Nativism Won't Win an Election

I've been watching Vernon Robinson's congressional campaign in North Carolina for several months now. One of my former students, now a North Carolinian, sent me a link to one of his political ads several months ago, and it was one of the most distasteful things I've ever witnesseed.

Basicallly, Mr. Robinson uses a number of nefarious strategies: he attempts to pit African Americans against Latinos ("you needed that job, but they gave it to an illegal alien"), to stir up nativistic fears among Anglos (with a Bilingual Only Help Wanted sign), and to intimate that Latinos come to the U.S. to burn the flag and molest children.

I considered doing a blog on some of the worst anti-immigrant ads used this election season, but in the end decided against it because I did not want to give these candidates any additional exposure. I am blogging this morning, after Mr. Robinson and many of his nativist fellows have found themselves shut-out (Robinson lost his election to Brad Miller by a landslide). Of course, this gives me hope. Hope that we can begin a substantial immigration debate in the country that is not motivated by a GOP that wishes only to manipulate the electorate. It also gives me hope that in this new era of immigration, more Americans have warmed to the idea of immigration, and more importantly, their immigrant neighbors.

It's Morning in America

Now that the elections have ended, I'm pleased to say that not only is it extremely likely that the U.S. will get an immigration reform law, the country has the opportunity to move in a new direction. I'm not naive, I just hope that the Democrats can get their act together, have a plan, and can take this opportunity and run with it.

But first things first. Bush is now not only a lame duck, he is going to spend the rest of his presidency in the proverbial hot seat. He has accomplished nothing with his second term, and immigration reform is his last chance to not only do something, but to do the right thing, before he leaves office.

Stay tuned.

From the Weekly Standard

That's right, I read the Weekly Standard.

I have to admit, Fred Barnes, although a bright guy, disappoints me when he calls for more tax cuts, knowing that the country is going bankrupt. I've learned to lower my expectations.

The real substance of this article is Mr. Barnes take on immigration reform. He believes that the GOP could have hammered out a plan, coupling additional border security with a guest worker program AND a plan for illegal immigrants in the U.S. to "earn" citizenship.

Alas, it was not to be. As Mr. Barnes notes, "In the end, Republicans raised the immigration issue, touted it as a national crisis, stirred the nation's interest, then failed to come to grips with it." Although he does not state it directly, Barnes suggests that, in the end, stirring nativist hysteria will not serve the GOP well when the polls close tonight.

I can only hope he's correct.

Latinos flock to polls in response to Immigration Issues

This article outlines recent data that suggest that the immigration debate has pushed more Latinos to the polls than in past elections.

Immigration Reform: Views from South of the Border

This article published today on the Washington Post on-line edition considers the importance of immigration reform from a Mexican perspective.

Punitive Immigration Laws: An international perspective

This London-based immigration site gives an overview of the most punitive local immigration laws either passed or under consideration in the U.S.,and also describes the response by civil and human rights groups to these legislative actions.

Hispanic Voters: the Swing?

Hispanic voters could play a key role in four states where the the races are close. Analysts are watching the elections in Arizona, New Mexico, New Jersey and Florida to see what difference this voting bloc might make.

Ibero-American Summit

This report from the Washington Post considers the position of Latin American leaders regarding U.S. and European immigration policies. The consensus is that there should be more efforts to develop economic opportunities in Latin American countries, as well as a comprehensive immigration reform in the U.S.

Tales from the Chicken Bus

I would recommend that you check out David Argen's blog Tales from the chicken bus. He's a journalist that writes on a variety of issues, including expatriate retirement to Mexico. He's based in Guadalajara.

Suffering Fools

This Op-Ed by Fareed Zakaria was republished in the print version of today's Washington Post. His argument is clear and straightforward: 2/3 of all American favor immigration reform, even an amnesty/guest worker program for those who are here and currently undocumented. Immigration provides overall benefits to the economic situation of all Americans, even those who are unskilled and/or at the lower end of the wage scale.

The problem, a small vocal (I would add prone to hysterics) minority have managed to hijack the discourse on immigration, stalling any hopes of reform.

The good news? It is likely that tomorrow our congress will look much different from the one that adjourned in September. That shift, along with President Bush's desire to craft comprehensive immigration reform, make a legislative overhaul more likely.

Mr. Zakaria suggests that its time to stop suffering fools. The majority needs to push back on those who shamelessly use immigrants to their political advantage and the nativists who are afraid of cultural and ethnic difference. Immigration is a benefit for all Americans. Its time it has been acknowledged as such.

Voters Split on Immigration

For most of the U.S., the Mexico border is a distant place that most of us will rarely experience. This article from the El Paso Times (a major Texas border town) discusses the use of local law enforcement for immigration violations, and emphasizes that the town of El Paso is split regardling whether or not this is a good idea.

Long Journey Home

This story tells of an America that I remember from my youth. It also tells of an America today, but for very few. It is American as I would like it to be.

This Washington Post piece chronicles the days after 44 year-old Oscar Antonio Argueta, a documented immigrant and day-laborer, died suddenly in his home in Northwest Washington. It tells how his community here in the U.S. arranged to send him back to his parents in El Salvador for burial. They are much too poor to spare the money, but making a sacrifice, they believe, is the right thing to do. He was a faithful partner to his girlfriend, a beloved father to his son, and well respected compañero to his fellow day-laborers.

I wish this nation had more communities like Oscar Arguenta's. I remember having a community much like this as a child growing up in West Virginia. Like this group of immigrants, we cared about one another, supported one another in our times of need. We also talked to and spent time with each other. Today, in my affluent suburban neighborhood, we barely have time to say hello. Is my neighbor ill? suffering a job loss or depression? I do not know.

This is why, when I read about the folks in places like Herndon, VA and Hazleton, PA, I think, "I wish I lived next door to those people," but I don't mean those nasty American citizens who think a productive use of their time is spent hating and alienating their neighbors. I wish those day-laborers were my neighbors. They know what "community" and "family" means, and are willing to make the sacrifices to keep their communities and families together. In fact, I wish American looked more like this immigrant community, and I hope that as immigrants settle and incorporate themselves into our nation, they are able to make this mark on our lives. We desperately need it.

Immigration Reform: Looking Back

This unusual article from the Chicago Sun-Times considers today's immigration debate in the context of the first true U.S. immigration reform acts of 1921 and 1924.

Border Film Project

This article describes the Border Film Project, an organization that hands out disposable cameras to immigrants and Minutemen alike (along with a postage paid envelope) create a photo diary of life on the U.S. Mexico border.

The project is remarkable in that it provides rarely viewed images of what it is like to cross the border from the migrant's perspective. The photos are poignant and at times, disturbing, but well worth your time.

The Minutemen photos are predictably narcissistic: pictures of mainly middle-age men sitting on chairs, watching. There are no photos of immigrant sightings or actual apprehensions, but the Minutemen seem to enjoy passing the time drinking beer.

The Gamble: Delaying Immigration Reform

This article from the magazine Hispanic Business considers the possibility of backlash for Republicans and Democrats who failed to pass an immigration reform bill this fall. The article cites a Time Magazine poll that identified 68 % of Americans believe that illegal immigration into the United States is a "very serious" problem. Similarly a Pew Hispanic Center poll identified nearly 50 percent of their respondents said that undocumented immigrants threaten traditional American customs and values and are a "burden on the country." In addition, the article notes that many people are alarmed that nearly 12 million unauthorized immigrants now live in the United States, and that their numbers are increasing by nearly 1 million per year, which is five times as many undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. in the 1980s.

Republicans made a gamble in the last congressional session that the voters taking the hardest line on immigration are already Republican. Hard line tactics like the border fence and increase border security, the conventional wisdom goes, may not win votes, but it is likely to keep Republicans faithful and will encourage them to get to the polls.

Ironically, neither party seems to be paying much attention to is the Hispanics vote, estimated at 6% of the total U.S. voting population. This group of voters may not have a strong affiliation with either party. But the Republican hardball approach, coupled with the fact that so many conservative pundits are not shy about expressing their nativist positions, may turn Hispanic voters away from the GOP permanently.

The Border--online

The Minuteman Project has to be happy about this.

The state of Texas has put a live webcam of the U.S. border on the internet so that ordinary citizens can "monitor" it and then call in any suspicious activity, according to today's Washington Post. The cameras focus in on border "hot spots" that are known sites of illegal activity. You can go to the site right now at Texas Border Watch.

This is one in a series of projects that I affectionately refer to as the "rat hole" that the federal government employs to waste tax dollars in order to give Americans the impression that they are doing something about immigration when, in fact, they are doing anything they can to avoid ending the two-tier labor system that has been in place in the U.S. for over forty years. Businesses like an inexpensive, pliable workforce that has limited rights and can be disposed of at will. Common citizens like cheap groceries, landscaping and housekeepers. The problem is, as a nation we just don't want to have to see the immigrants who perform these services outside of the workplace, and we certainly do not want them to live among us. Isn't nativism grand?

Happy surveillance!

Immigration Crackdown

This article from the Christian Science Monitor gives more detail to the Altanta ICE crackdown that lead to ICE agents harassing U.S. citizens because they looked undocumented. The court case, which alleges that ICE officials "used 'Gestapo-like tactics' as part of a deliberate campaign of fear ordered by the Department of Homeland Security."

The sad reality about this raid, and other localized tactics that are designed to terrorize and aliente the undocumented, is that they also distupt the day-to-day lives of the citizens and legal permanent residents or anyone who might look like a Latino. The more serious issue is that ICE officers are accused of violating the civil rights of the undocumented and citizens alike. And while undocumented workers are violating federal law, current federal workplace rules give anybody who is employed and drawing a paycheck certain protections, no matter their residential status.

What does an Undocumented Person look like?

That's the question that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in Atlanta might want to start asking themselves. It seems that ICE officials arrested and harassed five U.S. citizens in Atlanta on Sept. 1 as part of a raid on a poultry processing plant, and are being sued for their nefarious behavior, which included pulling a Texas-born woman from her car and insisting that she was really Mexican.

No one should be treated like this, and the heavy-handed tactics documented in the case suggests that ICE officers need to reassess their John Wayne bravado when they are trying to apprehend undocumented workers.

Hazleton's Future?

This photo, of an abandoned store front in Hazleton, PA, may be a sign of things to come. This article from CNN highlights the controversy in the town, as well as provides an overview of the judge's ruling that temporary restraining order preventing the town from enacting its anti-immigrant legislation.

Immigration: the Real Issues

This article from the San Diego Union-Tribune is one of the best all-around immigration articles I've read of late. One thing is certain, the folks in California have been dealing with the immigration issue much longer than the rest of the U.S., and as such are less likely to become embroiled with the nonsense issues that seem to plague national discourse on the issues.

The major points:

• Today's immigrants re not so different from those a century ago (in fact, neither is the native response to immigrants).
• Racism and nativism are implicit parts of our discussions, even if we don't want to admit it.
• The coup de grace of the article: illegal immigration is a "self-inflicted wound." We have an illegal immigration problem because we like having a pliable workforce to do the dirty work of the nation. Although local municipalities like to complain about the cost of providing education, health care and other services to illegal immigrants and their children, they should at a minimum be honest about the net gain their communities derived from abundant cheap labor. This ready supply of low-skilled workers keeps local economies growing, as the author notes, in places like Pheonix, Dallas, and Las Vegas, but this is no less true in Herndon, Virginia, Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and most of North Carolina.