Mike King of the Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote this interesting piece on some of the misconceptions and realities regarding immigration. I’ll just provide you with his first point here (click here for the rest of the article).
Myth: Opposition to immigration reform is rooted in racism.
Reality: Historically, Americans have resisted large-scale immigration movements even when those coming to our shores were white Europeans. The opposition a century ago was built on fears that the poor and poorly educated migrants from Ireland, Italy, eastern Europe and Asia would drag down the national economy and would refuse to assimilate. There is an echo of that in the opposition aimed at Latino immigrants today.
Still, it’s unfair to characterize many of those opposed to comprehensive immigration reform as racist or anti-immigrant. Many Americans are furious that the nation’s immigration laws have been so widely ignored, by the illegal immigrants, by the employers who use them and by the government. It is difficult for them to understand why government has allowed American employers to ignore the statutes.
That abdication on Washington’s part has exposed communities around the country, including many in Georgia, to a mass migration of illegal immigrants moving into cheap rental housing, crowding classrooms with special-needs students and showing up in hospital emergency rooms in need of medical attention with no way of paying for it. That frustration fuels the emotionalism behind the debate.
He also addresses the other following myths…
#Illegal immigrants are not interested in learning English.
#The 1986 immigration reform law failed because it granted amnesty to 3 million illegal immigrants already here.
#Immigrants today have no interest in assimilation in American culture the way immigrants in the past did.
As far as his second and fourth point goes, I would have to say that I somewhat disagree with him. For starters, the one word that is missing from these points is “ILLEGAL” immigration. For people who enter into this country illegally, they do not have as much of an incentive to learn the English language or assimilate for the simple reason they receive many of many of the same benefits legal American citizens receive while at the same time maintaining citizenship with their country of origin. This especially holds true for folks who illegally enter this country as Mexican citizens. On the other hand, LEGAL immigrants do tend to want to learn the language because there is a clear incentive to do so. Check out this article that I came across last month:
(latimes.com) Now Mexican consulates in the U.S. are taking on an even more formidable challenge: the healthcare system.
A program called Ventanillas de Salud, or Health Windows, aims to provide Mexican immigrants with basic health information, cholesterol checks and other preventive tests. It also makes referrals to U.S. hospitals, health centers and government programs where patients can get care without fear of being turned over to immigration authorities.
[...]
“In the L.A. Consulate, we noticed there were 1,000 or 2,000 people visiting on a daily basis, waiting for their appointments,” said Xochitl Castañeda, director of the Health Initiative. “They were hanging around, eating junk food, watching TV. And we thought: This is an opportunity. We can provide them with information about health and with referrals.”
Maria Cortez, an undocumented housecleaner who lives in Santa Clarita, went to the consulate last week with her husband and daughter to get ID cards.
But when she saw the Ventanillas counter, she asked what else besides emergency Medi-Cal she could receive. The consular employee explained that her two daughters might be eligible for a public health program. (source)
So here you have an agency for another country here in this country showing its citizens how to get benefits that were originally designed for LEGAL American citizens.
Another point that Mr. King should consider is: For English, Press 1.
Not too long ago I was in a grocery store where much of the signage was in both English and Spanish. There are also some stores that have both an English and Spanish version of their sales circulars (I know, because I almost always pick up the Spanish version). While I do not mind some of the bilingual offerings, I just do not see how America bending over backwards for these bilingual offerings gives folks the incentive to learn English.
As far as his first point goes, let’s face it. The anti-illegal immigration fight is primarily being led by Conservative White folks who are in essence one in the same with The Minuteman Project (White men who are protecting their land from Brown invaders–enter some of the shades of “Jim Crow”). For many, this perception alone is enough to keep them miles away from agreeing with the clear sovereignty issue here as they too do not want to be perceived as “racists”.
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