At a forum held by the United Chinese Associations of Eastern U.S.A. in Chinatown, on Jan. 12, representatives from various Chinese organizations called on Barack Obama to promote immigration reform and to provide undocumented immigrants with a path to gaining legal status. Steven Wong, president of the Lin Ze Xu Foundation, wrote a letter to Obama, expressing the hopes of the Chinese community.

The forum, presided over by Wong, was attended by about 30 leaders of Chinese organizations, including Cheng Liping, president of the Shanghai Association of America; Zheng Shigan, representative of the United Fujianese of America Association, and many others.

Wong said that the U.S. government and its society face a huge challenge: in the midst of an economic crisis, the 11.2 million undocumented immigrants who reside in the United States have no clear hopes or prospects, which hinge on the prosperity and stability of the American economy. Many instances of immigration reform in U.S. history have proven that the legalization of undocumented immigrants can be a powerful impetus for economic growth, Wong said. Undocumented immigrants are never a burden on American society; they are contributors to the functioning of the U.S. economy engine, playing an important role in filling gaps in the employment market, he said.

Cheng said that Chinese immigrants, legal or undocumented, are tireless workers with an enterprising spirit, and that in troubled economic times they could be a powerful force for restoring faith in economic growth. Zheng said that undocumented immigrants often encounter prejudice, employer exploitation and fraud. He proposed that the U.S. government establish a special agency to investigate these issues, and to prevent countless other undocumented immigrants, who are nonetheless law-abiding and free of criminal records, from being mislead or exploited.

Wong wrote in his letter to the president-elect that he hopes Obama will consider adopting a comprehensive immigration reform program, beginning with granting work permits to undocumented immigrants who have no criminal record, and then allowing them to become permanent residents after a few years. Needless to say, the Chinese organizations present supported the American government’s right to conduct rigorous background checks of new immigrants.