Our Own Agenda :: Immigration

A YES! Take on What Americans Want

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by Sarah van Gelder

posted Aug 11, 2008

President Barack Obama faces huge challenges as he takes office. But he's got one asset that is rarely mentioned. Large majorities of Americans agree on some of the most important issues of the day, from health care to foreign policy. “Ten Policies for a Better America” shows an agenda a majority supports—whether we vote red, blue, or some other political color.
Hover over or click on each policy button to see the YES! Take on What Americans Want. [Buy or Print poster version below.] [Link to this agenda: image downloads to spread the word]


YES! MAGAZINE GRAPHIC, 2008. Illustrations by Brandon Laufenberg/istock Click on each policy button and scroll down to see respective poll citations.



		Implement trade policies that strengthen, not undermine, rural economies south of the border, reducing the poverty and displacement that spur migration. Start by ditching NAFTA. Increase minimum wage and worker protection for all, documented and undocumented. Provide a pathway to legal status and citizenship for immigrants already here.

56%
Believe NAFTA should be renegotiated.

64%
Believe that on the whole, immigration is good for the country.

80%
Favor allowing undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. to stay and apply for citizenship if they have a job and pay back taxes.

Sources

Index

	Reclaiming Corn and Culture What's driving people north across the U.S. border? Wendy Call looks at the fallout from NAFTA and how cooperatives in Mexico are providing new hope. YES! Magazine #46, A Just Foreign Policy

	Check Your Rights at the Border Justin Akers Chacón looks at conditions for those crossing the border, and at what happens to human rights for immigrants caught trying to cross. YES! Magazine #41, Is the U.S. Ready for Human Rights?

	Alternatives to a Wall A look at immigration in the wake of the 2006 mass demonstrations. YES! Magazine #38, 5,000 Years of Empire

	Inviting Immigrants Out of the Shadows Detailed common-sense solutions to immigration issues from Enlaces América, a support center for Latino and Caribbean immigrant organizations based in Chicago, and the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC. YES! Magazine #38, 5,000 Years of Empire

Purple America :: YES! Magazine Cover image, Fall 2008, Issue 47

Co-founder of the United Farm Workers, labor leader and organizer, social activist Dolores Huerta converses with Bonnie Raitt on This Brave Nation.

SOURCES:

IMMIGRATION

56% BELIEVE NAFTA SHOULD BE RENEGOTIATED. ::
These national surveys of 1,000 Adults and 1,000 Likely Voters were conducted by Rasmussen Reports on June 12-13, 2008 and June 16, 2008. Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/general_politics_toplines/toplines_free_trade_june_16_2008

80% FAVOR ALLOWING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ALREADY LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES TO STAY AND APPLY FOR U.S. CITIZENSHIP IF THEY HAVE A JOB AND PAY BACK TAXES. ::
CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. May 4-6, 2007. N=1,028 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.
www.pollingreport.com/immigration.htm

64% BELIEVE THAT ON THE WHOLE, IMMIGRATION IS GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY. ::
Gallup Poll. June 5-July 6, 2008. N=1,935 adults nationwide, including oversamples of blacks and Hispanics weighted to reflect their proportions in the general population. MoE ± 4.
www.pollingreport.com/immigration.htm

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Sarah van Gelder wrote this article as part of Purple America, the Fall 2008 issue of YES! Magazine. Research by Noah Grant. Sarah is executive editor and Noah is editorial assistant at YES! Magazine.

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