Hope for DACA, VOTE 2024 - Democracy
08/19/24 | 26m 46s | Rating: NR
New immigration policies are offering hope to hundreds of thousands, including those benefiting from Deferred Action for Labor Enforcement. We'll be hearing from workers who have secured social security numbers, driver’s licenses, and temporary protection against deportation, thanks to the support of Voces de la Frontera. We delve into the state of democracy in light of the upcoming elections.
Copy and Paste the Following Code to Embed this Video:
Hope for DACA, VOTE 2024 - Democracy
[LOGO SONORO] [MSICA DINMICA] [LOGO SONORO] [MSICA DINMICA] PATRICIA GMEZ: Hola, soy Patricia Gmez.
Bienvenidos.
Nuevas polticas inmigratorias traen esperanza a cientos de miles de personas, unas de ellas Deferred Action for Labor Enforcement.
Hablamos con trabajadores que ya obtuvieron nmero de seguro social, licencias de manejo y proteccin temporal contra la deportacin con el apoyo de Voces de la Frontera.
Tambin en la 3ra parte de la serie Vote 2024 Table Talk, una produccin de Marquette University, Milwaukee PBS y Adelante, hablamos del tema la democracia de frente a las elecciones presidenciales.
Por favor, qudese con nosotros.
[LOGO SONORO] PATRICIA GMEZ: Durante la celebracin del doceavo aniversario de la promulgacin de DACA el 18 de junio pasado, el presidente Biden anunci nuevas medidas migratorias para mantener a las familias juntas.
Se estima que beneficiarn a ms de 500.000 personas que no tienen documentos legales para vivir en los Estados Unidos.
Organizaciones que abogan por los inmigrantes recomiendan que aquellos que puedan beneficiarse de estas medidas se preparen con rapidez para enviar sus solicitudes, porque el tiempo permisible puede ser muy corto.
Se cree que hasta de solo dos meses.
MARC CHRISTOPHER: They are the result of congress failing to act or trying to legislate to address our immigration issues.
The most important and impactful one is something called parole in place for those individuals who are married to United States citizens.
The other ones, of course, are for those individuals who are perhaps being taken advantage of by employers to protect them in the workplace setting.
And then we also have some announcements as it pertains to the DACA program.
CHRISTINE NEUMANN-ORTIZ: Esto nueva accin ejecutiva provee un camino a la ciudadana porque es un camino a la residencia.
Hemos recuperado los derechos como la deportacin solamente para personas que han cometido un crimen grande.
Ahora se ha recuperado el derecho de que hay ciertas reas, como escuelas, funerarios, marchas, de que inmigracin no se puede meter en esas reas, la U visa que muchos han aplicado ahora es ms rpido.
Aunque la lucha s ha sido larga, pero vemos el fruto de esa lucha y tenemos que seguir adelante y no podemos permitir ir para atrs.
MARC CHRISTOPHER: The Biden Administration has announced is granting something called parole in place for those individuals who meet three distinct criteria: 1) They have to be married to United States Citizen as of June 17, 2024, 2) They have to have proven that they've been in the United States for a period of ten years, and 3) They meet the character qualifications.
In other words, they are not a security risk, and they have not committed certain serious crimes.
The reason that that's so important is because a large amount of fathers, husbands, wives, mothers have entered the United States with what we call "without inspection."
If you've entered without inspection, you cannot adjust status here in the United States.
The process is very long.
In many cases, you have to wait 10 years outside of the United States.
That removes the impediment that individual may be able to apply for their green card or permanent resident status through their spouse.
The parole in place doesn't directly impact the children, but by their parents obtaining status, that would certainly benefit them as well, too.
Especially in light of all of the new and more recent legal impediments put down on the DACA program.
ALONDRA GARCIA: DACA cambi mi vida por completo.
Me dio la oportunidad de lograr el sueo americano, verdad?
Mis paps migraron a los Estados Unidos en el 99.
Nos establecimos aqu en Milwaukee porque la mitad de la familia de mi pap ya estaba establecida aqu.
Haba mucho inmigrante que estaba llegando a Milwaukee, pero las oportunidades eran limitadas.
CHRISTINE NEUMANN-ORTIZ: Creo que la experiencia de DACA en s mismo debe de dar inspiracin a los que ahora pueden calificar para este nuevo derecho.
ALONDRA GARCIA: Cuando lleg la orden ejecutiva de Obama en 2012, eso abri las puertas para que yo pudiera lograr ese sueo americano de ir a la universidad, ejercerme como maestra.
Y ahora estoy enseando en las escuelas pblicas de Milwaukee como maestra de segundo grado bilinge.
MARC CHRISTOPHER: And remember these are individuals who have been here in the United States.
They came here as children.
They've been educated here in the United States, and they're now in the workforce.
This gives them the opportunity to obtain health care on the exchange.
This isn't any type of government subsidy or funding or anything like that it allows them to purchase affordable health care on the HealthCare exchange.
ALONDRA GARCIA: La oportunidad que le estn dando ahorita DACA es muy grande porque muchos de ellos no tienen la habilidad de recibir Medicare, Obamacare, que es esencial, verdad?
Es lo mdico, es lo que les ayuda a progresar este fsicamente, mentalmente, emocionalmente.
Y no pueden, no lo podan tener por casi ms de 12 aos y ahora tienen la oportunidad y de tambin poder trabajar, tener work visas, permisos de trabajo, que es algo que no se ha visto.
CHRISTINE NEUMANN-ORTIZ: Casi 1 milln que lograron ese beneficio, que han podido apoyar a sus familias, han podido desarrollar una carrera y y hasta la contribucin es tan reconocida que se nota que hasta debajo de la administracin de Trump anterior hasta ahorita no han podido quitarlo.
S, cerraron la puerta, y s quieren quitarlo si tienen el chance en el futuro, pero vemos que ha sido difcil.
Y por qu?
Porque se reconoci que buena, que positiva es la contribucin ms grande que un inmigrante puede hacer si le dan chance de poder legalizar su estatus.
MARC CHRISTOPHER: One of the largest impediments to somebody becoming a green card holder here in the United States is the way that they entered in.
If they've entered in what we call without inspection or colloquially, they say they came in illegally, it's very hard for them to obtain their permanent residence in the United States.
It doesn't matter if they have children.
It doesn't matter if they're married to a U.S. Citizen.
What DACA allows an individual to do is to travel outside of the United States for one of three reasons, humanitarian, work or education.
Once they leave and come back, guess what, they have now made an entry with inspection.
So they can now obtain their permanent resident card through their spouse or their child or maybe even through their employer.
So it's a huge benefit.
So not only do you get to travel outside of the United States for potentially the first time in your life, but it will give you a benefit and ease some of the impediments to getting your green card.
The expected rules and regulations are supposed to come out at the end of summer according to the administration.
We don't know the date.
They have made very clear that any applications filed before they have released the guidance will be rejected.
So we are waiting with bated breath to see what the specific requirements are.
PATRICIA GMEZ: En enero del 2023, el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional de los Estados Unidos anunci que los trabajadores no ciudadanos que sean vctimas o testigos de violaciones de derechos laborales ahora pueden acceder a un proceso de solicitud de accin diferida simplificado y acelerado.
Las personas a las que se les conceda accin diferida pueden ser elegibles para una autorizacin de empleo, licencia de manejo y protegidos contra deportacin.
MARC CHRISTOPHER: The Biden Administration has realized and recognized that individuals who are here without immigration status are often taken advantage of by their employers.
Unsafe work practices, unsafe workplaces, violations including too many long hours, things like that.
And so, what they indicated is that if you happen to work for an employer that's under investigation for any of those types of violations, whether it be a state agency investigating or a federal agency investigating, they can apply for a temporary, two-year, what's called Deferred Action for a two-year stay in the United States.
ISRAEL PEA: Mi nombre es Israel Pea.
Soy un beneficiario de la campaa DALE.
Ya tengo 16 aos aqu en este pas.
SONIA TORRES: Mi nombre es Sonia Torres y soy una trabajadora.
Ya van 19 aos que llegu aqu y siempre he vivido en las sombras.
MARC CHRISTOPHER: The reason they're doing that is you see so many individuals scared to come forward to report workplace violations because they're scared of the potential of them being deported and basically leaving their family.
CHRISTINE NEUMANN-ORTIZ: Accin Diferida para trabajadores inmigrantes, tambin en el movimiento se conoce como DALE.
Era uno de los temas que tambin tocamos como otras organizaciones, de decir que se necesita un tipo de proteccin para trabajadores inmigrantes que exigen sus derechos en el trabajo y su estatus migratorio.
No es una amenaza usado en contra de ellos y claro, eso hace las consecuencias de un despido injustificado ms grandes porque no calificas para desempleo.
Y claro, la situacin es ms difcil en cuestin de ahora buscar nuevo trabajo y cosas as.
ISRAEL PEA: Me despidieron porque esa vez muchos de los empleados faltaron para ir a la marcha.
Me echaron la culpa de que yo fui el que, el que los incit a todos a faltar ese da.
Y dijeron que ellos haban perdido mucho dinero y mucha produccin por tantos empleados que no fueron a trabajar.
CHRISTINE NEUMANN-ORTIZ: Cuando alguien quiere meter una queja laboral en estas instancias, por ejemplo, sobre seguridad y salud, pero puede ser discriminacin, robo de salario, represalias por ejercer tus derechos.
ISRAEL PEA: Fuimos con una delegacin a la compaa pidindoles que me devolvieran mi trabajo porque era injusto, y pues tal vez no eran bajo la ley.
Y no, porque este, me estaban despidiendo solo por tratar de aprender de mis derechos.
Entonces este, la compaa desisti de su de su decisin que haban tomado y me pidieron una disculpa y me devolvieron mi trabajo.
Desgraciadamente, siempre hay represalias despus de eso.
MARC CHRISTOPHER: We have seen arbitrary firings of individuals who have complained to management about issues of safety of the employers not following safety regulations and OSHA regulations.
SONIA TORRES: Entr OSHA a la compaa a revisar y encontr todas las mquinas completamente en mal servicio.
CHRISTINE NEUMANN-ORTIZ: Esos trabajadores que estn iniciando esa demanda o que van a participar en la investigacin, tienen el derecho de pedir una carta de inters que se conoce del Departamento de Trabajo y con eso tambin puedes obtener un seguro social, Puedes obtener la visa de trabajo y claro, aqu en Wisconsin, entonces eso te hace elegible para una licencia de conducir.
SONIA TORRES: De hecho, a m una de OSHA me mand a hablar a la oficina de ah mismo de la compaa y me hizo una entrevista dicindome que yo, cmo me protega, porque yo trabajaba en ese momento en una mquina de sierra grande.
Yo cortaba madera grande y me dijo que cmo, cmo le haca yo?, le deca pues yo es que yo no veo la navaja, dice , pero cuando limpias, qu es lo que haces?
Digo, yo me meto en la parte de atrs, pero no hay seguridad, no hay nada?.
Pues no, yo nada ms me meto al abrir la puerta.
La mquina no funciona.
ISRAEL PEA: Tuve un accidente en una mquina que no, que no serva en la compaa.
Yo era operador de mquinas en esa compaa y la mquina cre un accidente donde dispara una madera afuera de la mquina.
Tiene seis navajas la mquina esa que corren a 6.000 revoluciones por minuto.
Entonces sali disparada y se clav en una pared.
Gracias a Dios ese da no s, Dios me, me salv porque siempre tienes que revisar de esta manera la mquina.
Y si la hubiera revisado la, la madera hubiera, se me hubiera incrustado en la cara.
Y decidieron correrme con puntos de puntualidad.
SONIA TORRES: Y ya despus de eso, despus de la demanda de l y todo, tuvimos un curso para poder poner el lock en las mquinas y si no hay lock no nos podemos meter.
Y tambin todas las todas las plticas que nos daban de seguridad nos las daban en ingls y nosotros no sabemos nada de ingls.
Entonces tambin eso se gan.
Todas las plticas hoy nos hacen en dos grupos espaol e ingls.
MARC CHRISTOPHER: We have also seen in the most extreme cases where some employers who've been physically abusive to the individuals, those are the most common ones that we see.
CHRISTINE NEUMANN-ORTIZ: Ese programa naci de la red de trabajadores esenciales durante la pandemia, cuando estbamos apoyando a muchos trabajadores inmigrantes y sus familias que no tenan proteccin y los empleadores no les queran dar proteccin.
Desde ah vimos la necesidad y la importancia de seguir capacitando a travs de talleres regulares mensuales que son tus derechos en el trabajo?.
ISRAEL PEA: La vida con miedo es muy difcil.
Pienso que, pienso que eso fue lo que me hizo venirme de mi pas, tener miedo y, y dije bueno, siempre escuchaba que en Estados Unidos es la vida es mejor que nuestros pases a veces.
Entonces este dije bueno, voy a ir all y voy a ser valiente.
Si ac tengo miedo, voy a voy a intentarlo all, verdad?
CHRISTINE NEUMANN-ORTIZ: Yo he visto que ha sido como algo transformativo.
Crea mucha unidad, mucha confianza y han mejorado condiciones de trabajo.
SONIA TORRES: Y no tengo miedo porque tenemos derechos, o sea, simplemente el que estemos aqu no nos impide que hagamos nuestros derechos y seamos libres porque no estamos ofendiendo a nadie.
Al contrario, estamos pagando impuestos y estamos haciendo lo que mucha gente no hace.
CHRISTINE NEUMANN-ORTIZ: So ha sido algo muy bonito ver ese cambio.
Son alrededor de 150 hasta ahorita, pero la idea es de crecerlo a nivel estatal y no perder ese derecho porque hay un cambio en la administracin.
MARC CHRISTOPHER: This is something that's been a directive from the white house from the executive branch.
They have not come up with a formal policy on whether or not there will be an automatic renewal such as there is in DACA.
We are hopeful that it is, but as of right now -- and we're very upfront with our clients -- this is only a two year grant.
And during those two years they would be able to get their work authorization, and of course, their driver's license.
CHRISTINE NEUMANN-ORTIZ: Invertimos en nuestra propia abogada y paralegal, siempre en trabajar con otros, pero en nuestro caso, para tambin proveer en casos simples, poder ayudar a la gente en su aplicacin con un costo mucho ms reducido para que lo econmico no sea una barrera.
MARC CHRISTOPHER: I'm somewhat speculating because I don't know what all the regulations are gonna require, but I think a reasonable fee would be between 800 to $1,200 per application for an attorney.
And what we do in our office, and I think most attorneys do, is that includes not only the submission of the application, but also doing a thorough review of their case and then monitoring it through the process until, until it's completed.
ISRAEL PEA: Para serte sincero, hubo un tiempo en el que los alegatos de la demanda, la compaa me, me ofreci dinero.
Me ofrecieron $15.000 para que terminara el caso y no los acept porque para m era ms importante que como ahora, que ya son ms de 100 personas que agarraron su permiso de trabajo, eso era ms valioso que $15.000 para m.
MARC CHRISTOPHER: We have a narrow window in which to take advantage of these opportunities because they may very well close come January 20th, 2025.
That, we saw it with DACA, and we've seen it with other immigration programs that those people that are proactive that go and consult with an attorney to make sure that their case is okay to file they reap the benefit of these programs.
So these, this may not be around forever, and things may not get better.
My advice is to be prepared, be proactive, and take advantage of it if you're eligible to.
CHRISTINE NEUMANN-ORTIZ: Todo lo que hemos logrado ha sido por la organizacin y la unidad de la comunidad y cada individual poniendo su granito de arena.
Necesitamos eso de nuevo y no podemos arrepentirnos en el futuro de lo que pudimos haber hecho.
Tenemos que hacer todo lo posible para hacer la diferencia.
ALONDRA GARCIA: S, yo reflejo eso siendo maestra con mis estudiantes, que muchos de ellos migran de pases en Amrica del Sur, Centroamrica, es bonito ver que sus familias son como las mas, verdad?
Son como mis paps que llegaron aqu con esa visin, esa misin de lograr algo mejor para sus hijos, no necesariamente para ellos, porque es un poco ms difcil navegar eso como adulto, pero para sus hijos que tengan esa educacin y esa ventaja y esa oportunidad de crecer y lograr el sueo americano como yo lo hice y yo los motivo, les digo t puedes, t puedes lograrlo y es y los ojitos de mis estudiantes se nota esa esas ganas, esas que hoy mi maestra cree en m y quiero inspirar eso, esas ganas de querer lograr este ir a la escuela, graduarse y ser ese porcentaje de estudiantes verdad, de latinos que lograron la meta de ir a la universidad porque se puede.
MARC CHRISTOPHER: We have an immigration crisis in the United States, and we have to parties who are on polar sides extremes on how to resolve it.
And so by doing these things, it's a small step towards helping families, helping individuals, helping communities, and helping our economy.
SONIA TORRES: Mi hijo nos compr una casa siendo DACA, nos compr una casa, nos la regal.
Eso hace dos aos.
l tena 20 aos cuando nos la compr.
Entonces en Mxico nunca hubiera pasado eso.
En Mxico no hay para salir adelante.
Dios por algo pone el destino a uno.
Nosotros vivamos en California y de California nos brincamos a Wisconsin, donde nos ha dado todo Wisconsin.
ISRAEL PEA: Que nos reconozcan como no, no como una simple herramienta de trabajo, porque a veces siento que as nos ven en este pas.
Entonces no, no que nos vean solo como una herramienta de trabajo, sino como parte de la comunidad, porque aqu estamos, aqu estamos y y estamos creando trabajo.
Estamos, estamos siendo parte de la de la comunidad.
Apoyamos, o sea, somos uno ms en este pas.
CHRISTINE NEUMANN-ORTIZ: Yo quiero decirles a todas esas personas gracias.
Gracias por tu visin, tu compromiso, sentido de comunidad, porque hiciste la diferencia.
PATRICIA GMEZ: Exacto.
CHRISTINE NEUMANN-ORTIZ: Ha sido mi honor servirles.
PATRICIA GMEZ: Amn.
CHRISTINE NEUMANN-ORTIZ: Amn.
[MSICA] PATRICIA GMEZ: En la 3ra parte de la serie Vote 2024 Table Talk, una produccin de Marquette University, Milwaukee PBS y Adelante, hablamos del tema la democracia.
ANA CARDENAS MANRIQUE: My name is Ana Cardenas-Manrique, and I am a Marquette grad.
I will be the facilitator for this Table Talk conversation on Democracy, and I'm excited to have a civic conversation with everybody.
ELOISA GMEZ: My name is Eloisa Gomez, and I'm from Milwaukee.
I care about democracy, so I'm here to listen and to learn.
ROCHELLE JOHNSON-BENT: Hi, my name is Rochelle Johnson-Bent, and I am born and raised here in Milwaukee.
The reason why I wanted to have this conversation is to discuss the "how" we bring democracy to the people and their voices.
KENT RICE: I'm Kent Rice from Pewaukee, here to discuss democracy and what it means to me.
I'm doing it because it sounds like it will be an interesting activity to be involved with.
MADELEINE DOERKLER BERLIN: I'm Madeleine Doerkler Berlin.
I was born and raised in Germany, and I received my US Citizenship a couple of years back.
I'm here because I really, deeply care about democracy.
MARK DRAKE: I'm Mark Drake from West Bend, and I'm really excited to be here to talk about our democracy.
ANA CARDENAS MANRIQUE: According to polling data, democracy has become an important, non-economic issue for some voters this election year.
What about you?
ELOISA GMEZ: I think democracy is about access to my rights and being able to support the rights of others but to be able to support ultimate decisions in a way that's good for the common good.
KENT RICE: When I was growing up, it used to be the Republicans and Democrats didn't get along, but they always managed to come together.
They always managed to do what's right for the country.
And unfortunately, if it's that party's idea, this party doesn't want to hear it.
If it's this party's idea, they don't want to hear it.
And there's just too much divisiveness going on.
We don't have the ability for people to get along, talk things out, and come up with a common solution that's good for the many, if you will.
And we need to get back to that.
MARK DRAKE: I think we really have a real positive and an opportunity to expand the electorates, to bring new ideas out there, to get more people to participate in the process or go multi-party or some other things or regression.
ROCHELLE JOHNSON-BENT: Right now, the younger generations who are becoming more vocal are so fed up with the system.
So it may become a process of regression regarding having to almost tear down what has been here because it's just not working anymore.
KENT RICE: I don't know that people think about democracy so much as they do, is our government working.
I don't think they think about them in the term democracy, per se.
MARK DRAKE: Do I care about the rights of others that are out there and about how they're experiencing America the same way that I am?
Maybe I do, maybe I don't depending on the question that's raised that way.
ROCHELLE JOHNSON-BENT: You, you're not going to come to an agreement about what democracy is, but you need to be able to come to an agreement on how it can grow and what it should represent and then build on that, right?
And I don't think right now we have a lot of people in power that can help do that.
ELOISA GMEZ: I think it's regardless of age people are really, are frustrated about what's going on, but what are we doing about it?
So that's what we have to remind people; how do we reenergize ourselves to help create the change to, you know, see ourselves being part of the solution?
MADELEINE DOERKLER BERLIN: I agree with you.
People feel like there is no way they're being represented.
Representatives don't really seem like someone who would actually represent your interests?.
MARK DRAKE: They're going to need to learn that participatory democracy cannot be purely transactional for their own personal gain.
You know, they have a need out there.
They have a want for a change, whatever the issue is.
They're writing to a congressman or a governor, and they would like to see the system work for them.
MADELEINE DOERKLER BERLIN: What I think is really cool in the U.S. now is that Alaska and Minnesota have the ranked choice system.
Is that what it's called?
A voting system, and I think that is a very interesting development.
I'm really curious to see what happens with that.
ROCHELLE JOHNSON-BENT: My hope for the future in politics is more diversity, more equity, and equality, and more innovative change.
I want to see change that is not reactive but proactive to our country needs.
KENT RICE: It's for our elected officials to start thinking about what's good for the country and not necessarily what's good for themselves or for a specific party.
MADELEINE DOERKLER BERLIN: There's some hope coming into the system through that, there will be a generational shift coming up soon.
A lot of people will retire soon, and I wonder what that will do.
ELOISA GMEZ: A younger people that are educated in a non-partisan way and just says, you know, we understand what democracy is, and we're going to move it forward.
That's a pie in the sky kind of hope, but that is my hope.
MARK DRAKE: Whatever we can do in a positive, peaceful way to encourage people to generate that hope and push the engagement without having to resort to violence is my hope for our democracy.
[MSICA] PATRICIA GMEZ: Y con un "hasta pronto" nos despedimos, invitndolos a que nos dejen saber sus comentarios por el telfono cuatro 414-297-7544, a que visiten nuestro sitio de internet en milwaukeepbs.org y en las redes sociales.
Soy Patricia Gmez, desendoles paz y bendiciones.
[MSICA]
Search Episodes
Related Stories from PBS Wisconsin's Blog
Donate to sign up. Activate and sign in to Passport. It's that easy to help PBS Wisconsin serve your community through media that educates, inspires, and entertains.
Make your membership gift today
Only for new users: Activate Passport using your code or email address
Already a member?
Look up my account
Need some help? Go to FAQ or visit PBS Passport Help
Need help accessing PBS Wisconsin anywhere?
Online Access | Platform & Device Access | Cable or Satellite Access | Over-The-Air Access
Visit Access Guide
Need help accessing PBS Wisconsin anywhere?
Visit Our
Live TV Access Guide
Online AccessPlatform & Device Access
Cable or Satellite Access
Over-The-Air Access
Visit Access Guide
Passport



Follow Us