University Leadership Initiative in the News
Comptroller: Illegal immigrants an economic boon
KVUE: They may exist in the shadows, but the estimated 1.4 million undocumented workers in Texas are helping build up the economy. "There is economic benefit from these undocumented immigrants," said Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Texas comptroller. A report released Thursday by the Comptroller's office shows illegal immigrants pumped nearly $18 billion in 2005. "At the state level, it shows the positive impact," Strayhorn said.
Study: Illegal immigrants boost economy
FORT WORTH STAR TELEGRAM: Undocumented immigrants pumped nearly $18 billion into the Texas economy last year and sent $420 million more to Austin in taxes than they received in state services, a report released Thursday by the state comptroller’s office shows. The report, believed to be the first ever to calculate the cost of illegal immigration to a U.S. state, also found that local governments pay far more to provide services to the undocumented than they recoup in taxes, fees and other revenue sources.
Can marches launch a movement?
AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN: On a sultry April afternoon, thousands of Austinites — legal and illegal immigrants, clergy members, labor leaders, parents pushing strollers, Chicanos and whites — took to the streets waving American and foreign flags, chanting a rallying cry made famous by César Chávez; "Sí, se puede," (Yes, we can). Can what? That question lingers weeks after Austinites joined hundreds of thousands across the country who marched for legalization of illegal immigrants.
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Campus walk-out draws 1,000 students, others to East Mall
THE DAILY TEXAN: Against the backdrop of the East Mall fountain near the Martin Luther King Jr. statue, at least a thousand UT students chanted in unison as student leaders passionately delivered speeches against the immigration legislation set to come before the Senate. Along with hundreds of students from local high schools and middle schools, the protesters were fired up to march to the steps of the Capitol Building. At 11 a.m., students walked out of classes and moved to the fountain, where dozens of signs and flags representing the U.S. and Mexico waved fervently in the air. Afterward, the students marched to the Capitol and joined other city demonstrators. Boisterous chants could be heard during the day at both the rally and march, as a spirit of persistence exuded from the words of attendees.
Immigration Action Day draws nationwide protests
THE DAILY TEXAN: Hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered nationwide in dozens of major cities to protest for National Immigration Action Day. According to the Los Angeles Times, tens of thousands of people marched in Atlanta. Turnouts of 15,000 to 20,000 were reported in New York, while 10,000 protested in Boston and 50,000 showed up in Phoenix. The largest demonstration was in Washington, D.C., where protesters gathered around the Washington Monument. At UT, demonstrators met at 11 a.m. on the East Mall to protest national immigration legislation. House Resolution 4437, also known as the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in December 2005.
Day Without Immigrants shuts down businesses
NEWS 8 AUSTIN: The issue of immigration was in the spotlight once again Monday. Nationwide, tens of thousands illegal and legal immigrants boycotted jobs, schools and businesses. The Day Without Immigrants was also felt here in Austin with an emphasis on the economy. Many businesses shut their doors to show the nation how much economic power undocumented workers hold. "[Illegal immigrants are] an asset to the economy. An asset that we can not afford to lose. They contribute billions of dollars to the economy," Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Executive Director Ana Yanez Correa said.
High school students join in at UT demonstration
NEWS 8 AUSTIN: A concern for their safety. It was all it took for public school students taking part in today's march in support of immigration reform to get the support of the Austin Independent School District. AISD police and administrators traveled alongside students who walked to University of Texas for rallies and demonstrations over proposed immigration legislation. The Senate adjourned for the Easter recess without any action on a bipartisan bill on immigration reform that would allow immigrants a path to U.S. citizenship.
Protestor: 'We are watching'
NEWS 8 AUSTIN: Monday has been declared the National Day of Action for Immigrant Justice, and hundreds of University of Texas students have organized a rally to let Austin know how they feel about possible changes to U.S. immigration laws. The students hope local high school students will walk out of class and show up at the event as well. Last week some of the UT representatives visited local high schools, inviting students to walk out and join their cause. In the past couple of weeks, hundreds of high school students from Austin, Bastrop and other Central Texas towns have walked out of class, staging their own protests.
Immigration rally unites unlikely organizations
NEWS 8 AUSTIN: Two weeks ago, local organizations decided they wanted in on a national effort to raise awareness about proposed U.S. immigration legislation. April 10 has been declared the National Day of Action Rally with demonstrations and walkouts planned across the country. A coalition of unlikely sorts - college students and churches of all faiths - made it happen on the local level. On Friday, organizers sent out last-minute e-mails, posters, flyers, and Spanish-language articles to everyone they know.
Austinites planning to join national immigration rally day
AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN: Recent immigrants rights rallies across the country impressed Rebecca Acuña for their passion and for their mobilization of hundreds of thousands of people. But the University of Texas government student also wondered why Austin had not been a part of the movement, which some have likened to a nascent, modern-day civil rights fight. "If there's ever a chance to get attention, it's now," said the 21-year-old Acuña, who decided to do something by organizing a National Immigration Action Day rally April 10 at the university.
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RUMBO: El miedo a que se endurezcan los requisitos para obtener la ciudadanía por la ley de inmigración que se discute en el Congreso y el deseo de tener más derechos han aumentado el interés de los inmigrantes en el Valle por nacionalizarse. Por eso, organizaciones del Valle se han unido en torno al Día Nacional de la Ciudadanía, un proyecto que pretende reunir un millón de solicitudes de naturalización para el 1 de julio. A nivel local se espera reunir 1,000 solicitudes, junto con las huellas digitales de los aspirantes y el importe del trámite, para enviarlas en esa fecha a los legisladores del Valle en el Congreso federal.