A mariachi serenade greeted visitors to the Mississippi Capitol Wednesday. But Johnny Mora’s guitar and soaring vocals weren’t there to soothe the savage breasts of state legislators and lobbyists; his performance prefaced the unveiling of the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance’s legislative priorities for the 2014 session now underway.
“We have a few issues,” said Maria Lopez of MIRA. “We are people, and the only thing we want to demand is to be treated equally.”
During MIRA’s Civic Engagement Day, attendees walked from the MIRA office on North State Street to the state capitol. Dozens of immigrants and their supporters filled the staircase behind the speakers’ podium under the rotunda, and as the speakers made their short presentations, Lopez provided a Spanish translation. The group planned to attend legislative sessions after the press conference.
Among MIRA’s priorities is to extend in-state college tuition rates to Mississippi’s “dreamers,” those raised and educated in the state’s public schools but are not citizens. Under current law, even if an undocumented immigrant graduates from high school in a Mississippi school, he or she must pay out-of-state tuition to attend a state college or university. House bill 209, sponsored by Rep. Reecy L. Dickson, D-Macon, hopes to rectify that situation.
State Rep. James Evans, D-Hinds, who also serves as a MIRA board member, paraphrased the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as he spoke directly to the crowd on the stairs. “I can’t be what I want to be until you are who you want to be,” Evans said.
Cecil Brown, another Democratic legislator from Hinds County, said that the children of undocumented immigrants represent an underdeveloped economic resource for the state. He also advocated for extending in-state tuition rates to Mississippi “dreamers.” “It’s only fair,” Brown said.
Beyond the tuition issue, undocumented immigrants cannot obtain a driver’s license, said Patricia Ice, MIRA’s legal project director. It’s an issue Ice has been working on since she came to Mississippi in 1998. In addition to limiting access to jobs and schools, unlicensed drivers cannot obtain car insurance, which drives up rates. To date, 12 states have enacted legislation to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain licenses, including Illinois and New Mexico. Ice hopes that Mississippi will become No. 13.
“Others are going to follow because it just makes sense,” Ice said.
Workers’ compensation is another issue that affects immigrants, many of whom work at physically demanding jobs such as construction. Jaribu Hill, executive director of the Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights, fired up the crowd with a call to extend more compensation to injured workers. When a person is injured and can’t work, Hill said, he or she can no longer provide for a family.
Under current statutes, an injured worker, even one who is permanently disabled, can receive up to two-thirds (just over 66 percent) of his or her average salary for no more than 450 weeks. Senate Bill 2210 seeks to increase the cap to 520 weeks, or until the person’s death in the case of permanent, total disability.
The Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission reported that more than 11,000 workers were injured on the job in 2012, and 67 workers died. After Hill provided those statistics, she led attendees in chanting, “450 weeks is not enough!”
Mississippi ACLU Executive Director Jennifer Riley-Collins closed out the press conference by saying her organization supports any legislative action that provides equal rights to immigrants, who “deserve common sense policies,” she said.
Mississippi “works best when we all work together,” Riley-Collins said.
Previous Comments
I would strongly recommend to those in voting districts of Reecy Dixon, James Evans, and Cecil Brown, to not vote for the incumbents. Replace them at the next election!
#5314 | Author: js1976 | Date: Jan 23 2014
I would strongly recommend to those in voting districts of Reecy Dixon, James Evans, and Cecil Brown to DO VOTE FOR THE INCUMBENT. STAND UP FOR THEM as they stand up for the people!
#5315 | Author: Knowledge06 | Date: Jan 23 2014
@js1976 “I would strongly recommend to those in voting districts of Reecy Dixon, James Evans, and Cecil Brown, to not vote for the incumbents. Replace them at the next election!” What is encouraging your position on these three elected officials? What exactly have they done or didn’t do that have you in such a negative state against them? I really would like to know!
#5316 | Author: justjess | Date: Jan 24 2014
Nothing they are proposing applies to immigrants, Immigrants are people who follow our laws and go through the proper legal channels to come our country or work here. All this crap is for people who are here illegally, basically criminals. Jess- Dixon, Evans and Brown are supporting legislation for criminals, that’s why they need to be voted out. Don’t know about you but I wouldn’t want someone that does that represent in me.
#5317 | Author: bubbat | Date: Jan 24 2014
Jess, the reason for my position is in the article. I do not and will not ever support anyone that continues to overlook the fact that these people are illegal immigrants. People like this make it more difficult for those trying to enter this country legally, and don’t have the ability to just run across the border. I personally know of two families that were seperated for almost two years awaiting the documentation for the wives and children. These are the immigrants that I am concerned with, not those that just choose to sneak across our borders illegally.
#5319 | Author: js1976 | Date: Jan 24 2014
@js1976 “I do not and will not ever support anyone that continues to overlook the fact that these people are illegal immigrants.” So are all Americans who are not Indians. Remember our history of Columbus coming into town and descovering the ………………………………..INDIANS. America is a melting pot and at one point or the other, the land was taken from its original owners.
#5321 | Author: justjess | Date: Jan 24 2014
My son has to pay out-of-state tuition because he is not a legal resident of the state where his school is located. And these people think they should get in-state tuition when they are not a legal resident of ANY state? Seems legit…
#5323 | Author: bill_jackson | Date: Jan 24 2014
Jess- Call them Native Americans, Indians are from India and Columbus never set foot on North America. But back on point. Did the Native Americans have immigration laws? Don’t think so. Beside that they didn’t believe in “owning land” Technically you can’t take something from the “original owners” when they even say they didn’t own it. Yes, the Europeans came here uninvited and settled the lands, moved the Native Americans tribes out but in *violation of no immigration laws*. Then built a new civilization with laws and regulations. Then the USA was created in 1776 and the government made laws, including immigration laws, that what these people are breaking. They are criminals. This isn’t 1492 this is 2014. You know lots of things have changed in the past 500yrs. I have nothing against anyone immigrating to the U.S. as long as they go through the proper channels and do it legally. A person who does it illegally can’t be trust to obey any law, we have enough of our own citizens that break laws we don’t need more. So I agree with JS any elected official who supports illegal aliens should not be re-elect, in fact I think they should be removed from office and tried for treason.
#5327 | Author: bubbat | Date: Jan 25 2014
In-state tuition is discounted because it serves the interests of the state offering it. Undocumented residents of a state benefit the economy and pay state taxes, just as legal residents do, so it makes financial sense to offer them in-state tuition. Won’t necessarily be able to sustain that policy at every public uni in Mississippi because there are so many whiny caucasians who are still butthurt over losing the Civil War (flag hanging from the Capitol kind of proves that), but I’m confident one day the culture will change enough that we’ll start making more rational policy decisions.
#5329 | Author: Tom Head | Date: Jan 25 2014
Recent Immigration Stories
The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.
