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Capacity Building Baltimore Employment Roundtable Meeting Notes Prepared by Kevin Griffin Moreno and Doha Melhem Present: Beery Adams, Mayor’s Immigrant Services Working Group; Emily Burtt, Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSS); Martin Ford, MD Office for New Americans; Sandra Johnson, MD Center for Arts & Technology; Kenethia McCue, MD Regional Practitioners’ Network for Fathers’ & Families; Doha Melhem, JOTF; Igor Milosevic, LSS; Steven Montgomery, Living Classrooms Foundation; Kevin Griffin Moreno, JOTF; Nelson Ortega, Centro de la Comunidad; Tony Wicks, Jones Falls Counseling Center; Jill Wrigley, CASA de Maryland The Baltimore Employment Roundtable hosted a presentation on Foreign Born Workers in Baltimore City on March 25. Our guest speakers were Jill Wrigley of CASA of Maryland, and Emily Burtt and Igor Milosevic of Lutheran Social Services. Speakers and attendees shed light on the challenges that immigrant workers in Baltimore City face, especially with regard to documentation, employer attitudes, and misconceptions about this burgeoning population. The speakers also explained the difference among immigrants, refugees, and asylees, and the types of federal and non-governmental assistance they may receive to achieve self-sufficiency. Facts about Immigrants "The A, B, Cs of U.S. Immigration" Who is an immigrant? According to U.S. law, an immigrant is a foreign-born individual who has been admitted to reside permanently in the United States as a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR). How do immigrants get admitted to permanently reside here? Typically, a foreign-born individual seeking to become an LPR can do so in one of three ways:
Who is a refugee? A refugee is a person outside of the United States who seeks protection on the grounds that he or she fears persecution in his or her homeland. To obtain refugee status, a person must prove that he or she has a "well-founded fear of persecution" on the basis of at least one of five specifically-enumerated and internationally-recognized grounds. Those grounds include the person's race, religion, membership in a social group, political opinion, or national origin. A person who has already entered the United States, and who fears persecution if sent back to his or her country, may apply for asylum here. Once granted asylum, the person is called an "asylee." Like a refugee, an asylum applicant must also prove that he or she has a "well-founded fear of persecution" based on the same enumerated grounds. Both refugees and asylees may apply to become LPRs after one year. Who is an undocumented immigrant? An undocumented immigrant is a person who is present in the United States without the permission of the U.S. government. Undocumented immigrants enter the U.S. either illegally, without being inspected by an immigration officer, or by using false documents, or legally, with a temporary visa, and then remain in the U.S. beyond the expiration date of the visa. Who is a non-immigrant? A non-immigrant is an individual who is permitted to enter the U.S. for a period of limited duration. Non-immigrants include: students, tourists, temporary workers, business executives, diplomats, artists and entertainers, and reporters. Depending on where they are from and the purpose of their visit, non-immigrants may be required to apply for and obtain a visa from the U.S. government. The application process entails an interview with a U.S. consular official in the nearest U.S. consulate, who has the sole authority to grant or deny a visa. Even if granted, the visa is merely a travel document. All non-immigrants—regardless of whether they have a U.S. visa—must also pass immigration inspection upon arrival in the U.S. Who is a naturalized citizen? Lawful Permanent Residents are eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship through a process called naturalization. To qualify for naturalization, applicants must reside in the U.S. for five years (three if they are married to a US. citizen) without having committed any serious crimes, show that they have paid their taxes and are of "good moral character," and demonstrate a knowledge of U.S. history and government as well as an ability to understand, speak, and write ordinary English. For more information, contact:
From the Maryland Office for New Americans Between 1900 and 2000, Maryland's foreign-born population grew from 313,000 to 518,000, an increase of 65 percent. Immigrants and refugees now represent nearly 10 percent of Maryland's 5.5 million population. According to Census 2000, 35 percent of Maryland's newcomers were from Asia and 34 percent from Latin America, while nearly 17 percent came from Europe. More than 210,000, or nearly 40 percent of this foreign-born population, have yet to become citizens. With over 20,000 immigrants entering the state each year, the number of those eligible to naturalize will grow. These individuals must pay taxes and are eligible for military service. Yet they have no franchise until they become citizens. Refugees flee their native countries to escape war or oppression, leaving behind their families, friends, homes, and livelihoods. Conflicts and disasters have uprooted populations since the beginning of history, but today refugee numbers are larger than ever. Political instability throughout the world has forced nearly 18 million people to seek sanctuary across national boundaries. Unlike immigrants who are lured from their homelands by the "pull" of a better life abroad, refugees are "pushed" from their homes by conditions that put their lives or freedom in jeopardy. They are likely to arrive in the U.S. traumatized by their past, confused about their future. They ask a chance to rebuild their lives in a sympathetic environment. Refugees make up less than 10 percent of America's rapidly growing foreign-born population. Given the proper adjustment services, they contribute significantly to the economy. Like immigrants, refugees work hard, start new businesses, purchase homes, consume goods and services. Over time, they may pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits, and save a substantial portion of their earnings. For more information, contact: With offices in Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Germantown, and Baltimore, CASA de Maryland works to improve the economic and social welfare of Maryland’s immigrant (particularly Latino) communities through programs in the areas of employment, education, housing, health, public policy advocacy, and legal services. In 2002 CASA opened a Baltimore branch to offer legal advocacy, education, and assistance to the region’s day laborers. Through its Employment Rights Project, CASA-Baltimore seeks to improve the quality of life and legal justice for Latinos and low-income families by educating them about their rights, offering legal services, and advocating to employers on their behalf. Jill Wrigley, staff attorney with CASA, discussed the principal barriers to employment facing Latino and other immigrant workers in Baltimore City:
Ms. Wrigley went on to say that Latino workers are often subjected to exploitive practices, regardless of whether they have work authorization. This is due to the misconceptions on the part of employers, who are frequently unable to distinguish between work-authorized and non-work-authorized laborers. CASA is monitoring an increasing trend among employers toward "contingent work," wherein employees are classified as independent contractors and therefore receive no benefits. There is decreased accountability with respect to hiring undocumented workers due to the prominent role of subcontractors in the restaurant, construction, and commercial cleaning industries. Subcontractors act as labor brokers who collect potential workers and direct them towards a certain worksite in return for a profit margin. The direct employer is not obligated to check work documents, therefore violating the law if they hire undocumented workers. For more information, contact:
Emily Burtt and Igor Milosevic described the refugee and immigrant services provided by Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSS), whose goal is to empower refugee and immigrant community members to support each other, to better access community services, and to become self-sufficient and active members of their communities. LSS offers an array of services to refugees and asylees at the Baltimore Resettlement Center, located at 3516 Eastern Avenue in Baltimore:
Several additional refugee resettlement voluntary agencies, known as “volags” share space with LSS at the Baltimore Resettlement Center. Among them are International Rescue Committee and Episcopal Migration Ministries. Volags receive funding from the federal government and other sources to provide newly resettled refugees with housing assistance, health screening, ESOL, employment, and limited public assistance. Finding a job is a priority for nearly all refugees, because the full range of services available to them through volags is temporary. Refugees vs. Asylees As defined by the U.S. government, refugees are people who flee their home countries due to persecution and/or armed conflict. After leaving their countries of origin, refugees travel to adjacent countries or refugee camps, where they can apply for refugee status and request resettlement to a third country if returning to their homeland is not an option. If they are granted refugee status by the United States, refugees are issued I-94 visas that entitle them to permanent resident status and authorize them to work within the U.S. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that at any given time there are over 20 million people in the world who have been involuntarily dislocated from their homelands. Of these, the U.S. admits approximately 60,000 as refugees. In Baltimore, refugees who receive services at the Baltimore Resettlement Center represent over a dozen different nations from Europe to Africa to the Middle East. Asylees travel directly from their country of origin to the country in which they wish to resettle and request asylum. In the U.S., asylees undergo a lengthy legal process to refugee status. They can be detained and prohibited from receiving any benefits until they obtain legal status. Between 1990 and 2000, foreign immigration rose significantly as opposed to a large drop in domestic migration. The total foreign born in Maryland has increased from 314,000 in 1990 to 518,000 in 2000, according to the U.S. Census. Ms. Burtt and Mr. Milosevic spoke of the importance of creating economic opportunities for Baltimore’s burgeoning immigrant populations, and capitalizing on their skills and knowledge to further bolster Baltimore's economic health. For more information, contact:
U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services (formerly Immigration and Naturalization
Service) United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Urban
Institute Immigration Studies Program Pew
Charitable Trusts – Hispanics in America Next Meeting
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