Immigration
by admin ~ December 12th, 2007. Filed under: Episodes.The semester wound to a rapid close this season. Where did the time go? I don’t have any more finals, so I’ll be able to upload more content and revise this site. Keep coming back and commenting on our page to see how we’ve grown.
On the October 5th episode, we talked about immigration. A few of the stories we were listening to people talk of by the vending machines about the state of political relations highlighted the cultural illiteracy common to many people including myself. As I listened to these topics about my own culture and how some within it feel okay to not think twice about dehumanizing for profit, I wanted to know what other U.T. students were thinking. How do they think things could run more smoothly? Where is the debate stuck? Where is the common ground? Are there acceptable compromises?
Topic-related news stories for the day:
CHOLO PARTY
DREAM ACT CRITICISM
Illegal immigrants who graduated from u-s high schools do not have a path to citizen ship. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act aka the Dream Act failed in the Senate. Republicans said it was amnesty for illegal immigrants. The Dream act was originally sponsored by U.S. Illinois (D) Senator Richard Durbin in Nov 2005. The bill says that any undocumented immigrant who came into the country when they were less than 16 years old can become a citizen. If they complete at least an associates degree and shows “good moral character” for a six year period, at the end of the 6th year they can apply for U.S. citizenship. It would have impacted the kids who went to American public schools, but can’t get in state tuition rates or government loans because they are un documented. Some U-T students ask, “What about the poor American citizens who can’t afford tuition or get loans because they are poor or have bad credit? And who is going to pay for all this?” Others say that we need to quit hating our fellow humans and think about the fact that these kids grew up here. This is their home.
Listen to the the second half of the show to hear what UT students are saying about immigration on In The Know.
-VC
December 13th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Interesting but man, I wish I been listening so I could have called in to rebut the pro-wall dude. Immigrants, undocumented (of which there are roughly 12 million) and legal, commit crimes at far lower rates than the citizen population. Also, how can folks debate immigration policy without mentioning NAFTA, neoliberalism, or talking about the situation in Mexico itself? Or without talking about the T. Don Hutto “Residential Center,” the private jail just thirty miles outside of Austin which still incarcerates immigrant families and children?
Just trying to be constructively critical here… There’s a big demo this weekend outside Hutto: http://tdonhutto.blogspot.com
December 13th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Ansel,
I wish you had been listening too! This was our fourth show. The fact we had been able to do something like this, bring this many people into the studio with interestingly-conflicted perspectives to talk with live on air, was so exciting! We had a whole set of questions I wanted to ask our truth forum participants which were thrown out the window. I was very concerned with talking for 15 minutes. I just tried to listen to what they were saying and further the conversation. The situation in Mexico is a topic for a much longer show. Perhaps I will use that as a topic idea next semester.
-Vanessa
December 13th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
P.s. We would need a reporter to travel to Mexico. Where would we get the funding for that? I have to investigate our budget and the travel plans of fellow reporters.
-V