Silicon Valley One - Summer 2008 - (Page 20) By Frank Sharry What If? An immigration policy leader’s vision for a welcoming America and true reform E veryone agrees that our immigration system is dysfunctional. In Silicon Valley, you live daily with the effects, from Latino immigrant laborers who are desperate for legal status to Indian and Chinese high-tech workers desperate to reunite with loved ones. And despite recent legislative setbacks, I believe some version of comprehensive reform—which combines smart enforcement with expanded legal channels—eventually will make a comeback in Congress. In the meantime, life is grim for many immigrant workers and families. In the early 1980s, a small number of national and local philanthropies began investing in key policy, legal and community organizations out of the realization that immigration was changing communities, roiling American politics and challenging local and national institutions. National foundations such as Ford, Carnegie Corp., the Open Society Institute and, more recently, Atlantic Philanthropies and the Knight Foundation have emerged as major supporters of immigration policy and immigrant integration work. Key local and regional foundations, especially in so-called “gateway” areas, have similarly stepped up to support leading service and advocacy organizations. But they need more allies. Many foundations have held back, in part because the issues are complex and the debate is controversial. Nevertheless, if our generation is to rise to the challenge, more philanthropies must find the courage to get involved. The priority now is to support organizations on the front lines. These community and faithbased groups serving and organizing immigrants are funded mostly with private dollars and are stretched beyond capacity. Yet, they are led by some of the most creative social entrepreneurs in the nongovernmental world. They make miracles happen out of pixie dust. We can help pave the way for future comprehensive immigration reform debate by: 1) funding groups engaged in organizing, media work and policy advocacy at the local, state and national levels; 2) supporting research that brings facts to a debate frequently distorted by loud voices and slanted “studies”; and 3) investing in efforts to implement the legislation that is ultimately enacted. Most Americans understand there’s a problem but are not quite sure how to fix it. As the argument gets louder and hotter, more and more will engage. As they do, I predict they will recognize that this is not really a debate about whether immigrants are good for us. It’s ultimately a debate about who we are as a country. one JAMES KEGLEY c 20 o n e Frank Sharry is executive director of America’s Voice, a nonprofit organization advocating for immigration reforms that reward work, respect rights and reunite families. innovation through philanthropy
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