nadie es illegal
I’ve been following the debate about U.S. immigration reform for some time. Yesterday, in a bunch of East Coast cities, immigrant organizers declared “A Day Without An Immigrant” and encouraged folks to stay home from work, essentially a massive work stoppage by immigrant workers. The strike is in reaction to a pretty horrible piece of legislation that passed right before Christmas that would raise the stakes on both folks who entered the country illegally, and potentially those who aid them, by criminalizing the act of illegal immigration.
It’s pretty amazing to me that this bill has drawn the ire of almost everyone on the political spectrum (except the Minutemen, who, sorry, I’m just not willing to give a link). The idea that a priest or a social worker could be arrested as a smuggler for helping undocumented immigrants in any way is reprehensible to me.
There is no doubt in my mind that the current system is broken and needs repair. But any politician who thinks that rounding up and deporting the eleven million undocumented people in the US is a meritorious plan is just showboating for political payoff. I believe in protecting our borders, but a system that forces that many people to live in the shadows–people who, for the most part, are here to work and earn enough money to support their families here and abroad–is a failure. For the 99% of those eleven million people who want to be here legally, who want to live without fear of an ICE raid, we need to give them a path to legalize. Sensenbrenner, by writing a bill that just gives that 99% another thing to fear, has made himself part of the problem, not part of the solution.
MetroDad said,
February 15, 2006 at 10:51 am
Once again, I’m in full agreement with you, LM. Immigration is a hot button issue for me and it infuriates me when I see racist and xenophobic actions being enacted under the guise of immigration reform.
Have you been following the story of the pregnant Chinese woman from Philly who was nabbed and driven to JFK to be deported immediately? She complained of pains and was absolutely belittled by immigration authorities. Turns out she was miscarrying twins!
And arresting a priest of social worker? Are they kidding me? It’s things like this that sometimes makes me question our nation’s moral compass. Aaaarrgh!
Trasherati said,
February 15, 2006 at 12:31 pm
Amen. And thank you for not legitimizing the Minutemen with a link - bravo!
kdubs said,
February 15, 2006 at 8:38 pm
This was very well written but I’m doped up on theraflu and can not intellengently comment LOLOLOL…. I’ll come back when I’m not so loopy in the brain.
Cheers,
K
Library Lady said,
February 16, 2006 at 5:05 pm
This is going on big time in my part of Virginia. The town of Herndon is split between two groups–the Minutemen types and people who are of the attitude–”they’re here,let’s deal with the immediate problems and make it easier for all of us.” There has been a great deal of opposition to a work center which would get the day laborers off the streets where they wait for work.. And there are similar situations in other parts of the area.
Thing is, if people weren’t paying these folks to work, they wouldn’t be here in the first place. And it’s a lot easier to hire day laborers who require no benefits, no Social Security complications, no union rights and will work for next to nothing. AND if they don’t get paid (which happens), who are they going to complain to? They’re illegals!
The easiest way to discourage immigrants who are coming from economic reasons is to make it harder for them to get jobs here. But that would mean paying a living wage for the hardest, nastiest jobs out there. And it would gasp!cut into profits. Executives might even have to whisper get LOWER salaries.
So the “Minutemen” can spout their tripe. But until we are willing to put our money where our mouths are and pay fairly for all those jobs we won’t do ourselves, illegal immigrants are going to keep coming.
Oh, and betcha a lot of those “patriots” had ancestors who came here by bending the rules and worked undesirable jobs. Anyone ever here about those “no Irish need apply” signs, way back when?
Trasherati said,
February 17, 2006 at 1:25 pm
Library Lady! We’re neighbors!
And I agree with you wholeheartedly.
The Herndon situation seems to have gone off the local radar - I’ll have to dig around and find some info on how it’s being addressed. I keep thinking of all my colleagues from the restaurant business for many years and how they were always treated as second-class citizens and assumed to be illegals, when the reality was that they were 1) educated and 2) doing all the WORK that lighter-skinned, U.S.-born folk thought was beneath them.
Comfort Addict said,
February 18, 2006 at 9:05 am
Bravo and Brava, Landismom and commenters above. I can’t add much to what you’ve said other than to reinforce it.
The monied class in America has built a signifcant part of their high standard of living upon the exploitation of those less fortunate. Their nightmare, as Library Lady says, is to have to pay a living wage instead of what they’re paying now.
The xenophobes like the Minutemen and other “patriot” movements lash out at both legal and illegal immigrants. Their anger is misdirected. Big business, not immigration, eliminated their jobs. If there were no immigration, there would simply be more importation yielding the same effect.
The yuppies are yet another player. They want to Walmartize and Costcoize everything so that they can get as much for as little as possible and damn everyone else. They may actually support expelling immigrants because anyone who is “not their class” makes them nervous. Besides, if immigrants are “rendered” to countries with even lower standards of living, the yuppies can get their designer jackets and shoes even cheaper (so that they can have more because more is always better).
I could go on but my blood pressure is already higher than it should be. Please let me know, anybody, what I can do (website, petition) to help scuttle the bad bill and enact meaningful, sensible immigration reform.