By Bishop Joseph Imesch of Joliet
and Auxiliary Bishop John R. Manz of Chicago

" I came to this country with dreams and hopes," says Maria Garcia (not her real name).

"I worked as a day laborer for minimum wage. I wasn't given training on the equipment and lost parts of my fingers. I had to quit my job because of this injury and I haven't received any compensation from my employer."

Maria Garcia is just one of the estimated six million undocumented workers in the United States. These workers are subject to the whims of an outdated immigration policy that fails to protect them or serve the needs of the workplace.

In fact, the U.S. immigration policy is in such a crisis that, for once, the nation's wealthiest corporations, the Federal Reserve, union leaders and grassroots advocates are in agreement: it's time for a change. Across the board, all sides recognize that the current immigration laws do not value the role immigrants play, whether in Illinois or in the U.S. ecconomy -as a whole. The technology industry is calling for an increase in the flow of skilled, educated immigrants. The AFLCIO is calling for the recognition that nationwide undocumented workers hold up key aspects of the hotel, restaurant and day labor industries. We can start here in Illinois by speaking up for changes in immigration laws and recognizing the role undocumented workers are playing in the economy and grant them the, dignity and rights they deserve.

In April, the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops joined with AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and called for amnesty legislation for undocumented immigrants.
In Illinois alone, there are an estimated 290,000 undocumented immigrants. As in many other states, these workers are often at risk and abused. Common examples of labor violations include poor ventilation, unpaid overtime and failure to receive all wages due.

On Sept. 23, over 10,000 people crowded the Daley Plaza and marched to the Federal Building in downtown Chicago to raise their voices with a passionate plea for amnesty for undocumented immigrants. The police proclaimed this to be the largest rally in Chicago since 1968. The scene was reminiscent of the civil rights movement when church leaders walked side by side with their congregations of brown, black and white people of all ages. In solidarity, Catholic and Protestant clergy marched in the front line with labor and the people. Father Anthony Taschetta, pastor of St. Teresa Catholic Church in Kankakee, accompanied by 250 parishioners said from the podium, "It is just and right-for today we have gathered to proclaim liberty to captives, light to those hiding in the dark comers of our collective consciousness and justice to those who live and work and enrich our community but have no legal rights."
Even though they are not eligible to benefit from the services, the count ry's undocumented immigrants paid $7 billion in federal and state taxes annually, specifically $2.7 billion in Social Security taxes and $168 million in unemployment insurance in 1900 (Urban Institute). These dollar figures almost certainly have increased as the number of undocumented immigrants has increased. Despite making these monetary contributions to the economy and filling critical labor shortages in the hotel, restaurant, day labor and lawn care industries, they have been unable to secure safe working conditions, fair wages and benefits because of their undocumented status.

When workers try to organize against unjust conditions, they have been fired or threatened with deportation. A 1986 federal law, the Immigration Reform and Control Act, that fines employers for hiring undocumented workers, has failed to stem the flow of undocumented workers. The law has had the unintended consequence of punishing workers by unscrupulous employers who are undeterred from the law's sanctions.

Employers can report undocumented workers who complain about working conditions to the Immigration and Naturalization Service and avoid paying fines for employing the workers in the first place. These employer sanctions must be repealed. In their place, any proposed amnesty legislation must include laws that punish employers for both hiring undocumented workers and firing undocumented workers for attempts to unionize or secure better conditions. These laws will also protect undocumented workers when they try to challenge their employer to obey labor laws. Granting amnesty to undocumented workers will allow current undocumented workers to organize for better working conditions, force employers to obey labor laws and will raise the wages and benefits for all workers in these industries.

Passing new amnesty legislation "I also curtail the flow of undocumented
immigrants because employers will have no incentive to hire undocumented workers. They will no longer have a pool of labor that is willing. to work long hours for, low pay in unsafe conditions. In short, we need new policies to create a general amnesty for all undocumented peoples, to end workplace sanctions, to reinstate Law 245i to keep families together and to access benefits whether it be in the workplace or food stamps.