Immigration Reform

Credit AP Photo/M. Spencer Green

As Congress moves forward with immigration reform, we take a look at how this issue connects to culture, business and families in the Northwest.

Our region is home to a unique blend of immigrants who work in all parts of our economy — from high-tech to agriculture. This population already has a deeply-rooted history here. And its ranks are expanding rapidly.

Proposals for comprehensive immigration reform address border security, employment verification, guest-worker programs and pathway to citizenship for an estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the US.

Immigration Reform In The Restaurant Kitchen

Credit AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

Haitian immigrant Jean Emy Pierre, center, head chef at Colors, a restaurant co-owned by a multinational immigrant staff, with his kitchen staff as they prepare for dinner customers in New York.

By Liz Jones

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Next time you go out for a nice dinner, give a listen near the restaurant’s kitchen. Amid the bustle, there’s a decent chance you’ll hear chefs, cooks or dishwashers speaking Spanish.

11:53 am

Wed March 20, 2013

Across The Border And Under The Table: Tales Of Undocumented Workers

Credit N3 Photo/Jessica Robinson

Helen Davis of the Support Center in Omak works closely with the workers who pick fruit in the orchards outside of Brewster, Wash.

By Producer

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Who are the undocumented workers? Ross Reynolds sits down with KUOW's Liz Jones to discuss immigration policy and hear stories from undocumented workers in the region.

Fruits Of Undocumented Labor

5:15 pm

Tue March 19, 2013

Northwest Town Rides Ups And Downs Of "Broken" Immigration System

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Credit Jessica Robinson / Northwest News Network

By Jessica Robinson

Originally published on Wed March 20, 2013 10:57 am

BREWSTER, Wash. - There's one word that politicians almost always use when they talk about the U.S. immigration system. That word is “broken.” But what does that really mean? Residents of the small town of Brewster, Wash., know. For decades, immigrants have come from Mexico, often illegally, to work the surrounding apple and cherry orchards. Bewster, it turns out, is a microcosm of how the immigration debate is playing out.

7:38 pm

Mon March 18, 2013

What Would Jesus Do About Immigration Reform?

Credit Flickr / Dick Morgan

At a rally in Walla Walla calling for immigration reform in 2010.

By Jessica Partnow

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When it comes to immigration, people from all over the political spectrum seem to agree on one thing: the system is broken. Now, support for immigration reform is growing among an unexpected group. Religious conservatives in Washington state, as well as all around the country, are coming out in support of immigration reform.

6:15 pm

Mon March 18, 2013

What Have We Learned From Past Immigration Reform?

Credit KUOW Photo/Liz Jones

Kindergarten teacher Sandra Aguila works on math skills with a Vietnamese student.

By Liz Jones

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Seattle schoolteacher Sandra Aguila became a US citizen through the last major immigration reform bill, which President Ronald Reagan signed in 1986. Aguila had arrived in the US one year earlier at age 25. She spoke almost no English. “I could only say ‘good morning,’” she laughs.

2:05 pm

Fri March 1, 2013

No Citizenship? No Problem For IRS

Credit KUOW Photo/Liz Jones

Eva Rubio-Reboca helps undocumented workers file tax returns at El Centro de la Raza in Seattle.

By Liz Jones

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On a recent night at El Centro de la Raza, in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, undocumented workers show up with folders of paperwork. They’ve come to this Latino-focused non-profit to get help with their tax returns.

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Low-Skilled Workers

5:04 pm

Wed March 20, 2013