LGBTQIA+ community — as they returned to campus to start the academic year or were welcomed to our campus for the first time.
Military
From 2014 to 2015, under a program called Military Accessions Vital to National Interest (MAVNI), DACA recipients could earn a path to citizenship by enlisting in the military and completing basic training (many who enlisted never received citizenship or any legal status). This program was started under President George W. Bush in order to recruit immigrants with foreign language and medical skills, and was later opened up to include DACA recipients by President Obama. However, the program itself was shut down, effectively halting recruiting efforts, and those who had already enlisted had to go under increased vetting that left them waiting to finish the process indefinitely.
Though DACA recipients were not explicitly targeted by this action, they were left with little recourse because they cannot enlist in the military in another way due to their lack of legal status. Thus, their numbers in the military will naturally be low. When people talk about how DACA recipients are in the military, they are not saying there is an overwhelming presence. Instead, it is simply saying that many wish to enlist, but they simply cannot. Ironically, however, like their U.S. citizen and permanent legal resident peers, young men with DACA who are between the ages of 18 and 26 must register for the selective service. Failing to do so would endanger any chance they might potentially have regarding citizenship.
Education
With respect to education, Mr. Murphy again makes several unfounded claims. Yes, it is true that as of November 2017 only 5 percent of DACA recipients had a college degree, which is lower than the national U.S. average. However, Mr. Murphy fails to take several critical factors into consideration as to why that number is so low. Firstly, in the statistic he used, he failed to cite that the number of DACA recipients that are currently enrolled in colleges is similar to U.S. adults — 18 and 20 percents, respectively. Mr. Murphy believes that, “it would be appropriate if the “Fake News” media stopped acting like their deportation is getting in the way of them finally earning that Ph.D. (or a high school diploma for that matter).” Aside from being a malicious and snide comment, it completely disregards the amount of hurdles that undocumented students face when completing an education even with the benefit of deferred status. Before the creation of DACA, it was almost impossible for undocumented immigrants to obtain a college degree since they could not apply, and continue to be ineligible for federal financial aid to this day. In many states, they do not qualify for state financial aid, furthermore, at many public universities and colleges, they do not qualify for in-state tuition (even if they have lived in that state for most of their lives) and must pay exorbitant tuition because of out-of-state and international rates — all with few viable options for scholarships because of citizenship or residency requirements. At the graduate level, Masters and PhD programs have work requirements; for those without work authorization, like DREAMers before DACA, those requirements are impediments to continuing their higher education. Some institutions will simply not accept DREAMer applicants based on their immigration status — Notre Dame itself did not start accepting undocumented or DACAmented students until 2013 (class of 2018). Pretending that deportation and lack of legal status does not hinder DREAMers’ access to education is a dangerously deceptive statement.
Lastly, Mr. Murphy presents information on high school dropout rates among DACA recipients that overlook the educational eligibility requirements for DACA listed on the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website, which require that applicants be currently enrolled in school; have a high school diploma; an equivalent to the latter, such as a GED certificate; or be in the military. So, while not every DACA recipient is a valedictorian, high school dropouts, unless they return to school, do not qualify for DACA.
Crime
It is a well-established fact that immigrants commit less crimes than American citizens, regardless of immigration status. Mr. Murphy circumventive use of statistics and claims by John Lott may have you convinced otherwise. Using Arizona’s incarceration rates as his evidence made our job much easier when you consider Arizona’s terrible record with criminal justice and racial profiling. Even the CATO Institute found Lott’s data to be flawed (forgive our use of linking to an article that also repeatedly uses “illegal alien”) because Lott’s methodology combines undocumented immigrants with legal immigrants who have been deported — as well as U.S. citizens who have been mistakenly deported.
Furthermore, USCIS sets strict guidelines as to what can disqualify someone from obtaining or renewing their DACA. Such disqualifications include a felony, major misdemeanor or three smaller misdemeanors. If we are defining a DREAMer as an undocumented immigrant who holds DACA, a person who commits all of the crimes that Mr. Murphy claims young undocumented people perpetrate, then they are no longer a DREAMer, as their DACA status would be revoked. It is also important that we understand that some of the “crimes” that DREAMers (and undocumented immigrants in general) might commit are things that for U.S. citizens would be shamed for, but not heavily reprimanded, especially if it was a first offense. Underage drinking and traffic violations (e.g. driving without a license, having a broken tail light, running a red light) are just some of the “crimes” that can disqualify someone from obtaining DACA. Are those examples irresponsible acts? Yes. But do they alone constitute what many would consider “criminal” when talking about an American citizen? We would hope not, otherwise America’s already exorbitant prison population (25 percent of the world’s we may remind you) would only exponentially rise. These guidelines as to what qualifies as a crime for DACA recipients can also explain why the number of incarcerated undocumented immigrants is so high.
Economic Impact
In terms of the economic impact, Mr. Murphy makes the argument that the presence of DREAMers is detrimental to the American economy. According to him, DREAMers are low-skilled workers who drive wages down. He effectively pits them against working-class Americans who are also vulnerable economically, but the manner in which he supports this claim is also circumventive. The notion that immigrants, undocumented or otherwise, decrease GDP has been dispelled time and time again by economists who have warned about the negative consequences of deporting DREAMers (here is another study by the CATO Institute that recognizes the possible adverse effects of deporting undocumented immigrants).
Of course, if you take bodies out of the economy, the GDP per capita will rise, because much of the economic activity that would be lost due to mass deportations is not measured by GDP. Numbers have meaning. Furthermore, the positions that many undocumented immigrants hold are considered “unskilled.” Thus, even if undocumented immigrants did not seek these jobs, they would not necessarily be high-paying. Mr. Murphy, as concerned as he is about the vulnerable working class, should consider changing the conversation about what “unskilled” labor means rather than attacking undocumented immigrants.
English Literacy
Mr. Murphy’s source for his corresponding section on English literacy, the Center for Immigration Studies, has been identified as an anti-immigrant hate group. We’ll leave it at that.
Conclusion
While we understand that people have different opinions on this campus, what Mr. Murphy wrote, was harmful, reckless and cruel. Mr. Murphy begins his op-ed by ridiculing the idea that undocumented people contribute positively to our society and can include valedictorians, soldiers and successful business executives. He claims that few of those here without documents even have the intellectual capacity, moral character or patriotic loyalty to achieve these accomplishments. It is absurd, he claims, to think that DACA recipients would graduate with honors from elite schools like Notre Dame and foolish to think they merit becoming U.S. citizens. He defends these wild claims with inaccurate statistics. Ironically, he ends by stating that he wants a fair debate on the issue, one that is, “grounded in evidence and the truth, not false narratives and fanciful claims.”
To the Notre Dame audience, let us remember that all undocumented immigrants, not just the DREAMers, are more than facts and statistics. They are, first and foremost, human beings who came to America seeking better opportunities and better life, much like Mr. Murphy’s presumably Irish ancestors. It is imperative that we recognize our individual ancestry and America’s bloodshed history when speaking of current undocumented immigrants, some of whom who are fleeing violence and persecution in their native countries.
To undocumented students at Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s, and Holy Cross, SCIA stands with you. We hope that you find your home here and do not let negative arguments get you down. SCIA welcomes those of all backgrounds regardless of sex, race, gender, color, sexual orientation, national origin and immigration status. We hope that you find your home in SCIA.
In Notre Dame,
Karla Burgos-Morón
SCIA president, senior
Libertad Heredia
senior
Aug. 27
Elizabeth Boyle
junior
Margaret FitzGerald
senior
Odalis Gonzalez
sophomore
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class of 2018
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class of 2017
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senior
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Amanda Varela
class of 2015
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Department of History
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professor
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class of 2016
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class of 2016
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Professor
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Associate Professor
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sophomore
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sophomore
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junior
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class of 1995
Latino Student Alliance
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class of 2016
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frehman
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class of 2018
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senior
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junior
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class of 2017
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junior
The views expressed in this Letter to the Editor are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
