Reps. Mike Thompson, Jared Huffman to Host Public Forum on Immigration Policy

January 21, 2015

Democratic Reps. Mike Thompson of St. Helena and Jared Huffman of San Rafael will host a meeting Friday in Santa Rosa to tackle difficult questions surrounding President Barack Obama’s move to temporarily protect millions of immigrants in the country from deportation.

The controversial executive action has been at the center of recent political wrangling between the president and Republican leaders, with Obama this week vowing a veto should Congress approve a bill aimed at blocking the measure.

The public forum this week is intended partly to ease fears for undocumented immigrants in Sonoma County who may be eligible for protection under the presidential order, according to Thompson. The congressmen are bringing in a panel of experts, including a U.S. immigration official, an immigration attorney and an economist, to provide details on the application process, the guidelines and the impact the measure is expected to have on the county.

“This is going to provide some clarity so folks understand what it is exactly that President Obama did,” Thompson said in a phone interview Tuesday.

The event kicks off at 3:30 p.m. at the Steele Lane Community Center. An interpreter will be on hand for those who speak Spanish.

Panelist Madeline Feldon, an immigration attorney with the International Institute of the Bay Area, a nonprofit group that provides low-cost legal immigration services, expects to field a lot of questions, including some that she may not have answers to quite yet.

“There’s still a lot things pending on what could disqualify someone,” Feldon said.

What’s clear is that the measure will have a significant impact on the U.S. economy and tax revenue, said panelist Chong-Uk Kim, an economics professor at Sonoma State University. He contended it would generate about $21 billion in tax dollars nationwide over the course of five years. Many undocumented immigrants will have work permits for the first time in their lives and that could mean higher wages, he said.

“Higher wages means higher tax revenue,” Kim said.

But critics have raised concerns that the measure will inundate an already tight job market.


Source: By Eloisa Ruano Gonzalez