Political and community leaders, including U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, recently came to the University of Houston to participate a public hearing on immigration reform.

The Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Immigrant & Refugee Affairs in conjunction with Houston’s Unity Effort on Comprehensive Immigration Reform sponsored the hearing, which drew nearly 100 people. UH President Jay Gogue welcomed the audience to campus, saying that an important part of the university’s mission is to open its doors for such forums.

During Lee’s initial remarks, she noted that the United States is “a nation of immigrants and of laws.”

She said that the country is “better off working together” on this issue and that it is crucial to have a fair process that “will take into consideration all those who have invested in this country.”

The hearing also included panel discussions on law enforcement, economics and social services.
One of the panelists was Joseph Vail, associate clinical professor at the UH Law Center and director of the center’s Immigration Clinic.

The most immigrants do not have criminal backgrounds but come here to seek work, Vail said.

The United States needs comprehensive legislation that offers increased security of the nation’s borders and legalization of the estimated 10 to 12 million undocumented workers, which would allow the police to focus on criminals, he added.

“You don’t find a needle in a haystack by making the haystack bigger,” said Vail, an associate of UH’s Center for Immigration Research and former immigration judge.

Other panelists included Nestor Rodriguez, professor and chair of sociology department and co-director of the Center for Immigration Research at UH, and Richard Shaw, secretary and treasurer of the Harris County AFI-CIO Council. Additionally, former Houston City Councilman Gordon Quan attended the hearing.

Francine Parker
fparker@central.uh.edu