May Day Solidarity!
Today is May Day. I have a lot to say because I have been reading two books that are very much about May Day, I will mention them later on.
Today is the day of the big immigration protests. As the future husband of a Latina immigrant, and friend to a few recent immigrants, and student of social policy and international relations I really felt strongly I should say something in support of today's rallies.
Immigration reform is necessary. Now, I don't know who's plan is better, but let me give a few benchmarks for testing the different plans to see how applicable they are.
First Benchmark. A good friend of mine, who would prefer to remain anonymous is an from an immigrant family. If immigration reform doesn't permanently improve the lot of people who are in a case like his, then it is not useful. He came to America with both his parents when he was about 8. One of his parents had some sort of legal visa to bring his family. However, some time after arriving in the country this parent left the family. According to my friend, there was paperwork his mother could have done to maintain their legal status, but it was neglected. He didn't find out until he was 18 years old. After attending public schools nearly all of his life, like all of his friends, he wanted to go to college. But when he consulted his mom about how to fill out the part about citizenship, he found out that he was stuck. There was no way for him to get into college, even though he spoke, read, and wrote perfect English. I then became acquainted with this person. In order to avoid the "why aren't you going to college" question from professionals and college student friends he felt it necessary to cover up the situation. In fact, he has asked to remain anonymous because of the stigma placed on "illegal" people. This friend is far more American than me. He knows all about NCAA stats and college football issues, he watches the World Series and knows what is going on, etc. When some friends tried to talk to pro-bono immigration lawyers to help him out they just said he should go back to the country they left at 8 yeras old and wait for 5 years and apply again, or, get married. However much a one-time amnesty would have helped in this case it will not prevent things like this from happening again.
First Benchmark:
Will we still deport people who are hardly even from the other country just because they entered illegally, or have lapsed on their visa?
Second Benchmark. Another friend's spouse recently received a green card, after only a 3 year wait. Once the proud possessor of a work permit that was supposed to hold them over until gc status they became unemployable outside of the black market, because that permit expired before the gc was issued. Having entered the country on a fiancé visa, and gone through the entire recommended, legal process, they were still forced to wait by the INS for the very slow "change of visa" process. Amnesty would not have even applied, since they came into the country legally, in fact Amnesty would give others who were not careful to follow the rules the first place in line that they, and countless others like them wait for so patiently.
Second Benchmark:
Will the new immigration legislation make the INS rush legal applications for people of all color and backgrounds? Will family be a priority in immigration too?
Third, and final Benchmark. I have made friends with a man in my church group, a Mexican Immigrant who arrived in the country shortly after me, in 1980 (I arrived in 1978, when I was born). Although he reads and speaks mostly in Spanish he attends the English-speaking church in our town for his 2 daughters' sakes. His immigrant status is that of a fully legal resident, because he was in the country for the 1986 Amnesty. However, this has hardly improved his lot. He works 14-hour days, with no option for negotiation. Not because he is illegal, but simply because of the color of his skin. This is the simple reality of our current policy. Let's all forget about Gay Marriage being the new Civil Rights movement, and remember that what was so easy for the very white Irish and Italian immigrants at the turn of last century was not the same for blacks (note, not immigrants) and will not be the same for our latino neighbors, co-workers and friends. Because of their race, even hispanic US citizens, and legal residents are treated like illegals, in the workplace and elsewhere. Legal Amnesty does nothing for this. A guest-worker program could, because it would formalize currently illegal workers, and place fully legal people on a better footing, whereas for now they look the same because everybody has documents, only some are forged and others are real, but mostly because no one is checking the documents. It is a real human rights issue. An employment office could be created to defend the rights of legal residents of the country of hispanic descent.
Third Benchmark:
Will immigration reform make positive steps in welcoming the mixed-Native American races of Latin America into our system of rights?
Now, I am also acquainted with African, and European immigrants, some are refugees, some are professionals. But these are three cases who's needs, for me, cross the partisan lines and give good indications of a good immigration policy.
Now, back to May Day. We may look at it as the day of the whatever of the Russian Revolution, and some sort of Communist symbol. I am sure many of today's protestors see it that way too. But, I want to have a word in favor of May Day. It is essentially just Labor Day, but for the whole world, not just the US. I am reading "Perestroika" by Mikhail Gorbechev, and "The Phase of Capitalism: Imperialism" by Vladimir Lenin, in Spanish. I bought them in Argentina. Look. The Cold War is over. This is not a Red Scare issue. The Russians were very methodical and scientific in their means of discussion which really appealed to people from Catholic countries where everything seemed to be just dogmatism, and irrational hierarchy. If you read even an excerpt from either of these books you would see that for the rest of the world May Day, or May 1st is like the 4th of July to us. It was the day the oppressed lifted up in revolt against the powerful and won their rights. The American colonists were politically oppressed, and the Russian peasants and workers were economically oppressed. That is why the Russian Revolution appeals more to hispanics that the American Revolution. They are here to find Economic freedom, because Political freedom, in their home country, or even here for that matter, doesn't really give them the fair chance they are looking for for raising their families.
Today's quotes:
"The world has need of willing hands, who wear the worker's seal ..."
-Put your shoulder to the wheel, LDS hymnal
"As the taste for what may be called book-learning increases, manual labor should not be neglected. ... Manual labor should be dignified among us and always be made honorable. The tendency, which is too common in these days, for young men (and women) to get a smattering of education and then think themselves unsuited for mechanical and other laborious pursuits is one that should not be allowed to grow among us ... Everyone should make it a matter of pride to be a producer, and not a consumer alone. "
-"An Epistle to Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" Millenial Star, November 14, 1887, 733. (from this year's Wilford Woodruff manual, page 230) (psh and you thought it was gonna be Lenin or Gorby!)
Today is the day of the big immigration protests. As the future husband of a Latina immigrant, and friend to a few recent immigrants, and student of social policy and international relations I really felt strongly I should say something in support of today's rallies.
Immigration reform is necessary. Now, I don't know who's plan is better, but let me give a few benchmarks for testing the different plans to see how applicable they are.
First Benchmark. A good friend of mine, who would prefer to remain anonymous is an from an immigrant family. If immigration reform doesn't permanently improve the lot of people who are in a case like his, then it is not useful. He came to America with both his parents when he was about 8. One of his parents had some sort of legal visa to bring his family. However, some time after arriving in the country this parent left the family. According to my friend, there was paperwork his mother could have done to maintain their legal status, but it was neglected. He didn't find out until he was 18 years old. After attending public schools nearly all of his life, like all of his friends, he wanted to go to college. But when he consulted his mom about how to fill out the part about citizenship, he found out that he was stuck. There was no way for him to get into college, even though he spoke, read, and wrote perfect English. I then became acquainted with this person. In order to avoid the "why aren't you going to college" question from professionals and college student friends he felt it necessary to cover up the situation. In fact, he has asked to remain anonymous because of the stigma placed on "illegal" people. This friend is far more American than me. He knows all about NCAA stats and college football issues, he watches the World Series and knows what is going on, etc. When some friends tried to talk to pro-bono immigration lawyers to help him out they just said he should go back to the country they left at 8 yeras old and wait for 5 years and apply again, or, get married. However much a one-time amnesty would have helped in this case it will not prevent things like this from happening again.
First Benchmark:
Will we still deport people who are hardly even from the other country just because they entered illegally, or have lapsed on their visa?
Second Benchmark. Another friend's spouse recently received a green card, after only a 3 year wait. Once the proud possessor of a work permit that was supposed to hold them over until gc status they became unemployable outside of the black market, because that permit expired before the gc was issued. Having entered the country on a fiancé visa, and gone through the entire recommended, legal process, they were still forced to wait by the INS for the very slow "change of visa" process. Amnesty would not have even applied, since they came into the country legally, in fact Amnesty would give others who were not careful to follow the rules the first place in line that they, and countless others like them wait for so patiently.
Second Benchmark:
Will the new immigration legislation make the INS rush legal applications for people of all color and backgrounds? Will family be a priority in immigration too?
Third, and final Benchmark. I have made friends with a man in my church group, a Mexican Immigrant who arrived in the country shortly after me, in 1980 (I arrived in 1978, when I was born). Although he reads and speaks mostly in Spanish he attends the English-speaking church in our town for his 2 daughters' sakes. His immigrant status is that of a fully legal resident, because he was in the country for the 1986 Amnesty. However, this has hardly improved his lot. He works 14-hour days, with no option for negotiation. Not because he is illegal, but simply because of the color of his skin. This is the simple reality of our current policy. Let's all forget about Gay Marriage being the new Civil Rights movement, and remember that what was so easy for the very white Irish and Italian immigrants at the turn of last century was not the same for blacks (note, not immigrants) and will not be the same for our latino neighbors, co-workers and friends. Because of their race, even hispanic US citizens, and legal residents are treated like illegals, in the workplace and elsewhere. Legal Amnesty does nothing for this. A guest-worker program could, because it would formalize currently illegal workers, and place fully legal people on a better footing, whereas for now they look the same because everybody has documents, only some are forged and others are real, but mostly because no one is checking the documents. It is a real human rights issue. An employment office could be created to defend the rights of legal residents of the country of hispanic descent.
Third Benchmark:
Will immigration reform make positive steps in welcoming the mixed-Native American races of Latin America into our system of rights?
Now, I am also acquainted with African, and European immigrants, some are refugees, some are professionals. But these are three cases who's needs, for me, cross the partisan lines and give good indications of a good immigration policy.
Now, back to May Day. We may look at it as the day of the whatever of the Russian Revolution, and some sort of Communist symbol. I am sure many of today's protestors see it that way too. But, I want to have a word in favor of May Day. It is essentially just Labor Day, but for the whole world, not just the US. I am reading "Perestroika" by Mikhail Gorbechev, and "The Phase of Capitalism: Imperialism" by Vladimir Lenin, in Spanish. I bought them in Argentina. Look. The Cold War is over. This is not a Red Scare issue. The Russians were very methodical and scientific in their means of discussion which really appealed to people from Catholic countries where everything seemed to be just dogmatism, and irrational hierarchy. If you read even an excerpt from either of these books you would see that for the rest of the world May Day, or May 1st is like the 4th of July to us. It was the day the oppressed lifted up in revolt against the powerful and won their rights. The American colonists were politically oppressed, and the Russian peasants and workers were economically oppressed. That is why the Russian Revolution appeals more to hispanics that the American Revolution. They are here to find Economic freedom, because Political freedom, in their home country, or even here for that matter, doesn't really give them the fair chance they are looking for for raising their families.
Today's quotes:
"The world has need of willing hands, who wear the worker's seal ..."
-Put your shoulder to the wheel, LDS hymnal
"As the taste for what may be called book-learning increases, manual labor should not be neglected. ... Manual labor should be dignified among us and always be made honorable. The tendency, which is too common in these days, for young men (and women) to get a smattering of education and then think themselves unsuited for mechanical and other laborious pursuits is one that should not be allowed to grow among us ... Everyone should make it a matter of pride to be a producer, and not a consumer alone. "
-"An Epistle to Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" Millenial Star, November 14, 1887, 733. (from this year's Wilford Woodruff manual, page 230) (psh and you thought it was gonna be Lenin or Gorby!)
posted by samueldee at 7:42 AM
1 Comments:
I was an immigrant in USA and it was very hard. I was on a student visa and even though many of my friends that came at the same time from South American countries decided to stay illegally because they stopped going to school- may they could not afford the $3400.00 tuition payment to go to an open enrollment State college- . I worked very hard to finish, I had to work long hours, my parents did not have money to send me, I had a family, 2 little children, they eat, I had to buy books, I could not apply for a scholarship due to my low grades. What do you expect; I got up at 5.45am go to work at college as a janitor, class from 9 to 3pm, then go to my full time job, selling cars. Go back to school to do my homework from 9pm until done, and go home at 11pm and many times at 2am. My children and wife were very patience, as you can imagine...
Life as immigrant is not easy, USA is the land of opportunity but not unless you have money so you don’t do illegal stuff, like most of the Latinos are doing today. I sold many cars, my clients were mostly Latinos, illegals, working long hours, sending money to mexico, many were deported and came back the next week.
I learned a lot, it made me grow. I was 21 when I went to the United States I left when I was 30 with a degree in International Business and "Masters on life..."
OB/SME
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