League of Women Voters Hold Immigration Discussion

Hampton Roads immigration attorney Radlyn Mendoza spoke at the annual meeting of the League of Women Voters of South Hampton Roads (LWV-SHR) as part of the League's ongoing dialogue about immigration.

Mendoza, who has been practicing law for 10 years, outlined common practices in immigration law and identified some frequent misconceptions about immigrants.

During the meeting held at Virginian Wesleyan College on May 20, Mendoza called immigration the "issue of our times" because it is everywhere, from the grocery store to the doctor's office.  She also said, however, that immigration is a "dense, complicated, vast" issue.

"It's everywhere and always has been," Mendoza said. "But now it's reached a feverish pitch."

This "feverish pitch" is part of the reason the LWV-SHR started discussions on the topic, League President Seneca Bock said.

The LWV-SHR previously held talks in the city units of the organization about immigration in fall 2007. Mendoza spoke at the LWV-SHR Suffolk Unit meeting in September 2007, expounding upon the same issues.

She described what she does and the people she most often works with. Mendoza said her clients fit into two groups: undocumented workers and professional scholars. She also said, in her experience, the main aim of immigrants is to eventually obtain citizenship legally.

Mendoza said there are many rumors circulating in the media about immigrants.  For example, that they don't pay taxes, are merely cheap laborers and are in the country illegally by choice.

In April 2008, the national League of Women Voters drafted its official position on immigration after a two-year study on the issue.

The position paper includes provisions for illegal immigrants currently in the country to earn legal status, payments to communities heavily impacted by illegal immigrants and a reform of federal immigration law to ensure a proficient system for legal admission to the United States.

For more information about the League's positions on immigration and other issues, visit lwg.org.

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