Los Angeles Times (California)
By Patrick McGreevy
May 11, 2014
Denisse
Rojas earned a biology degree from UC Berkeley and has set her sights
on medical school. But one big obstacle stands in her way.
To
practice medicine in California, doctors must obtain a license from the
state, and applicants are required to provide a Social Security number
as proof of identity.
Rojas,
25, does not have such a number. She is in the United States illegally,
having been smuggled into the country from Mexico by her parents when
she was 6 months old.
But
a group of legislators wants to help her — to do for doctors, dentists,
nurses, barbers, security guards and many others what they did last
year for attorneys: grant
those in the country illegally permission to practice their
occupations.
The
San Francisco resident said she was able to receive financial aid from
the state under California's Dream Act for her last semester of college,
so it follows that
the state should allow her to use her degree.
"We
believe that by removing the barrier that we face in obtaining
professional licensing, we will be able to reach our full potential,"
Rojas told lawmakers at a recent
legislative hearing.
California
leads the nation in efforts to integrate immigrants living here
illegally into mainstream society, providing them with driver's
licenses, college scholarships
and protection from deportation for minor crimes. The new legislation
could go much further in affecting the lives of those in the shadows,
supporters say, because it targets work and would afford them upward
mobility. The state's workforce includes 1.85 million
people in the country illegally, according to an estimate by the Public
Policy Institute of California.
The
proposal, predictably, has divided Republican lawmakers in California
and sparked an outcry of opposition from national conservative groups
that want tougher enforcement
of existing laws against illegal immigration.
"It's
insane," said William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal
Immigration Political Action Committee. "By granting licenses to illegal
immigrants you both aid and
abet illegal immigration, which is a violation of federal law, and you
are sending a message to the rest of planet Earth that says, 'Come on!'"
A
bill by Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) would ease the licensing
process for psychologists and pharmacists, in addition to other
healthcare professionals, and for
about two dozen other occupations including real estate agents and
security guards. The measure passed the state Senate on Thursday.
SB
1159 would allow about 40 state boards to accept a federal taxpayer
identification number as proof of identification in lieu of a Social
Security number.
Lara,
whose parents were at one time in the country illegally, said his
proposal is simply an extension of other measures enacted in recent
years that provide such immigrants
with driver's licenses, lower college tuition and access to public
financial aid and private funds held by the state universities.
His measure would ensure that "more Californians have an effective means of economic mobility and self-sufficiency," Lara said.
A
similar argument was made last year, when a divided Legislature
approved a bill, later signed by Brown, that allowed any immigrant to
practice law if certified by the
State Bar. Fifteen Republican Assembly members either voted against the
bill or abstained.
Introduced
in an election year when Latino voters are expected to play a
significant role at the polls, the bill is a thorny issue for the GOP,
which traditionally has
called for stricter enforcement of immigration laws.
Lara's bill passed with support from seven Republicans. Five GOP members abstained.
A spokesman for the Republican caucus said there was concern about the cost of such a change.
Tax
authorities would "not always be able to correctly identify licensees
to ensure proper collection of taxes associated with the licensee's
practice of profession,"
said spokesman Peter DeMarco.
Outside
of the Legislature, conservative activists are keeping the pressure on
Republicans to oppose any easing of existing laws.
"California
is doing everything in its power to blur any distinction between those
who are legally present and those who are not," said Ira Mehlman,
spokesman for the
Federation of American Immigration Reform, a Washington-based group
that champions enforcement of current laws.
His
group is a nonprofit prevented from weighing in on political campaigns.
But Mehlman said the group sends its 250,000 members alerts on bills of
concern and plans one
on Lara's measure.
Gheen said his PAC, with 50,000 members, endorses candidates who share the organization's views on immigration.
Rojas,
a double major with degrees in integrative biology and sociology, hopes
the politicians listen to her and the 250 other members of a group
called Pre-Health Dreamers,
made up of immigrants residing in the country illegally who want to
work in the healthcare industry.
"I
am going to continue pursuing my dreams," said Rojas, whose family now
lives in Canada. "If it comes to a point where I can't practice medicine
in the United States
… I will practice outside of the country if I have to."
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
No comments:
Post a Comment