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Abstract: Round 3 of the American Immigration Forums project focused on three aspects of immigration: employment, education, and deportation. Authors: Tsukasa Ito, Andrew Wang Team Members: Conrad Lee, John Spady, YP Chan, Mike Foukimoana, Andrew Porisch, Christina Li, Kate Chen, Karnkumar Dalmia, Emily Rose Chen, Eric Sun, Jessica Dai, Nick Teoh, Jordan Yang, Morgan Maring, Roger Chen, Charles Lu, Arjun Dave, Kevin Ji, Ryan Patel, Haoming Wang, Jenny Wang, Gina Tang, Jack Zhu, Robert Krause, Valentina Kiselev Special thanks to Bellevue City Councilmember Conrad Lee for initiating and fully supporting this project. Charts and Tables Provided By:
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A. Table of Contents A. Contents ………………………………………………………………………………………………...…………..……..2 B. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....3 C. Understanding the Graphs……….………………………………………………………………….……………….4 Explanation of the Metrics…………………………………………………………………………………....5 D. Responses to Selected Statements..……………………………...………………………………………………6 E. Moving Forward……………………………………………...………………………………………………………..30 F. Further Reading and References………………………………….…………………………………………….30 G. Appendices: Demographics……………………………………………………………………………………….30
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B. Introduction Developed by Bellevue Councilmember Mr. Conrad Lee, the American Immigration Forums (AIForums) is meant to be a platform for community dialogue on the topic of immigration. AIForums is the result of collaboration among students, political visionaries, and social entrepreneurs who have a commitment to having the conversations and opinions of all members of our community heard. High school students from the Bellevue School District were asked by Councilmember Lee to develop a structure for dialogue among a variety of members on the topic of immigration reform as a way of having their voices heard on this important community issue. The team used a community engagement process pioneered by civic entrepreneurs Dick and John Spady (of Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants), amplifying outreach through social media. Immigration is a crucial issue for the United States. Our country was built by immigrants, and it is estimated that the majority of our population will soon be made up of people born outside of the nation’s borders. The question of immigration has always been on the national political agenda, but past discussions have often ended in gridlock because not all of our community members’ opinions and values were represented. If we want to grow our economy and help people fulfill their dreams, we must broaden our dialogue to make it more inclusive. Thus, the American Immigration Forums were developed with a goal of ensuring that every person who wants to participate can easily express his or her opinion. Together, we can inspire a positive civic process into our communities and nation. Immigrants play an extremely important role in not only the economic and political, but also the social dynamics in the City of Bellevue. 30% of Bellevue’s population is foreign born, and many more are directly and indirectly affected by national immigration policies. Therefore, it is of upmost importance for our national policies also reflect the opinions and ideas of all of our community members. This report describes insights and learning’s from the third round of Community Forums that were organized and led by dedicated student volunteers in the greater Bellevue community from September 2013 to October 2014. Round three collected feedback from 150 respondents from around the Puget Sound region of Washington State. Opinions were collected on national policy regarding education attainment and job security pertaining to the path to citizenship. The statements considered came from a variety of sources including the Immigration Policy Center and the Law Offices of Jean D Chen.
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C. Understanding the Graphs
Statement Summary of Responses
Demographic Question
Total Number of Responses per Demographic Category
Stance on Statement: Scale is 1 (Strongly agree) to 5 (Strongly disagree)
Answers to Demographic Question
This graphic can be read as, “Overall, 92 percent had 89 consensus”
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Explanation of the Metrics 1. The Polarization Rating is a measure of the weight given a question by those participating in order to get a sense of the importance of the overall response to the question. It is the number of the people who were “polarized” (who made a decision) and answered the question (excluding those who Abstained or Objected). Thus a polarization rating of 100% means everyone participating answered the question (and no one Abstained or Objected). A rating of 50% means half answered the question (and half either Abstained or Objected). A rating of 0% means no one answered the question (and everyone either Abstained or Objected). The higher the Polarization Rating the more sure people are in their opinions and the more conviction the answers will carry. 2. The Consensus Rating, is the percent positive response of those who were polarized – those who actually made any choice and answered the question – excluding those who Abstained or Objected. It is a measure of the agreement for a given question or statement by those participating in order to get a quick sense of the overall consensus. Thus a consensus rating above 50% means the people answering favored the sense of the question—up to 100% that means unanimously favorable to the sense of the question. A rating below 50% means they were against the sense of the question—down to 0% that means people unanimously favored the OPPOSITE sense of the question. A rating of (around) 50% means there was no consensus. Thus, the Consensus Rating simultaneously measures the level of agreement for both the original sense and opposite sense of a question. The Consensus Rating value encourages people to automatically think not only about the majority opinion but also simultaneously about the minority opinion. Together – the “Polarization-Consensus Rating” (PC-Rating™) simultaneously measures both the weight and the degree of sense agreement for a given question or statement arrayed against any available demographic of participants.
This is read as “100 percent had 100 consensus”
This is read as “50 percent had 50 consensus”
This is read as “0 percent had 0 consensus”
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D. RESPONSES TO SELECTED STATEMENTS Visa Prioritization for Immigrants with Advanced Degrees Statement: "Immigrants with advanced degrees should be given priority visa consideration over those without advanced degrees." 38.7% of respondents agreed with the statement, while only 6.7% strongly agreed. 17.3% disagreed with the statement and 5.3% strongly disagreed. A large portion, 25.3%, were neutral, while 6.7% abstained from answering.
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Advanced Degrees and Secured Jobs for priority Visa Consideration Statement: "Immigrants with advanced degrees should be given priority visa consideration over those without advanced degrees, but only if they have secured a job." Respondents tended to favor this statement more than the previous statement because of the additional requirement that immigrants must have secured a job. 33.3% of respondents agreed with the statement and 14% strongly agreed, while only 15.3% disagreed and 0.7% strongly disagreed. 31.3% were neutral. 4% abstained, while 1.3% objected to the wording.
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9 Policy on workers with H-1B visas seeking employment Statement: "Congress should guarantee a grace period for workers with valid H-1B visas so they may seek new employment in country without first having to return home." Most respondents approved of this statement: 40% agreed and 22% strongly agreed. 22.7% were neutral and 8% abstained from answering the question. However, only 6.7% disagreed and 0.7% strongly disagreed. Of the respondents who were opinionated (didn’t abstain and weren’t neutral), 57.6% agreed and 31.7%. Only 6.7% disagreed and 1% strongly disagreed.
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Country-Specific Employment Limits on Immigrant Visas Statement: "Country-specific limits on employment-based immigrant visas should be eliminated." Response to this statement was mixed, with 31.3% neutral, 27.3% agree, 14.7% disagree, 10% strongly agree, 8.7% abstaining, 6% strongly disagreeing, and 2% objecting. Of the respondents who were opinionated on the statement, 47% agreed and 17.2% strongly agreed, while 25.3% disagreed and 10.3% strongly disagreed.
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12 Immigrant Visa Exemption for US STEM degrees Statement: "Persons who earn advanced degrees in STEM fields from U.S. universities should be exempted from the annual world-wide cap on employment-based immigrant visas." A large portion of respondents abstained (14.7%) from answering the question. Of all respondents, 26% agreed and 10% strongly agreed, while 17.3% disagreed and 3.3% strongly disagreed. 1.3% of respondents objected to the wording of the question.
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STEM graduates and labor certification Statement: "STEM graduates should be exempted from the labor certification requirement." This statement elicited polarized replies from respondents. 27.3% disagreed, while 18% agreed. 4.7% strongly agreed and 4.7% strongly disagreed. 27.3% were neutral and 16.7% abstained from answering the question. 1.3% objected to the wording of the question.
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15 Green Cards to Foreign Students with U.S. Degrees Statement: "A green card should be immediately available to foreign students with an advanced degree from a United States institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM), and who possess an offer of employment from a United States employer in a field related to their degree." Respondents tended to agree with this statement with 39.3% agree and 14.7% strongly agree., while only 11.3% disagreed and 6.7% strongly disagreeing. 20% were neutral. 6.7% abstained from answering the question and 1.3% objected to the wording of the question.
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Overall:
17 or younger
45-54
Automatic Citizenship to Children born in the U.S. Statement: “Congress should ‘rethink' the policy of granting automatic citizenship to children of illegal or temporary aliens who are born in the United States." Responses to this statement were polarized. While 23.3% of respondents agreed, 18.7% disagreed. While 14.7% strongly agreed, 13.3% strongly disagreed. 18% were neutral and 10% abstained from answering the question. 2% objected to the wording of the question.
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18 Citizenship for Undocumented Minors Statement: "Congress should provide an expedited pathway to citizenship for undocumented minors living in the U.S." Respondents had mixed responses, though they tended to agree with the statement. 27.3% of respondents agreed with the statement and 11.3% strongly agreed, while only 20% disagreed and 8.7% strongly disagreed. 20.7% were neutral and 9.3% abstained from answering the question and 2.7% objected to the wording of the question.
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Citizenship for Parents of Citizens "Congress should provide an expedited pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants with children who are U.S. citizens by birth." This statement elicited mixed responses. More than a quarter, 25.3%, of respondents were neutral to this statement. 24.% of respondents agreed, while 16% disagreed and 12.3% strongly disagreed while 11.3% strongly agreed. 8.7% abstained from answering the question and 2.7% objected to the wording of the question.
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Overall:
17 or younger: 45-54:
21 Citizenship for Undocumented Farm Workers Statement: How strongly do you agree or disagree with the statement, "There should be specific path to citizenship for undocumented farm workers that does not apply to other undocumented residents, such as the blue card system proposed in the AgJOBS bill." Respondents tended to agree with this statement, though a large portion of respondents were unopinionated. 30.7% of respondents were neutral and 16.7% abstained from answering the question. 29.3% of respondents agreed and 6.7% strongly agreed, while 12% disagreed and 4% strongly disagreed. 0.7% objected to the wording of the question.
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Necessity of E-Verify Statement: How strongly do you agree or disagree with the statement, "E-Verify should be expanded and made mandatory for all employers over a period of five years." Respondents generally agreed with this statement, though many respondents were neutral (27.3%) or abstained from answering the question (12.7%). 30.7% of respondents agreed with the statement and 16% strongly agreed, while 10% disagreed and 3.3% strongly agreed. There were no respondents who objected to the wording of the statement.
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24 Penalties for Employing Unauthorized Immigrants Statement: "Employers who knowingly hire, recruit, or continue to employ an unauthorized immigrant, or fail to comply with E-Verify requirements, should be subject to increased civil or criminal penalties." This statement generally elicited favorable responses. 30.7% of respondents agreed with the statement and 14.7% strongly agreed. 21.3% were neutral. Only 14% disagreed with the statement and only 7.3% strongly disagreed. 12% of respondents abstained from answering the question.
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Food Costs and Undocumented Agricultural Workers Statement: "U.S. food costs are susceptible to changes in undocumented agricultural worker populations." Many respondents did not take a stand towards the question: 20% were neutral and 18% abstained from answering the question. 42% of respondents agreed and 10.7% strongly agreed, while only 6.7 % of respondents disagreed and 2% strongly disagreed. 0.7% of respondents objected to the wording of this question.
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27 H-2A Visas Statement: "Offering more H-2A visas for seasonal workers and creating more effective seasonal pathways into the United States would allow the U.S. to tighten control of the border." In general, respondents were opinionated about the statement, but tended to have positive responses. Only 16% were neutral and 16% abstained. 38.7% of respondents agreed and 10% strongly agreed, while only 16.7% disagreed and 2.7% strongly disagreed. No respondents objected to the wording of the question.
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In-state tuition for Undocumented Residents Statement: "Undocumented in-state residents should continue to receive in-state tuition rates." Responses to the statement were mixed, though they tended to lean towards disagreeing with the statement. 21.3% of respondents disagreed with the statement, while 19.3% agreed. 14% strongly disagreed, while 12.7% strongly agreed. 20% of respondents were neutral and 10.7% abstained from answering the question. 2% objected to the wording of the question.
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E. MOVING FORWARD The American Immigration Forums plans to use the Round 3 format as the basis for a larger scale survey and report with an intended completion date in winter 2015. Round 4 will continue to focus on the theme and will examine issues involving undocumented residents and youth, agricultural workers, and immigrants holding advanced degrees. We will be reaching out to universities, city governments, immigration law firms and support organizations, and religious and ethnic organizations across Washington to increase the diversity and reach of our next survey in Round 4. Until it closes, our Round 4 survey can be accessed through this link: http://bit.ly/AIForums4. The American Immigration Forums is in the process of obtaining 501(c)(3) non-profit status.
F. FURTHER READING AND REFERENCES More reports from Round 2 can be found on the American Immigration Forums website: http://www.aiforums.org/news-reports/round-2-report/
G. APPENDICES: DEMOGRAPHICS GENDER In this round, there were slightly more males than females represented. This is not a perfect representation of Bellevue’s demographics. Additionally, both genders were represented almost equally within our two largest ethnic groups (Asian, and combined White/Caucasian).
Age Range The largest age groups were 0 to 17 and 45 to 54. Both of these categories were overrepresented, as they make up only approximately 19% and 14.4% of Bellevue's
31 population, respectively. Current Residential Status What is your current residential status in the United States? The vast majority of those who took the survey were U.S. citizens, while less than 10% preferred to not answer the question.
Religious/Spiritual? Do you consider yourself to be a religious and/or a spiritual person? Half of the people who took the survey did not consider themselves religious, while 36% did consider themselves religious. Furthermore, 12% did not answer this question.
Ethnic Heritage What is your ethnic heritage? Asians were the largest ethnic group, while White/Caucasian as a group represented
32 37% of respondents. While all ethnic groups were represented, the Asian population was extremely over-represented, as they only make up 27.6% of Bellevue's population, while the White/Caucasian population was under-represented, as they make up 62.6% of Bellevue's population. Furthermore, all other ethnicities were underrepresented in the survey population. Employment Status (D-6) What is your primary employment status?
Most participants were either unemployed students or full-time employees, who consisted of about 65% of the entire population. There were also 10% students who work part time, as well as a few self-employed surveyees. Education (D-7) What is the highest level of education you have completed?
33 The levels of education of the people who took the survey were split relatively evenly between current high school students, college graduates, elementary school students, and those with postgraduate degrees at about 20% each. The final 25% consisted of other education levels. In general, those with a lower level of education were underrepresented. Preferred Language What is your preferred language? The vast majority of people who took the survey considered English their preferred language, while a mere 4% did not and another 4% did not answer this question.
Language Proficiency (Other than English) Are you proficient in a language other than English?
4.7% of respondents preferred not to answer the question. Of the respondents who answered the question, roughly half answered yes (47.3%) and half answered no (48%).
