bill roberts: undocumented immigrants

2
BY JOHN ELIGON NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE FERGUSON, Mo. — In the decade that Ashley Bernaugh, who iswhite, has been with her blackhusband, her famil y in In- diana has been so smitten with him thatshe t easesthem thatthey love him more than her . So Bernaugh wassome- what surprised by her fami- l y’s reaction after Darren Wilson, a white police officer here, killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager . F orced into morefrank discussions about race with her f amil ythanever before, Bernaugh, 29, said herrelati vesseemed moreoutraged bythe demonstrationsthan the killing, which she saw as an injustice. 1710 Roosevelt Street, Boise 1421839-01 IDAHO STATESMAN: A McCl atchy Newspaper ,1200 N. Curtis Road, Boi se, ID • P . O. Box 40, Boi se, ID 83707 ( 208) 377 - 6200 © 2014 I daho Stat esman, V ol . 150, No. 133,5 sections, 54 pages INSIDE TODAY A car d doesn’t seem like a lot , but t o Addie i t i ssomuch.” TAMMI FAUSETT , whosedaughter , 6,is dying, and getting thousands of Christmas car ds A6 BSU BASKETBALL F r e s hm a n le a r ning •B r on c o s a t Sa in t Ma ry’s t onigh t SPORTS, S6 I d a ho S t a t e s m a n SATURDAY , DECEMBER 6, 2014 49° / 3SEE A13 MOSTLY CLOUDY WESTERN GOVERNORS WEIGH WATER WOES IN VEGAS IDAHO/WEST , A4 TO OUR READERS T opr ovide c ov er age of Boi se St at e’s l at e foot ball game t onight , deli v ery in some ar eas might be del ay ed Sunday mor ning. The St at esmani ssorry for any inc onv enienc e. EDITOR VICKI GOWLER EXPLAINS • OPINIONS, A12 U. S. ECONOMY J ob , wage numbers enc our aging sign, some anal ysts say BUSINESS, B1 Busy week T reefort MusicF est was named W ednesda y as Boise’s cultural ambassador for 2015, recei ving a $25, 000 grant. That means its organiz- ers will act as official cultural liaisons and hosts when other artists visit Boise. But first, they’ve gotto setup their ownevent The annual emerg- ing-artists celebration’s first set of confirmed 2015 acts wasreleased Fri- da y . Leading the list: criticall y ac- claimed New Y ork indie rockers TV on the Radio. Who else will perform? Bluegrass- folk group T rampled By T urtles and Utah rockers Desert Noisesshowthat T reefort’s vibrant mission continues to focus on di versity , quality and mu- sicalexploration. Returning artists in- clude conceptual band Yacht. And the initial list includesthree Boise acts: W ol vserpent, Logan Hyde, and Clark and the Himself s. Learn more The fourth T reefort is scheduled for March 25- 29. Read more and find a link to the event’s website at I dahoStatesman. com. ROUND ONE FIRST 2015 TREEFORT ARTISTS ANNOUNCED A g r a z ing p r o v i s ion, s a ge g r o us e a nd c onfli c t BY ROCKY BARKER rbarker@idahostatesman. com © 2014 Idaho Statesman I t’s the kind of political firefightthan can flare in the waning days of acongres- sional session, as members try to attach favorite legislation to billsthat must pass before Congress can head home for Christmas. Language t o help ranchers prot ecttheir grazing rights which some environ- mentalists say could put the sage grouse on the Endangered Species List — got added to an 11th-hour defense bill, prompting a war of wordsthisweek. But the officials atthe Department of Interior in charge of bothgrazing and sage grouseprotectionssaid Fridaythat the proposal by Rep. Raul Labrador , R- I daho, would not have the unintended consequence of listing the grouse. Congress passed the National Defense I nt erior offi ci al swho clear ed an ini t i at i v ef r om Labr adorsay i twon’t put t he bi r d on t he endanger ed li st. P oli c e killing s g r o w n a t ion ’s r ac i a l di v ide Whi t e people see a f ai r legal syst em; t o bl acks, t hat’s j ust notr eali ty. Va lle y’s u ndo c u men t ed immig r a n ts find hope BY BILL ROBERTS •br oberts@idahostatesman. com © 2014 Idaho Statesman Sixt een- y ear-old Esmer alda Sandov al sometimeswonders whether her motherwill make it home fr om wor k atthe end of the da y . A simple tr affic st op along the wa y could put Luz Sandov al, an undocu- ment ed immigr ant fr om Mexico who has been in the U . S. for 15 y ears, on a path t o deport ation. I t’s scary , Esmer alda said. Ther eis dangerther e. Her mother agr ees. I can’t li ve without my kids, ”the Caldwell mother of fi ve said in Spanish. I daho le adst he nat ion in i ts s har e of t ho s e her e illeg all y who qualif y for deport at ion r elief under P r e s ident Obama’s c ontr o v ers i ale x ecut i v eor der KATHERINE JONES / kjones@idahostatesman.com Esmer alda Sandoval, left,i s a j unior at Caldwell High School . She has a 3.75gr ade point aver age, is acheerleader and workswith childr en in 4-H. Her par ents “ri sked dangerto gi ve me abetter life, ”she said. A si ster , Paol a, and younger br other ar e seen wi th Esmer aldaat home. R olling S t one ac kno wledge s do u b ts ab o ut r a pe st o ry BY RICHARD PEREZ-PENA AND RAVI SOMAIYA NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.— An account of sexual assault in Rolling Stone magazine that shook the Uni versity of Virginia and horrified readers showed signs of crumbling Friday , asthe magazine admitted to questions about its article on a premeditat- ed gang rape at a fraternity party , and the fraternity issued its first rebuttal of some details. Rolling Stone’s backpedaling came afterseveraldays of cri- tiquesthat questioned aspects of its article about a woman who asked to be called Jackie, and concessions by campus acti vists against sexual assaultthatthey had doubts about some parts of her account. On Friday , the magazine pub- lished a note to readers from Will Dana, the managing editor , stating, In the f ace of new infor- mation, there now appearto be discrepancies in Jackie’s ac- count, and wehave come to the conclusion that our trust in her was misplaced. In a statement, the fraternity , Phi KappaPsi, said it did not have an officialfraternity func- tion on the weekend when the woman said thatshe wasraped A debat e pl a ys out r egar ding se xual assaul t on campus, jour nali sm and vi ct ims. See IMMIGRANTS, A11 See GRAZING, A5 See RACE, A10 See ARTICLE, A10 WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENTThe st ory of aMeridi an f amil ywi th fi ve childr en, four of whom ar e ci t i z ens because t heywer e born her e. A11 MEETING PLANNED FOR DEC. 14 A11 NO BOULDER- WHITE CLOUDS BILL IN DEFENSE GOING-HOME MEASURE A5 Ashley Ber naugh NEW YORK POLICE SAY THE FACTS IN CHOKEHOLD DEATH ARE BEING OVERLOOKED BECAUSE OF FUROR A6

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Page 1: Bill Roberts: Undocumented immigrants

BYJOHNELIGONNEWYORK TIMESNEWS SERVICE

FERGUSON,Mo.— In the decade thatAshley Bernaugh,who is white, has beenwith her black husband, her family in In-

diana has been so smittenwithhim that she teases themthat they love himmore thanher.

So Bernaugh was some-what surprised by her fami-ly’s reaction after DarrenWilson, awhite police officerhere, killed Michael Brown,

an unarmed black teenager. Forced intomore frank discussions about race withher family than ever before,Bernaugh, 29,said her relatives seemed more outragedby the demonstrations than the killing,which she saw as an injustice.

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IDAHOSTATESMAN:AMcClatchyNewspaper, 1200N.CurtisRoad,Boise, ID•P.O.Box40,Boise, ID83707• (208)377-6200•©2014 IdahoStatesman,Vol. 150,No. 133, 5sections, 54pages

INSIDETODAY “Acarddoesn’t seemlikea lot,but toAddie it is somuch.”TAMMI FAUSETT,whose daughter, 6, is dying, and getting thousands ofChristmas cardsA6

BSUBASKETBALLFreshman learning•BroncosatSaintMary’s tonight SPORTS, S6

IdahoStatesmanSATURDAY,DECEMBER6,2014 49° / 34° SEEA13

MOSTLYCLOUDY

WESTERN GOVERNORSWEIGHWATERWOES IN VEGAS IDAHO/WEST,A4

TOOURREADERSTo provide coverage of Boise State’s

late football game tonight, delivery in someareasmight be delayed Sundaymorning.

The Statesman is sorry for any inconvenience.EDITORVICKIGOWLEREXPLAINS •OPINIONS,A12

U.S.ECONOMY

Job,wage numbersencouraging sign,some analysts say

BUSINESS,B1

BusyweekTreefortMusic FestwasnamedWednesday asBoise’s culturalambassador for 2015, receiving a$25,000 grant.Thatmeans itsorganiz-erswill act asofficial cultural liaisonsandhostswhenother artists visitBoise.But first, they’vegot to set uptheirownevent The annual emerg-ing-artists celebration’s first setofconfirmed 2015 actswas releasedFri-day.Leading the list: critically ac-claimedNewYork indie rockersTVon theRadio.

Whoelsewill perform?Bluegrass-folk groupTrampledByTurtles andUtah rockersDesertNoises showthatTreefort’s vibrantmission continuesto focusondiversity,quality andmu-sical exploration.Returning artists in-clude conceptual bandYacht.And theinitial list includes threeBoise acts:Wolvserpent,LoganHyde, andClarkand theHimselfs.LearnmoreThe fourthTreefort isscheduled forMarch 25-29.Readmore and find a link to the event’swebsite at IdahoStatesman.com.

ROUND ONE FIRST2015TREEFORTARTISTSANNOUNCED

A grazingprovision,sage grouseand conflict

[email protected]

© 2014 Idaho StatesmanIt’s the kind of political firefight than

can flare in thewaning days of a congres-sional session, as members try to attachfavorite legislation to bills thatmust passbefore Congress can head home forChristmas.

Language tohelp ranchersprotect theirgrazing rights — which some environ-mentalists say could put the sage grouseon the Endangered Species List — gotadded to an 11th-hour defense bill,prompting awarofwords thisweek.

But the officials at the Department ofInterior in charge of both grazing andsage grouse protections said Friday thatthe proposal by Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, would not have the unintendedconsequence of listing the grouse.

Congress passed theNationalDefense

Interiorofficialswho cleared aninitiative from Labrador say itwon’tput thebirdon the endangered list.

Police killingsgrow nation’sracial divide

Whitepeople see a fair legal system;toblacks, that’s justnot reality.

Valley’s undocumentedimmigrants find hope

BYBILLROBERTS • [email protected] • © 2014 Idaho Statesman

Sixteen-year-oldEsmeralda Sandoval sometimeswonderswhetherhermotherwillmake ithome fromwork at the endof the day.A simple traffic stop along theway could putLuz Sandoval, anundocu-

mented immigrant fromMexicowhohas been in theU.S. for 15 years, on apath todeportation.“It’s scary,”Esmeralda said. “There isdanger there.”Hermother agrees.“I can’t livewithoutmy kids,” theCaldwellmotherof five said in Spanish.

Idaho leads the nation in its share of those here illegallywho qualify for deportation relief under

PresidentObama’s controversial executive order

KATHERINEJONES/ [email protected], left, isa junioratCaldwellHighSchool.Shehasa3.75gradepointaverage, isacheerleaderandworkswithchildren in4-H.Herparents “riskeddanger togivemeabetter life,” she said.A sister,Paola,andyoungerbrotherare seenwithEsmeraldaathome.

RollingStone acknowledgesdoubts about rape story

BYRICHARDPEREZ-PENAANDRAVISOMAIYA

NEWYORK TIMESNEWS SERVICECHARLOTTESVILLE,Va. —

An account of sexual assault inRolling Stone magazine that

shook theUniversity ofVirginiaand horrified readers showedsigns of crumbling Friday, as themagazine admitted to questionsabout itsarticle onapremeditat-edgang rapeata fraternityparty,and the fraternity issued its firstrebuttal of somedetails.

Rolling Stone’s backpedalingcame after several days of cri-tiques that questionedaspectsof

its article about a woman whoasked to be called Jackie, andconcessionsby campus activistsagainst sexual assault that theyhad doubts about some parts ofher account.

On Friday, themagazine pub-lished a note to readers fromWillDana, themanaging editor,stating, “In the faceofnew infor-mation, there now appear to be

discrepancies in Jackie’s ac-count, andwe have come to theconclusion that our trust in herwasmisplaced.”

In a statement, the fraternity,Phi Kappa Psi, said it did nothave an official fraternity func-tion on the weekend when thewoman said that she was raped

Adebateplaysout regardingsexualassaulton campus,journalismand victims.

See IMMIGRANTS,A11

SeeGRAZING,A5

SeeRACE,A10

SeeARTICLE,A10

‘WEHAVEBEENWAITINGFORTHISMOMENT’The storyof aMeridianfamilywith five children,fourofwhom are citizensbecause theywerebornhere.A11

MEETINGPLANNEDFORDEC. 14 A11

NOBOULDER-WHITECLOUDSBILLINDEFENSEGOING-HOMEMEASUREA5

AshleyBernaugh

NEWYORKPOLICESAYTHEFACTSINCHOKEHOLDDEATHAREBEINGOVERLOOKEDBECAUSEOFFUROR A6

Page 2: Bill Roberts: Undocumented immigrants

Her words were translat-ed byKristaBustamante, or-ganizing director of IdahoCommunity Action Net-work, a Boise-based non-profit advocating for social,racial and economic justice.

Amid the stress, however,is hope. Luz Sandoval, 37,and her undocumentedpartner, Antonio Guzman,39, could qualify for workpermits and freedom fromthe fear of deportationunder President BarackObama’s new executive or-deron immigration.

Theorderallowsundocu-mented parents of childrenborn in theU.S.,who are au-tomatically citizens, to bespared deportation over thenext three years. They alsocanobtainworkpermits, im-proving chances of employ-mentor better jobs.

Four of Sandoval’s andGuzman’s children, whorange in ages from 6 to 14and attend public school,were born in the U.S. Thecouple brought Esmeralda,then about 18 months old,over the border in a back-pack when they sneakedinto theUnited States.

Esmeralda is already pro-tected by Obama’s 2012 or-der allowing two-yeardefer-rals of deportation for peo-ple younger than 30 whocame to the United Statesbefore age 16, pose no crimi-nal or security threat, andhave served in the militaryor been successful students.Hisneworder lastmonth al-lows additional deferrals forthree years.

IDAHO’SATTHETOPObama’saction isparticu-

larly significant to the GemState,which leads thenationin the percentage of immi-grants who could be eligiblefor deferred deportation.The PewResearchCenter, athink tank in Washington,D.C., says that up to 62 per-cent of the state’s estimated50,000 undocumented resi-dents could be eligible fordeferral under one of thetwo programs. Most ofthose, 46 percent, couldqualifybecause theyarepar-ents of children bornhere.

Idaho is one of only sevenstates in which the numberof undocumented immi-grants is growing, says Pew,whose estimates are basedonananalysisofcensusdata.

Idaho’s undocumentedpopulation increased by anestimated 10,000 people be-tween 2009 and 2012. Na-tionally, the population heldsteady at just more than11 million, according to Pewestimates.

STRONGOPPOSITION,TEPID SUPPORT

Obama’s actions facefierce criticism inCongress,where some Republicanshave accused himof breach-ing the Constitution andothers are drafting bills tostop implementation of hisorder. A coalition of 20states, including Idaho, is su-ing the president.

“There isnoquestion thatthe nation’s immigrationsystem is broken and badlyneeds an overhaul. But thesolution should honor theconstitutional separation ofpowers, which dictates abroad-based collaborativeprocess that includes Con-gress,”Gov.ButchOtter saidin a statement.

Even advocates say Oba-ma’s plan is at best a band-age:

Æ It offers no pathway tocitizenship for thosewithoutpapers; only a promise thatimmigration authoritieswon’t come knocking ontheirdoor for three years.

Æ Filing an application is

expensive — $465 a person— and necessary additionallegal representation couldcost a couple of thousanddollars for people whomight be earning minimumwage or slightlymore.

ÆMostly, the plan expos-es undocumented people tothe government and to de-portation ifObama’sorder islater canceled.

“I think it is useful,” saidAngela Levesque (le-VEK),an immigration attorney inMeridian. “But people needto be aware of the risks.”

TAKINGTHECHANCESandoval and Guzman

recognize the problems, butthey think the order offersthe prospect of the first realsense of calm the two willhave known since theycrossed the border intoAri-zona in 1999.

“For two or three yearsyou have that paper, you canbe more peaceful,”Guzmansaid.

Guzman had alreadycome to Mexico from Cen-tralAmerica beforemeetingSandoval inGuadalajara.He

worked inMexicounloadingseafood trucks and layingbrick for less than $50 aweek. Sandovalwas a seam-stress earning slightlymore.When they had Esmeralda,their incomewasn’t enoughto support themselves.

Guzman’s boss at thebricklaying job came to theUnited States and told himabout a job ranching in Ne-vada.

Sandoval was scared togo.She’dnever leftGuadala-jara. But she encouragedGuzman to go to theUnited

States. “Iwill go if you comeback,” she told him.

Guzman walked across aMexican desert for nearlyseven hours and paid $1,250to crawl into a crowded,windowless van tobedrivento the United States. Oncesettled, he came back forSandoval andEsmeralda.

Sandoval rememberswaitingbehindbushes in thedesert for their driver —called a coyote — to showup.

They paid him $2,500 —Esmeralda traveled free —to sit on top of other peoplesqueezed into the van. Alltheir belongings were leftbehind.

Guzmanworkedat ranch-ing and other jobs. In 2010,hearing of job opportunitiesin Idaho, hebroughthis fam-ily toCaldwell.They live inahousing complex.

The couple remain wary.Ondayswhen rumors circu-lated that immigration au-thorities were in the area,Sandoval and Guzmanstayed inside and kept theirchildren out of school.

Without papers, they getlow-paying jobs. Sandovalearns $7.50 an hour at anagricultural plant. Guzmanis justbeginning anew job.

Sandoval was stoppedonce for driving to workwithout a license. She nowcarpoolswhenpossible.

With awork permit and adriver’s license, Sandovalhopes she can get a better-paying job closer tohome.

But getting a deportationdeferral could bechallenging for the couple.Just applying puts them in aspotlight. “When we apply,we exist,” Sandoval said.

Savingmoney forapplica-tion fees is another chal-lenge. They have severalmonths to save, since appli-cations likelywon’t be takenuntil next year.

“Christmas is going to bepoor, this year,” Sandovalsaid.

BillRoberts: 377-6408,Twitter:@IDS_BillRoberts

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LuzSan-doval,withpartnerAn-tonioGuz-man, saysshedoesn’tthink she istakinga jobaway fromanAmerican.“Weare tak-ing theplaces theyare reject-ing,” shesaid.

[email protected]

AliciaZavala,39,doesn’tadvertisethat she isanundocumented immi-grant living inMeridianwithherhus-bandand fivechildren.

“I’mnotembarrassedby it,” shesaid inSpanish,speaking throughRu-byMendez,aseniorpolicy fellowatthe IdahoCommunityActionNet-workactingasan interpreter. “I justdon’t thinkabout it.”

Zavalaandherhusbandeludedborderguards inTijuananearly20yearsago,baby in tow.She’shad fourmorechildren—nowages2 to14—whoareU.S.citizens,andherhusbandworkshard,shesaid.

Thecouplestruggledbecauseherhusband,whomshedeclines toname,

oftengot low-wage jobs tokeep thefamilygoing.Oncehewasofferedajobasanupholstererand took it, eventhoughheknewnothingabout it. “Wewent toBarnes&Noble to findbooks(onupholstery),”Zavala recalled.

Zavala isastay-at-homemother.Thecoupleand theirchildren live inaMeridiansubdivision.

She issoft-spokenandsayssheknowsexactlywhysheandherhus-bandare inAmerica. “Weare fightingforabetter life forourchildren,” shesaid.

Shesaysherchildrenworry thatshecouldbe takenawayanddeport-ed.

Her 10-year-oldsonsayshe “never

wants tobeseparated fromhismom,”Zavalasaid.Onceheaskedher, “Whydoesn’t shewrite to thepresident?”

Sheknowstherearepeoplewhothinkshehasno right tobe in Idaho.

“Yes,wedidbreak the law,” shesaid.

Theypaystateand federal incometaxes througha federal program thatassigns thema taxnumber. “Idon’task foranykindof (government)as-sistance,” shesaid.

They’vesavedsomemoney tohelppay for thecostofapplying fordepor-tationprotection.

“Wehavebeenwaiting for thismo-ment,” shesaid. “It’sworth it.”

TheAssociatedPress contributed.

‘WEHAVEBEENWAITINGFORTHISMOMENT’

IMMIGRANTSCONTINUED FROMA1

!PEW’SLOOKATOBAMA’S

EXECUTIVEORDERGetall thedetailson thepresident’saction.IdahoStatesman.com

Themeeting forun-documented immigrantswhocouldqualify forde-portationprotection isplanned for6p.m.Sun-day,Dec. 14,at theHis-panicCulturalCenterofIdaho,315StampedeDrive inNampa.Theses-sionwilladvise immi-grantson topics includingdocuments theyneedandhowmuch theycanexpect topay to fileanapplication.

INFORMATIONALMEETINGFORIMMIGRANTS

KATHERINEJONES/ [email protected] iscaught ina system thatmany think isdysfunctionaland thatCongresshas failed to fix. “I’mnot veryhappywithCon-gress,” she said.