Kaytia King, M.S., works as FWD.us’ lead organizer for the state of Colorado. FWD.us was founded by leaders in the technology and business community to support comprehensive immigration reform that keeps the American Dream achievable in the 21st century.
In her work, Kaytia is building networks across the state by bringing together a diverse group of organizers, entrepreneurs, and innovators. She is working alongside allies and advocates to support engagement with elected officials to win transformational policy changes.
In a Q&A with Colors of Influence, Kaytia discusses her grassroots work in ensuring that immigrants have opportunities to fully contribute to our communities and our economy.
What is your primary charge at FWD.us?
Our topline goal is to pass common-sense immigration reform, and that comes in line of three core principles that we’re working on. All of my organizing work revolves around sensible border security, fixing the broken immigration system that includes visa backlogs, and creating an earned pathway to citizenship for hardworking undocumented people with strong ties to the community who add billions of dollars to our economy each year.
We do this by providing opportunities for people to engage with their members of Congress. I conduct outreach with three specific groups: One is business coalitions from around the state who are huge economic drivers in the state of Colorado. The other is our “Innovation Council,” whose members largely come from tech and startups. This group advocates to members of Congress through roundtables, private meetings, or public press work. I also engage with “Rapid Response” team volunteers, a great group of people who represent our principles at town halls, and by writing letters and other direct actions.
FWD is in 26 states, working locally to impact federal policy. My charge as the Colorado organizer is to be aware of what the state is working on. On a national level, we are pushing back against anti-immigrant policies that hurt the American economy and communities across the country.. We support Dreamers and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, making sure that young people who came to the U.S. as children are able to stay and work here, and continue to go to school. We also see a number of potential threats against existing immigration channels.
What are some of the top concerns that you are hearing from community?
There are many communities and different demographics impacted by our immigration system. Among the 11 million undocumented people in the U.S., a main concern is that they will never be on a path to attaining legal status, and all the dangers that come with that. The 2013 Senate Immigration Reform bill called for a 13-year pathway for legal status for those currently undocumented who could pass a background check, pay back taxes, and meet a number of other requirements.
Addressing the green card backlog is also important. The wait for people coming from certain countries is arbitrarily long. For example, the typical wait is about 25 years for people from the Philippines on family-sponsored visas. I met someone from India working down South (Colorado) who has been on a temporary work permit for 20 years because the wait time for Indian nationals is, literally, decades.
In your opinion, why is it so difficult for policymakers to agree upon immigration reform that works for all?
The U.S. hasn’t upgraded the immigration system in 30 years. As a result we don’t have a system that fits the needs of our workforce or our economy. We have millions of people out of status with no way of getting on a pathway to citizenship. We have students we educate in our universities, yet we have no path to keep their talent here, and we have no visa for innovators or entrepreneurs to come here and start businesses.
In doing this work, FWD is at an advantage, because we are a bipartisan organization that works with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. There are members of Congress who are willing to work across the aisle to get things done, but there’s still a lot of partisanship that is holding back reform.
What aspects of the immigrant experience are most misunderstood by the mainstream? It’s important to remember that there is a wide variety and diversity in immigrant experiences. However, one of the most misunderstood things about immigrants, particularly undocumented immigrants, is that they don’t pay taxes, when in fact they pay $1.3 billion in taxes in the state of Colorado alone. Immigrants are also less likely to commit crimes and twice as likely as American-born individuals to start a business.
What inspires you to do this work?
My grandmother was a Holocaust survivor who fled Hungary when the Nazis invaded. She had a long journey here, tending to her mother, being only 17 when they first fled. She had dreams of becoming a doctor, but was unable to finish school because of the invasion. In her journey to Ellis Island, she learned to sculpt while being a refugee in Italy. When she came to the U.S. she was able to become a facial prosthetic specialist with the talents she’d acquired along the way. I think her story is just one of many showcasing what immigrants can contribute to this great country and I think when we don’t bestow this opportunity for immigrants to pursue the American Dream, we sell ourselves short and we lose out on a lot of contributions that make this country the amazing place that it is.
I get to meet a lot of interesting allies and advocates in my travels throughout the state. Everybody has such a different story, and I am constantly getting more fuel to do the work from hearing what people have gone through to be here in the U.S.
It’s such a privilege to be born here within these borders, and acknowledge what a U.S. citizenship or legal status affords in your life. I remember a conversation with a peach farmer in the Palisades, who is an advocate for immigration reform because he has seen when the border crossed people.
Most Americans don’t understand how hard it is to live without legal status. Many of us don’t have to worry about having a social security number, or getting a driver’s license. People who are undocumented don’t have access to healthcare, or a number of other public benefits.
