Faces of Immigration | Tulsa World

The pendulum of public opinion in the United States regarding immigration has swung wildly over the past several decades. From the amnesty program signed by Pres. Ronald Reagan in 1986 to harsh laws cracking down on illegal immigrants in Arizona and other states in recent years, immigration has continued to spark fierce debate.

During a three-week series of stories, the Tulsa World, The Oklahoman and Oklahoma Watch are exploring immigration policy and how it impacts various segments of society.

Stories will explore why the nation’s 11 million immigrants can’t just become legal, how programs for immigrant farm workers operate and how illegal immigrants brought here as children are fighting for passage of a law called the DREAM Act. Stories will also focus on those who want tougher borders and oppose programs easing barriers to illegal immigrants.

Former Mexican citizen Ernesto Rosas, left, and former Indian citizens Simon Mascarenhas and George Varghese take the oath of citizenship during a naturalization ceremony at the Federal Courthouse in Oklahoma City. PAUL HELLSTERN/The Oklahoman

Headlines

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Tulsa County sees drop in people held on immigration charges 11/14/2011

The number of people arrested and held on immigration charges in Tulsa County has declined by 42 percent since 2008 with most of those detained for nonviolent crimes, a Tulsa World analysis of jail blotter data shows.

Learning in hiding the norm for many immigrant children 8/8/2011

When Chris Brewster was a new teacher and soccer coach, he was worried when a 14-year-old player disappeared from practices.

DREAM Act offers hope for some illegal immigrant youths in Oklahoma 7/31/2011

The DREAM Act is a symbol of hope for thousands of illegal immigrant youths in America as a pathway to legal residency and eventual citizenship.

Faces of Immigration: Man now living 'the American Dream' 7/31/2011

As a child in the first wave of Mexican immigrants coming to Oklahoma in the early '90s, Javier Flores has gone from being a non-English-speaking illegal resident to a college-educated U.S. citizen.

Faces of Immigration: Being illegal limits 16-year-old overachiever 7/31/2011

For a year, Ana collaborated with other Oklahoma City high school students to come up with an innovative, environmentally safe product based on several scientific principles.

Faces of Immigration: Teen, family await ruling 7/31/2011

Adriana Mireles Robles can talk specifics of immigration law with the precision of a seasoned attorney.

Sunday: Oklahoma students lobby for U.S. citizenship 7/30/2011

The DREAM Act is a symbol of hope for thousands of immigrant youth in America as a pathway to legal residency and eventual citizenship. For others, it represents a first step to open borders and amnesty.

Special visas allow workers into U.S. 7/25/2011

Life in the Mexican town of Camargo isn't easy right now.

Fines for illegal hiring rare 7/24/2011

Since January 2005, two Oklahoma businesses have been cited or sanctioned by the federal immigration service for violating immigration laws, according to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Tulsa World.

'Antiquated system': Some immigrants face 18-year backlog 7/17/2011

Give me your brilliant, your rich, your highly educated citizens - but not too many please.

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By the numbers

1,042,625: Number of immigrants who obtained their green cards in 2010 to become legal permanent residents of the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics.

691,003: Number of immigrants in 2010 who entered the country through family-sponsored programs

148,343: Number of immigrants in 2010 who entered the country through the employment-based preference system and lesser numbers through diversity, refugee, asylum and other smaller programs.

7 percent: The number of individuals allowed to immigrate to the U.S. from any particular country is limited to 7 percent of the visas granted.

Resources

Immigration Policy Center: A research and policy arm of the American Immigration Council with a mission to shape a rational conversation on immigration.

Migration Policy Institute:
A Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit think-tank analyzing movements of people worldwide.

Pew Hispanic Center: A project of the Pew Research Center to provide non-partisan research to improve understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population. It does not take positions on public policy issues and is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, a public charity based in Philadelphia.

Immigration in the Heartland: A journalism project between the Institute for Justice and Journalism and the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communications and its Institute for Research and Training. Funded by a grant from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. A gathering of immigration stories published and broadcast across the country.

TRAC ( Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse): A data gathering, research and distribution organization at Syracuse Univesity. Uses the Freedom of Information Act to routinely gather data on federal agencies.

Brookings Institution: A nonprofit Washington, D.C.-based public policy organization conducting research on a variety of subjects, including immigration.

Considered immigrant advocates:
National Immigration Forum
National Council of La Raza
Catholic Charities USA
Asian American Justice Center

Considered restrictionists:
Federation for American Immigration Reform
Minuteman Project
Americans for Legal Immigration
Center for Immigration Studies

-Compiled by Ginnie Graham, Tulsa World staff writer

Oklahoma Watch

The Tulsa World and The Oklahoman are media partners with Oklahoma Watch, an independent, nonprofit, investigative and in-depth reporting team that collaborates with other news organizations and higher education to produce journalism in the public interest.

Learn more about Oklahoma Watch.

Reporters

Ginnie Netherton Graham is a fifth-generation Oklahoman who has worked at the Tulsa World since 1994. She has a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. She has covered immigration for about 10 years and her work includes examinations of issues on incarcerated women, poverty housing, early childhood education and group homes. Awards include the Great Plains Reporter of the Year last year and four Sweepstakes Awards for news coverage from the Associated Press-Oklahoma since 2000.
918-581-8376
ginnie.graham@tulsaworld.com

ppCLEO

Jaclyn Cosgrove is a reporter and blogger with Oklahoma Watch. She graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in news-editorial journalism and broadcast production. Before coming to Oklahoma Watch, she worked at the Sand Springs Leader.
405-528-2465
jcosgrove@oklahomawatch.org

ppCLEO

Watchdog reporter Randy Ellis, 55, has been a staff writer for The Oklahoman for 29 years. During the course of his career, he has won more than 80 state, regional and national awards for journalistic excellence. His investigative stories have helped expose corruption in Oklahoma's higher education institutions, bid-rigging on state highway projects, self-dealing by state housing officials, misconduct involving state legislators and other misdeeds by government officials.
405-475-3522
REllis@opubco.com

Related projects

Census 2010 Results
Tulsa has climbed its way back to having nearly the same population it held a decade ago while suburban areas continue to swell, according to Census data. Hispanic growth led the way for the increase with a 97 percent jump in Tulsa and an 85 percent growth overall in the state.