The Multiculturalism of the Streets
When Americans eat at Baja Fresh or Panda Express, they’re digesting more than they think.
Huntington worries about the future of Anglo-Saxon democracy and fears that our newcomers—whom he calls ominously a “migrant tide”—will become part of “a continuous Mexican society from the Yucatan to Colorado.” Hanson focuses largely on the Hispanic population in places like his rural homeland near Fresno, California.
Immigrants and the Marketplace
The best way to see this ongoing process is by checking out the streets of Houston, Los Angeles or New York—the great immigrant portals of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Among the people working there, concepts such as “ethnic solidarity”, “people of color” or “cultural community” generally count for less than basic principles such as “Does this sell?”, “What’s my market?”, and ultimately, “How do I fit in?”In the 20th-century American city, this pattern was manifest in ethnic enclaves—Jewish, Chinese, Polish, Greek, Italian—that were in many ways self-sufficient. Immigrant businessmen thrived by providing groceries, insurance, banking and mortuary services to their compatriots. Before long, each group carved out its own economic niche—Jews in the garment industry, Chinese laundries, Greeks diners, Italians greengrocers and so on—which could be marketed to the rest of the society. To some extent, these specializations persisted over generations, and some still exist today. Some “ethnic” businesses, too, expanded well beyond their ethnic niches—A. P. Giannini’s Bank of America and Jewish-owned department stores such as Bloomingdale’s in New York or Gottschalks in California’s Central Valley are classic examples.Today a similar pattern is emerging among newer immigrant communities—but with some notable differences and innovations. According to a recent report by Harvard’s Michael Porter, they are one of the few sources of positive job growth for cities, and have been most notable in such immigrant-rich places as Jersey City, New Jersey and Long Beach, California.Given the rapid growth of minority populations, particularly Asian and Latino, minority buying power is expected to top $2.5 trillion by the end of this decade. This will represent almost one out of every four dollars in total U.S. consumer spending.The rise of this market represents arguably the greatest force for ethnic integration in the first decades of this century.Immigrants not only enlarge but also reshape the economy. With increased access to capital and education, immigrant businesses are growing rapidly.In the old ethnic paradigm, ethnics—think of Italians and pizza—cooked their local foods first for their own compatriots, and only gradually marketed them to the general population over a generation or two. At the same time, ethnics, and particularly their children, acclimated to “American fare”—in other words, they dragged their folks to White Castles and, later, McDonald’s.
mercredi 21 mars 2007
The United States as a Melting Pot
American society has often been described as a melting pot but in recent years, it has also attracted other definitions such as "tomato soup" and "tossed salad".
History: For centuries, the US has attracted people in search of a share of "the American dream" from all corners of the world.
In 1620, about 100 English colonists, so-called "Mayflower Pilgrims" left for America seeking religious freedom.They landed near Plymouth, Massachusetts, marking the start of the first successful European migration to North America, which had been inhabited by Amerindian people for more than 16,000 years.The immigration flow to the US first accelerated after the French Revolution, and during the 19th century, population pressure, fragmentation of land in rural Europe and famines drove millions of Europeans to the New World.
Throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries, American ports teemed with German, Chinese, Irish, Italian, and Polish immigrants.Until 1882, the US government practised an open door immigration policy, but at the end of the century, it began trying to control immigration by excluding prostitutes, criminals, alcoholics, and Chinese, among others, from coming to the country.
Under the national origins quota system, established in 1921, admission to the US largely depended upon an immigrant's country of birth.
In 1965, the nationality quotas were abolished, which is seen to have inaugurated a new era of mass immigration, particularly from Mexico and Latin America.
In an effort to curb illegal immigration, in 1996 Congress passed legislation which marked a turn towards tougher policies for both legal and illegal immigrants.It increased the categories of criminal activity for which immigrants, including green card holders, could be deported, and imposed mandatory detention.As a result, more than one million individuals have been deported since 1996.While critics of illegal immigration are pushing for even tougher laws, mass demonstrations across the US have shown that such a strategy will not be accepted by a large section of the population.The immigrants' campaign groups argue that a country built by immigrants will fail to function without them.
Americans take pride in their "melting pot" society (a term coined by an immigrant, Israel Zangwill) that encourages newcomers to assimilate into the American culture.But the melting pot imagery has been contested by the idea of multiculturalism, the "salad bowl theory", or as it is known in Canada, the "cultural mosaic", whereby the immigrants retain their own national characteristics while integrating into a new society. Some go further. Harvard political scientist Samuel Huntington says that large-scale Latino immigration poses a threat to American identity.
According to Professor Huntington the reality of American history is best described as tomato soup: the blending of new ingredients adds spice without compromising the essential character of tomato."Contributions from immigrant cultures modified and enriched Anglo-Protestant culture of founding settlers."The essentials of that founding culture remained the bedrock of the US identity, however, at least until the last decades of the 20th Century," Mr Huntington writes in his controversial 2004 book Who Are We. The Challenges to America's National Identity.He sees the gravest threat to American identity in Mexican immigration which, according to him, is splitting America in two."As their numbers increase, Mexican Americans feel increasingly comfortable with their own culture and often contemptuous of American culture", he says.
Douglas Rivelin from the National Immigration Forum contests Mr Huntington's view of Latinos as different from other immigrant groups."I was astounded that someone so smart could write such a book," he says."He is totally missing what is going on in the US. The same thing could have been written in 1924 about Irish or other immigrants, and it would have been equally wrong.""Bagels and pizzas and spaghetti were new things at one time... immigrants come and change America and are changed by America."
Immigrants come and change America and are changed by America.
History: For centuries, the US has attracted people in search of a share of "the American dream" from all corners of the world.
In 1620, about 100 English colonists, so-called "Mayflower Pilgrims" left for America seeking religious freedom.They landed near Plymouth, Massachusetts, marking the start of the first successful European migration to North America, which had been inhabited by Amerindian people for more than 16,000 years.The immigration flow to the US first accelerated after the French Revolution, and during the 19th century, population pressure, fragmentation of land in rural Europe and famines drove millions of Europeans to the New World.
Throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries, American ports teemed with German, Chinese, Irish, Italian, and Polish immigrants.Until 1882, the US government practised an open door immigration policy, but at the end of the century, it began trying to control immigration by excluding prostitutes, criminals, alcoholics, and Chinese, among others, from coming to the country.
Under the national origins quota system, established in 1921, admission to the US largely depended upon an immigrant's country of birth.
In 1965, the nationality quotas were abolished, which is seen to have inaugurated a new era of mass immigration, particularly from Mexico and Latin America.
In an effort to curb illegal immigration, in 1996 Congress passed legislation which marked a turn towards tougher policies for both legal and illegal immigrants.It increased the categories of criminal activity for which immigrants, including green card holders, could be deported, and imposed mandatory detention.As a result, more than one million individuals have been deported since 1996.While critics of illegal immigration are pushing for even tougher laws, mass demonstrations across the US have shown that such a strategy will not be accepted by a large section of the population.The immigrants' campaign groups argue that a country built by immigrants will fail to function without them.
Americans take pride in their "melting pot" society (a term coined by an immigrant, Israel Zangwill) that encourages newcomers to assimilate into the American culture.But the melting pot imagery has been contested by the idea of multiculturalism, the "salad bowl theory", or as it is known in Canada, the "cultural mosaic", whereby the immigrants retain their own national characteristics while integrating into a new society. Some go further. Harvard political scientist Samuel Huntington says that large-scale Latino immigration poses a threat to American identity.
According to Professor Huntington the reality of American history is best described as tomato soup: the blending of new ingredients adds spice without compromising the essential character of tomato."Contributions from immigrant cultures modified and enriched Anglo-Protestant culture of founding settlers."The essentials of that founding culture remained the bedrock of the US identity, however, at least until the last decades of the 20th Century," Mr Huntington writes in his controversial 2004 book Who Are We. The Challenges to America's National Identity.He sees the gravest threat to American identity in Mexican immigration which, according to him, is splitting America in two."As their numbers increase, Mexican Americans feel increasingly comfortable with their own culture and often contemptuous of American culture", he says.
Douglas Rivelin from the National Immigration Forum contests Mr Huntington's view of Latinos as different from other immigrant groups."I was astounded that someone so smart could write such a book," he says."He is totally missing what is going on in the US. The same thing could have been written in 1924 about Irish or other immigrants, and it would have been equally wrong.""Bagels and pizzas and spaghetti were new things at one time... immigrants come and change America and are changed by America."
Immigrants come and change America and are changed by America.
Immigrant myhts
Myth Number 1: Immigrants take jobs away from Americans.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Studies have shown that quite the opposite is true: Immigrants create jobsImmigrants are more likely to be self-employed and start new businesses. Small businesses, 18 percent of which are started by immigrants, account for up to 80 percent of the new jobs available in the United States each year.
Myth Number 2: America is being overrun by immigrants.
To be sure, the number of immigrants living in the United States is larger than ever before, but these numbers are relatively small as a percentage of the population the percentage of immigrants in the total population has decreasedless than 1.5 percent of the world's refugee population finds its way to the United States. in the 1980s, three-quarters of all immigrants entering the United States settled in just six states: California, New York, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, and Illinois.
Myth Number 3: Most immigrants are a drain on the U.S. economy.
Immigrants collectively earn $240 billion a year, pay $90 billion a year in taxes, and receive $5 billion in welfare. Compared to the native-born population, immigrants are more likely to be employed, save more of their earnings, and are more likely to start new businesses.
Myth Number 4: Immigrants aren't really interested in becoming part of American society.
All evidence points to the contrary. Immigrants are very interested in being part of our societyImmigrants want to learn and speak EnglishReports from throughout the United States indicate that the demand for classes in English as a second language far outstrips supply. After 15 years in America, 75 percent of Spanish-speaking immigrants speak English on a regular basis. The children of immigrants, although bilingual, prefer English to their native tongue at astounding rates.
Myth Number 5: Immigrants contribute little to American society.
Baloney! Besides their significant economic contributions, immigrants continually have helped shape and mold the fabric of our society. Immigrants, for the most part, are firm believers in family unity. They are more likely than natives to live in families: 76 percent vs. 70 percent. They also tend to have more children: 2.25 vs 1.93. Immigrants are more likely to be married: 60 percent vs. 55 percent. Only 8 percent of immigrants are divorced or separated compared to 11 percent of natives. Immigrants recognize the value of an educationImmigrants respect the law as much, if not more, than native born Americans. They are less likely than natives to be confined to a state prison. Among the five states with the most immigrants--California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas--only New York has a greater share of immigrants in its prisons than in its general population.
Legal immigration to the United States totals approximately 800,000 per year.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Studies have shown that quite the opposite is true: Immigrants create jobsImmigrants are more likely to be self-employed and start new businesses. Small businesses, 18 percent of which are started by immigrants, account for up to 80 percent of the new jobs available in the United States each year.
Myth Number 2: America is being overrun by immigrants.
To be sure, the number of immigrants living in the United States is larger than ever before, but these numbers are relatively small as a percentage of the population the percentage of immigrants in the total population has decreasedless than 1.5 percent of the world's refugee population finds its way to the United States. in the 1980s, three-quarters of all immigrants entering the United States settled in just six states: California, New York, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, and Illinois.
Myth Number 3: Most immigrants are a drain on the U.S. economy.
Immigrants collectively earn $240 billion a year, pay $90 billion a year in taxes, and receive $5 billion in welfare. Compared to the native-born population, immigrants are more likely to be employed, save more of their earnings, and are more likely to start new businesses.
Myth Number 4: Immigrants aren't really interested in becoming part of American society.
All evidence points to the contrary. Immigrants are very interested in being part of our societyImmigrants want to learn and speak EnglishReports from throughout the United States indicate that the demand for classes in English as a second language far outstrips supply. After 15 years in America, 75 percent of Spanish-speaking immigrants speak English on a regular basis. The children of immigrants, although bilingual, prefer English to their native tongue at astounding rates.
Myth Number 5: Immigrants contribute little to American society.
Baloney! Besides their significant economic contributions, immigrants continually have helped shape and mold the fabric of our society. Immigrants, for the most part, are firm believers in family unity. They are more likely than natives to live in families: 76 percent vs. 70 percent. They also tend to have more children: 2.25 vs 1.93. Immigrants are more likely to be married: 60 percent vs. 55 percent. Only 8 percent of immigrants are divorced or separated compared to 11 percent of natives. Immigrants recognize the value of an educationImmigrants respect the law as much, if not more, than native born Americans. They are less likely than natives to be confined to a state prison. Among the five states with the most immigrants--California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas--only New York has a greater share of immigrants in its prisons than in its general population.
Legal immigration to the United States totals approximately 800,000 per year.
Questions and answers on immigration
Illegal immigration is a deeply divisive issue in the United States, and a hot political topic. As Congress remains deadlocked over plans to reform immigration law, pro-immigration groups are stepping up their protests against a proposed toughening of the rules.On 1 May they are holding a mass protest called Day Without Immigrants - which includes a call to boycott jobs and schools, and not spend money - to show how much they matter to the US economy.
How big is the problem?
There are thought to be about 11.5 million illegal immigrants in the United States, and each year some 500,000 to a million more enter the country.
Many of these people are poorly educated, unskilled workers, yet in their thousands they fill the sort of jobs that most native-born Americans will not take, at least not for the same price.Much of California's agriculture relies on migrant labour, for example. But some argue these jobs could be filled even without illegal immigrants.
Why is the debate so charged?
Polls suggest that a majority of Americans see illegal immigration as a very serious problem for the US.
Strength of feeling on the issue was illustrated in March 2006 when hundreds of thousands of activists marched in California to protest against plans to criminalise undocumented workers. It has also been reflected in the rise of Minutemen groups - citizens who have taken it upon themselves to patrol the US borders and to confront illegal workers in cities around the US. The issue is also politically awkward for Mr Bush's Republican party, because it brings into conflict two of its core constituencies - social conservatives and the business lobby.
What are the key issues?
The political debate over immigration reform is crystallised around several key issues.These include the enforcement of the country's land borders and existing laws on immigration, changes in the law to deal with people already in the country illegally, and how to offer a regulated route into the US for what the business community says are much-needed workers.Some advocate greatly expanding physical barriers, like fencing, that already exist along some 100 miles of the border near cities - and bringing in tougher penalties for businesses caught employing illegal migrants.Plans for various guest worker programmes, and provisions allowing the millions of illegal immigrants already in the US to remain legally, are also being hotly debated.
What stage is Congress at?
The Senate has been wrestling to pass its own immigration bill, with key players fighting over the guest-worker scheme President Bush has been seeking.Senators also disagree about giving millions of undocumented workers an opportunity to become US citizens.
How big is the problem?
There are thought to be about 11.5 million illegal immigrants in the United States, and each year some 500,000 to a million more enter the country.
Many of these people are poorly educated, unskilled workers, yet in their thousands they fill the sort of jobs that most native-born Americans will not take, at least not for the same price.Much of California's agriculture relies on migrant labour, for example. But some argue these jobs could be filled even without illegal immigrants.
Why is the debate so charged?
Polls suggest that a majority of Americans see illegal immigration as a very serious problem for the US.
Strength of feeling on the issue was illustrated in March 2006 when hundreds of thousands of activists marched in California to protest against plans to criminalise undocumented workers. It has also been reflected in the rise of Minutemen groups - citizens who have taken it upon themselves to patrol the US borders and to confront illegal workers in cities around the US. The issue is also politically awkward for Mr Bush's Republican party, because it brings into conflict two of its core constituencies - social conservatives and the business lobby.
What are the key issues?
The political debate over immigration reform is crystallised around several key issues.These include the enforcement of the country's land borders and existing laws on immigration, changes in the law to deal with people already in the country illegally, and how to offer a regulated route into the US for what the business community says are much-needed workers.Some advocate greatly expanding physical barriers, like fencing, that already exist along some 100 miles of the border near cities - and bringing in tougher penalties for businesses caught employing illegal migrants.Plans for various guest worker programmes, and provisions allowing the millions of illegal immigrants already in the US to remain legally, are also being hotly debated.
What stage is Congress at?
The Senate has been wrestling to pass its own immigration bill, with key players fighting over the guest-worker scheme President Bush has been seeking.Senators also disagree about giving millions of undocumented workers an opportunity to become US citizens.
United State's immigration policy
THEODORA
Key Points
* In the immigration debate, free marketers square off against cultural conservatives on the right side of the political spectrum; while on the left, civil rights and ethnic advocacy groups oppose environmentalists and job protectionists.
* Until 1994 the debate over immigration focused on what the INS calls illegal aliens, particularly those slipping across the Mexican border, even though a larger number of undocumented residents arrived legally and overstayed their visas.
* Immigrants, documented and undocumented, are also the targets of populist backlashes like California's Proposition 187, which bars undocumented immigrants from basic social services.
Problems With Current U.S. Policy
Key Problems
* Stricter border controls have proved unable to stem illegal immigration flows, leading instead to rising human rights abuses and victimization of border-crossers.
* Immigration clearly contributes to a downward pressure on wage levels and to decreased job availability in certain economic sectors.
* Many refugees fleeing repressive governments and violent political situations find themselves rejected by Washington.
Toward a New Foreign Policy
Key Recommendations
* First on the list of reform should be the current definition of family unification a policy that leads to chain immigration and should be restricted to spouses and children followed closely by a drastic reduction in job skills-based immigration.
* In humanitarian admissions, national preferences should be eliminated to admit everyone who can demonstrate that they are victims of individual persecution.
* Labor advocates and policymakers should give serious consideration to the national worker identification card. Backed by rigorous enforcement of labor laws, such cards would deflate the political pressure for militarizing the Mexican border.
A new immigration policy should do the following:
* Stress ethical and humanitarian objectives by giving priority to refugees fleeing from persecution.
* Streamline and restructure provisional work programs that open the U.S. to temporary workers who take jobs that U.S. residents don't want, while guaranteeing the basic rights of these workers to organize and receive worker benefits such as unemployment compensation.
* Protect the most vulnerable economic sectors from an influx of low-wage competition.
* Lower legal immigration flows to sustainable levels.
* Protect the basic human rights of all U.S. residents, legal or not.
US city votes down immigrant bill
A city council in central Florida has rejected a by-law that would have been among the strictest local legislation in the US against illegal immigrants.
Members of the Avon Park council voted 3-2 against the by-law, or ordinance, after a heated five-hour debate.
The law would have made English the official language and penalised people doing business with illegal immigrants.
A Pennsylvania council passed a similar law this month while other US towns and cities are considering such measures.
The council chamber in Avon Park was packed to capacity as people turned up to argue both for and against the controversial ordinance.
Those against included citrus growers and farmers who argued the measures would hurt the local economy, which is heavily dependent on migrant workers.
"The bottom line is we hire them because Americans don't want to milk cows," Joe Wright, a dairy farmer, told the meeting, the New York Times reported.
Competition
But those in favour of the by-law said that illegal immigrants are just that - illegal.
Some black residents have also voiced concern that they are competing with illegal immigrants for jobs and housing.
"This illegal practice will take away jobs from our high school kids looking for employment," the New York Times quoted resident Willie Jenkins as saying.
The ordinance was proposed by Avon Park Mayor Tom Macklin, who said he was frustrated at the federal government's failure to tackle illegal immigration.
The proposal said illegal immigration was overburdening local services in the town of 9,000, contributing to a rising crime rate and affecting the overall quality of life.
The Illegal Immigration Relief Act would have:
• Fined landlords $1,000 for every tenant found to be an illegal immigrant
• Denied city permits, contracts and grants to businesses that employed illegal immigrants
• Required city documents to be in English only.
Hazleton in Pennsylvania passed a similar ordinance on 13 July.
Civil rights and Latino groups are planning legal challenges to the legislation.
US city gets tough on immigrants
A city council in Pennsylvania has passed what are said to be some of the strictest local laws on illegal immigrants in the United States.
Under the law, businesses and landlords in Hazleton could be penalised if they help illegal immigrants, and all city documents will be written in English.
The measure has divided the former coal town, which has seen a large rise in Hispanic residents in recent years.
Hundreds of people on both sides protested outside the City Hall.
Police officers were drafted in to prevent any trouble after the measure was approved in a 4-1 vote following a two-hour debate.
Mayor Lou Barletta proposed the law as a response to the city's problems with violent crime, demand for schools and services and hospital costs.
Mexico anger over US border fence
Immigration is a key issue in the run-up to the US mid-term elections
Controversial border
Mexican officials have condemned US plans for a 700-mile (1,125km) fence along the two states' border, signed into law by President Bush on Thursday.
Mexican President-elect Felipe Calderon said the fence was "a grave mistake" which would lead to more Mexican deaths on the border.
George W Bush said the new barrier was needed to curtail illegal immigration.
US immigrants: Reviving a dream?
More than 40 years ago, members of a minority group that had faced persecution in the US since before its founding decided they had had enough.
Led by figures such as the Rev Dr Martin Luther King, African-Americans demanded equal rights through legal action and civil disobedience.
Their boycotts and their marches - and the brutal response they sometimes elicited - forced America to look at itself and make a change.
A generation later, new marchers are out on the streets of the United States.
Immigration tears Republicans in two
The thorny issue of immigration has divided the Republican party more than any other in recent history.
To get a flavour of how sharp the debate has become, just listen to that traditional barometer of grassroots conservative thinking - the radio talk show.
One phone-in host, referring to President George W Bush's primetime television address proposing immigration reforms, described it colourfully as "Like a mackerel in the moonlight. The closer you get to it, the worse it smells."
His views reflect a deep scepticism not from the far left, but from within the Republican party's core supporters.
The problem for the president is that the Republican divide is far from superficial and could get worse.
The immigration debate has highlighted a long-standing fissure between the big-business wing of his party and its socially-conservative populist base.
How should the US handle illegal immigration? The US Senate has cleared the way for a landmark immigration bill to be passed this week, after voting to limit debate on a sweeping overhaul of the existing law.
Senators voted to advance the measure, which covers border security and plans to give illegal immigrants the chance to gain US citizenship.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across the country over the past few months in support of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the US.
http://www.adl.org/PresRele/Extremism_72/4822_72.htm
White Supremacists Ratchet Up Anti-Hispanic Action As U.S. Immigration Debate Rages
New York, NY, May 24, 2006 … As the national debate over immigration continues to hold the national spotlight, neo-Nazis and white supremacists have ratcheted up their anti-Hispanic action, using everything from Internet video games to street demonstrations and other confrontational tactics in an effort to exploit the debate as a means to spread hate. Their goal is to draw new attention to their hateful notions about minorities and hopes for making America a nation for "Whites only."
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which monitors and reports on the activities of far-right extremists, has updated its online report, "Extremists Declare 'Open Season' on Immigrants" with new information showing that extremists continue to focus their energies on Hispanic hate-mongering through racist rhetoric, crude stereotypes, and threats of using violence to intimidate illegal immigrants.
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2007/02/kkk_bolstered_b.html
KKK Bolstered by Immigration Debate
Fears over undocumented immigration are fueling a resurgence in membership to the Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina and across the country, according to Klan officials and organizations that track hate groups.
In Gaston County near Charlotte, the imperial wizard of the Mount Holly-based chapter of the Klan says membership is growing faster than he's seen since joining in the 1960s.
"People are tired of this mess," said Virgil Griffin, 62. "The illegal immigrants are taking this country over."
Griffin recounted 1960s Klan rallies when dozens, sometimes hundreds, marched through towns such as Mount Holly, Salisbury and Wilmington. "We were strong in the '60s," he said. "We're not that strong now. We're hoping to get there."
The group wants to increase its numbers so it can influence local and national politics. The Klan's goals include military border enforcement and ending taxpayer-funded services to undocumented immigrants.
Key Points
* In the immigration debate, free marketers square off against cultural conservatives on the right side of the political spectrum; while on the left, civil rights and ethnic advocacy groups oppose environmentalists and job protectionists.
* Until 1994 the debate over immigration focused on what the INS calls illegal aliens, particularly those slipping across the Mexican border, even though a larger number of undocumented residents arrived legally and overstayed their visas.
* Immigrants, documented and undocumented, are also the targets of populist backlashes like California's Proposition 187, which bars undocumented immigrants from basic social services.
Problems With Current U.S. Policy
Key Problems
* Stricter border controls have proved unable to stem illegal immigration flows, leading instead to rising human rights abuses and victimization of border-crossers.
* Immigration clearly contributes to a downward pressure on wage levels and to decreased job availability in certain economic sectors.
* Many refugees fleeing repressive governments and violent political situations find themselves rejected by Washington.
Toward a New Foreign Policy
Key Recommendations
* First on the list of reform should be the current definition of family unification a policy that leads to chain immigration and should be restricted to spouses and children followed closely by a drastic reduction in job skills-based immigration.
* In humanitarian admissions, national preferences should be eliminated to admit everyone who can demonstrate that they are victims of individual persecution.
* Labor advocates and policymakers should give serious consideration to the national worker identification card. Backed by rigorous enforcement of labor laws, such cards would deflate the political pressure for militarizing the Mexican border.
A new immigration policy should do the following:
* Stress ethical and humanitarian objectives by giving priority to refugees fleeing from persecution.
* Streamline and restructure provisional work programs that open the U.S. to temporary workers who take jobs that U.S. residents don't want, while guaranteeing the basic rights of these workers to organize and receive worker benefits such as unemployment compensation.
* Protect the most vulnerable economic sectors from an influx of low-wage competition.
* Lower legal immigration flows to sustainable levels.
* Protect the basic human rights of all U.S. residents, legal or not.
US city votes down immigrant bill
A city council in central Florida has rejected a by-law that would have been among the strictest local legislation in the US against illegal immigrants.
Members of the Avon Park council voted 3-2 against the by-law, or ordinance, after a heated five-hour debate.
The law would have made English the official language and penalised people doing business with illegal immigrants.
A Pennsylvania council passed a similar law this month while other US towns and cities are considering such measures.
The council chamber in Avon Park was packed to capacity as people turned up to argue both for and against the controversial ordinance.
Those against included citrus growers and farmers who argued the measures would hurt the local economy, which is heavily dependent on migrant workers.
"The bottom line is we hire them because Americans don't want to milk cows," Joe Wright, a dairy farmer, told the meeting, the New York Times reported.
Competition
But those in favour of the by-law said that illegal immigrants are just that - illegal.
Some black residents have also voiced concern that they are competing with illegal immigrants for jobs and housing.
"This illegal practice will take away jobs from our high school kids looking for employment," the New York Times quoted resident Willie Jenkins as saying.
The ordinance was proposed by Avon Park Mayor Tom Macklin, who said he was frustrated at the federal government's failure to tackle illegal immigration.
The proposal said illegal immigration was overburdening local services in the town of 9,000, contributing to a rising crime rate and affecting the overall quality of life.
The Illegal Immigration Relief Act would have:
• Fined landlords $1,000 for every tenant found to be an illegal immigrant
• Denied city permits, contracts and grants to businesses that employed illegal immigrants
• Required city documents to be in English only.
Hazleton in Pennsylvania passed a similar ordinance on 13 July.
Civil rights and Latino groups are planning legal challenges to the legislation.
US city gets tough on immigrants
A city council in Pennsylvania has passed what are said to be some of the strictest local laws on illegal immigrants in the United States.
Under the law, businesses and landlords in Hazleton could be penalised if they help illegal immigrants, and all city documents will be written in English.
The measure has divided the former coal town, which has seen a large rise in Hispanic residents in recent years.
Hundreds of people on both sides protested outside the City Hall.
Police officers were drafted in to prevent any trouble after the measure was approved in a 4-1 vote following a two-hour debate.
Mayor Lou Barletta proposed the law as a response to the city's problems with violent crime, demand for schools and services and hospital costs.
Mexico anger over US border fence
Immigration is a key issue in the run-up to the US mid-term elections
Controversial border
Mexican officials have condemned US plans for a 700-mile (1,125km) fence along the two states' border, signed into law by President Bush on Thursday.
Mexican President-elect Felipe Calderon said the fence was "a grave mistake" which would lead to more Mexican deaths on the border.
George W Bush said the new barrier was needed to curtail illegal immigration.
US immigrants: Reviving a dream?
More than 40 years ago, members of a minority group that had faced persecution in the US since before its founding decided they had had enough.
Led by figures such as the Rev Dr Martin Luther King, African-Americans demanded equal rights through legal action and civil disobedience.
Their boycotts and their marches - and the brutal response they sometimes elicited - forced America to look at itself and make a change.
A generation later, new marchers are out on the streets of the United States.
Immigration tears Republicans in two
The thorny issue of immigration has divided the Republican party more than any other in recent history.
To get a flavour of how sharp the debate has become, just listen to that traditional barometer of grassroots conservative thinking - the radio talk show.
One phone-in host, referring to President George W Bush's primetime television address proposing immigration reforms, described it colourfully as "Like a mackerel in the moonlight. The closer you get to it, the worse it smells."
His views reflect a deep scepticism not from the far left, but from within the Republican party's core supporters.
The problem for the president is that the Republican divide is far from superficial and could get worse.
The immigration debate has highlighted a long-standing fissure between the big-business wing of his party and its socially-conservative populist base.
How should the US handle illegal immigration? The US Senate has cleared the way for a landmark immigration bill to be passed this week, after voting to limit debate on a sweeping overhaul of the existing law.
Senators voted to advance the measure, which covers border security and plans to give illegal immigrants the chance to gain US citizenship.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across the country over the past few months in support of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the US.
http://www.adl.org/PresRele/Extremism_72/4822_72.htm
White Supremacists Ratchet Up Anti-Hispanic Action As U.S. Immigration Debate Rages
New York, NY, May 24, 2006 … As the national debate over immigration continues to hold the national spotlight, neo-Nazis and white supremacists have ratcheted up their anti-Hispanic action, using everything from Internet video games to street demonstrations and other confrontational tactics in an effort to exploit the debate as a means to spread hate. Their goal is to draw new attention to their hateful notions about minorities and hopes for making America a nation for "Whites only."
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which monitors and reports on the activities of far-right extremists, has updated its online report, "Extremists Declare 'Open Season' on Immigrants" with new information showing that extremists continue to focus their energies on Hispanic hate-mongering through racist rhetoric, crude stereotypes, and threats of using violence to intimidate illegal immigrants.
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2007/02/kkk_bolstered_b.html
KKK Bolstered by Immigration Debate
Fears over undocumented immigration are fueling a resurgence in membership to the Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina and across the country, according to Klan officials and organizations that track hate groups.
In Gaston County near Charlotte, the imperial wizard of the Mount Holly-based chapter of the Klan says membership is growing faster than he's seen since joining in the 1960s.
"People are tired of this mess," said Virgil Griffin, 62. "The illegal immigrants are taking this country over."
Griffin recounted 1960s Klan rallies when dozens, sometimes hundreds, marched through towns such as Mount Holly, Salisbury and Wilmington. "We were strong in the '60s," he said. "We're not that strong now. We're hoping to get there."
The group wants to increase its numbers so it can influence local and national politics. The Klan's goals include military border enforcement and ending taxpayer-funded services to undocumented immigrants.
mercredi 14 mars 2007
Immigration viewpoints
Immigrants point of view
Nineth Castillo, a 26-year-old waitress from Guatemala who joined the Atlanta march, said she has lived in the United States for 11 years “without a scrap of paper.” Asked whether she was afraid to parade her undocumented status in front of a massive police presence, she laughed and said: “Why? They kick us out, we’re coming back tomorrow.”
Hundreds of Latinos in North Carolina were called on to skip work or boycott all purchases Monday to demonstrate the financial impact of the Latino community on area businesses. We’re hoping that employers stop to consider what this is all about,” organizer Adriana Galvez said. “That if you need people here to do the work, to buy, then give them a legal channel to get here.”
"We want to send a strong message today, a message that we want the laws to be fair,” Luna said. "There’s no way to come legally over here,” said Penate, 25. “If there was, do you think people would like to be in the desert risking their lives?”
“This country was built by immigrants, Pittsburgh in particular,” along a busy street to the University of Illinois campus, carrying signs with slogans such as: “The pilgrims had no green cards.”
“Go to jail!” shouted William Hazzard, 58, a retired school custodian from Harrisburg. “I’m from Germany and I had to give up my rights as a German citizen. I had to speak English.”Raymond Marks, 47, an apartment complex service manager, held an upside-down American flag as a sign of distress.“These people are expecting me to give them rights they don’t deserve,” he said.“America is a country of dreams. These people have dreams,” said Suarez, who demonstrated in Lake Worth, Fla. “They have family back home in their countries and they’ve been separated for many years. It’s only fair that they are allowed to be together again here, and to help keep this country growing.”
On the law side!
President George W Bush plans to deploy up to 6,000 reserve soldiers of the US National Guard on the border with Mexico, as part of his plan to counter the flow of illegal migrants entering the United States.The president has also spoken of creating a legalised system that would allow foreigners to work temporarily in the US.Many people, however, including a good part of the president's Republican party, believe Mr Bush should be taking a harder line and criminalising illegal immigrants.Americans are rightly outraged by our broken immigration system: there are roughly 12 to 15 million illegal aliens in the US, and hundreds of thousands sneak across our borders each year.
Our porous borders pose a major national security threat because not all of the illegal aliens are coming to "do the job that no American will do," as President Bush often says.Illegal immigration also has a negative effect on the US's economic security. It doesn't take a degree in economics to realise that a massive flow of low-skilled labour puts downward pressure on the wages of native-born Americans.
President Bush's policies will demoralise our National Guard troops, while risking their lives.
Nineth Castillo, a 26-year-old waitress from Guatemala who joined the Atlanta march, said she has lived in the United States for 11 years “without a scrap of paper.” Asked whether she was afraid to parade her undocumented status in front of a massive police presence, she laughed and said: “Why? They kick us out, we’re coming back tomorrow.”
Hundreds of Latinos in North Carolina were called on to skip work or boycott all purchases Monday to demonstrate the financial impact of the Latino community on area businesses. We’re hoping that employers stop to consider what this is all about,” organizer Adriana Galvez said. “That if you need people here to do the work, to buy, then give them a legal channel to get here.”
"We want to send a strong message today, a message that we want the laws to be fair,” Luna said. "There’s no way to come legally over here,” said Penate, 25. “If there was, do you think people would like to be in the desert risking their lives?”
“This country was built by immigrants, Pittsburgh in particular,” along a busy street to the University of Illinois campus, carrying signs with slogans such as: “The pilgrims had no green cards.”
“Go to jail!” shouted William Hazzard, 58, a retired school custodian from Harrisburg. “I’m from Germany and I had to give up my rights as a German citizen. I had to speak English.”Raymond Marks, 47, an apartment complex service manager, held an upside-down American flag as a sign of distress.“These people are expecting me to give them rights they don’t deserve,” he said.“America is a country of dreams. These people have dreams,” said Suarez, who demonstrated in Lake Worth, Fla. “They have family back home in their countries and they’ve been separated for many years. It’s only fair that they are allowed to be together again here, and to help keep this country growing.”
On the law side!
President George W Bush plans to deploy up to 6,000 reserve soldiers of the US National Guard on the border with Mexico, as part of his plan to counter the flow of illegal migrants entering the United States.The president has also spoken of creating a legalised system that would allow foreigners to work temporarily in the US.Many people, however, including a good part of the president's Republican party, believe Mr Bush should be taking a harder line and criminalising illegal immigrants.Americans are rightly outraged by our broken immigration system: there are roughly 12 to 15 million illegal aliens in the US, and hundreds of thousands sneak across our borders each year.
Our porous borders pose a major national security threat because not all of the illegal aliens are coming to "do the job that no American will do," as President Bush often says.Illegal immigration also has a negative effect on the US's economic security. It doesn't take a degree in economics to realise that a massive flow of low-skilled labour puts downward pressure on the wages of native-born Americans.
President Bush's policies will demoralise our National Guard troops, while risking their lives.
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