Calendar Tuesday, November 6. Election Day. Thursday, November 15, 7 p.m. Consensus Meeting on Question 1 of the LWVUS Immigration Study. Room 176, EESAT Building, University of North Texas (UNT). Sunday, November 18, 3 p.m. Board Meeting at the home of Peg LaPoint, 1900 Highland Park Circle. Members are always welcome to attend board meetings. Thursday, November 29, 7 p.m. Consensus Meeting on remaining questions of the LWVUS Immigration Study. Room 176, EESAT Building, UNT.

Membership in the League of Women Voters of Denton is $50 for an individual member. Household memberships are $50 for the first person and $25 for each additional person residing at the same mailing address. Full-time students may join for $20. Send a check payable to LWV-Denton to P.O. Box 424945 TWU Station, Denton, Texas 76204.

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VOTE YES ON CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 11 – Recorded Votes

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IMMIGRATION STUDY CONSENSUS TO BE HELD AT NOVEMBER MEETINGS

We have now reached the member agreement phase of the LWVUS Immigration Study, the time when Leagues across the country prepare to take consensus. Grassroots agreement on positions is one of the League’s greatest strengths. Preparing for and taking consensus is hard work (particularly on such a volatile topic as immigration!) but worthwhile. We in Denton will send our report to the national board which will make the determination on whether consensus has been reached on certain aspects of immigration.

The consensus questions are printed in this Denton VOTER on pages 3-5. For background information refer to the eight papers posted at www.lwv.org/ImmigrationStudy. These papers were also summarized in the last two Denton VOTERS. Recent issues of the National VOTER have also featured background on immigration. Your newspaper reading and online postings on the subject can also supplement this information.

Not everyone will have the same opinion. The goal is to identify the issues on which members can find common ground. Keep these norms in mind for a good discussion:

Norms for Discussion
° Listen thoughtfully
° Keep an open mind
° Do not interrupt
° Speak in turn
° Keep comments short and do not monopolize the discussion
° Differ with dignity and avoid personal attacks
° Do not hold sidebar conversations

Sondra Ferstl will serve as discussion leader for both meetings; Sarah McIntire will be recorder. At the first meeting (November 15) we will focus on Question 1, and the remaining questions will be the subject of the second meeting (November 29).
Sondra Ferstl, Immigration Study Chair

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PRESIDENT’S PODIUM

Recently Sondra Ferstl was updating our archives, which are housed at the library at Texas Woman’s University and was given an interesting article written by Lindsey Blayney, President of CIA (now TWU) dated Spring, 1925. Mentioned in the article about federated clubs on campus was the following: “Several of the clubs make a special study of citizenship and one, the James H. Lowry Club, has affiliated itself with the League of Women Voters. Thus the clubs on the campus are enlarging their scope and their usefulness. They are gaining a greater vision of the function of a literary club. They serve therefore to prepare the members more efficiently to be valuable assets in any community and to share in its social, philanthropic as well as literary life.” If you read our current mission statement in your membership handbook, you will see that little has changed in 87 years.

Peg LaPoint has been accepted to represent the League for another two-year term on the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Resource Conservation Council (RCC). This is the solid waste advisory committee for North Central Texas. The committee provides support and advice to the Executive Board and implements the adopted Regional Solid Waste Management Plan. Regional goals state that “purchased materials are reused and recycled wherever possible, illegal dumping is significantly reduced and remaining waste is handled in a safe manner at permitted facilities.” The committee consists of public officials, private providers of solid waste/recycling services, citizen groups and interested individuals. Included in this representation are 15 cities, six counties, six private sector groups, five environmental/public interest groups, one special district and one school district. Peg’s primary contribution is input into the process of awarding about two million dollars of grant money each year to North Texas governmental bodies implementing waste management projects.

Thanks to Sondra and Ken Ferstl, Barbara Coe, Jean Aboul-Ela, Marilyn Smith, Linnie McAdams, and Dorothy Adkins for distributing Voters Guides for the Constitutional Amendments election. If you did not get to attend the October meeting on the Denton Independent School District bond proposal and the amendments you missed one of the most interesting meetings we’ve had. Jim Alexander and Pat Devereaux should take their show on the road and Bill Giese is a walking encyclopedia of facts and figures.

We all know what a difficult topic Immigration is, so please attend both meetings in November.

Sue Smith

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LWVUS IMMIGRATION STUDY CONSENSUS QUESTIONS

Rate each of the following “High Priority,” “Lower Priority,” “Disagree,” or “No Consensus.”  Choose only one response.

Question 1:  Federal immigration laws should take into consideration criteria such as the following (not listed in any particular order or hierarchy):

Part a:

a.       Ethnic and Cultural Diversity

b.       Economic, Business and Service Employment Needs

c.        Environmental Impact/Sustainability

d.       Family Reunification of Authorized Immigrants and Citizens with Spouses and Minor    Children

e.       History of Criminal Activity

f.         Humanitarian Crises/ Political Persecution in Home Countries

g.       Immigrant Characteristics (health and age)

h.       Rights of All Workers to Safe Working Conditions and Liveable Wage

i.         Rights of Families to Remain Together

j.         Rights of All Individuals in U.S. to Fair Treatment Under the Law (Fair Hearing, Right to Counsel, Right of Appeal, and Humane Treatment)

k.        Education and Training

 

Part b:

Of the items marked “High Priority” in part a, select the three most important criteria and list them in order.

            1.

            2.

            3.

Rate each of the following “High Priority,” “Lower Priority,” “Disagree,” or “No Consensus.”  Choose only one rating.

Question 2: Unauthorized immigrants currently in the U.S. should be treated as follows:

a.       Deport Unauthorized Immigrants

b.       Some Deported/ Some Allowed to Earn Legal Adjustment of Status Based on Length of Residence in U.S.

c.        Some Deported/ Some Allowed to Earn Legal Adjustment of Status Based on Needs of U.S. Employers

d.       All Allowed to Earn Legal Adjustment of Status by Doing Things Such as Paying Taxes, Learning English, Studying Civics, etc.

e.       If Deported, Assess Fines Before Possible Re-Entry

f.         Assess Fines Before Allowed to Earn Legal Adjustment of Status

Rate each one of the following “High Priority,” “Lower Priority,” “Disagree,” or “No Consensus.”  Choose only one rating per item.

Question 3: Federal immigration law should provide an efficient, expeditious system (with minimal or no backlogs) for legal entry into the U.S. for immigrants who are:

a.      Immediate Family Members Joining Family Member Already Admitted for Legal Permanent Residence in the U.S.

b.       Entering the U.S. to Meet Labor Needs

c.        Entering the U.S. as Students

d.       Entering the U.S. because of Persecution in Home Country

Rate the following “High Priority,” “Lower Priority,” “Disagree,” or “No Consensus.”  Choose only one rating.

Question 4a: In order to deal more effectively with unauthorized immigrants, Federal immigration law should include:

Social Security Card or Other National Identification Card with Secure Identifiers for All Persons Residing in the U.S.

Rate each one of the following “High Priority,” “Lower Priority,” “Disagree,” or “No Consensus.”  Choose only one rating per item.

Question 4b: Federal Immigration law dealing with unauthorized immigrants should be enforced by including:

1.      Physical Barriers (such as Fences) and Surveillance at Borders

2.      Increased Personnel at Land, Air, and Sea Entry Points

3.      More Effective Tracking of Persons with Non-Immigrant Visas until They Leave the Country

4.       Verification Documents, such as Green Cards and Work Permits with Secure Identifiers

5.       Improved Technology to Facilitate Employer Verification of Employee Visa Status

6.       Improved Technology for Sharing Information among Federal Agencies

7.       A Program to Allow Immigrant Workers to Go in and Out of the U.S. to Meet Seasonal and Sporadic Labor Needs

Indicate whether there is Consensus or No Consensus about the following statements.

Question 5: Federal immigration law should address and balance the long-term federal financial benefit from immigrants with the financial costs borne by states and local governments with large immigrant populations.

Question 6: Federal immigration law should be coordinated with U.S. foreign policy to pro-actively help improve economies, education and job opportunities, and living conditions of nations with large emigrating populations. 

Question 7: Comments

If desired, please add your brief comments.  (Limited to 150 words.)