May
19 , 2006
Undocumented
Immigrants, No Social Pariahs
Literally millions
of immigrant workers, legal or not, took to the
streets on May 1 in almost all cities and towns
across the US making it the biggest protest movement
of the country in its size and scope. Their target
was the bill before the Congress that would label
all illegal immigrants as felons. Apart from the
specific problems of the estimated 12 million illegal
workers, mainly from South America, the widespread
demonstrations called attention to several larger
socio-economic issues.
Making their way to this country through hazardous
channels, most of them join squads of labor attending
to menial jobs that are generally found unattractive
by citizens of all racial backgrounds. Being in
this country without the requisite documents and
lacking education and skills, they have little choice
in the matter. Despite their exploitation by businesses
and the low wages they have to accept, they live
frugally and save some money for their near and
dear ones back home. The arrangement has been working
all right, as pointed out by Bernard-Henri Levy
in his recent book “American Vertigo”.
It has been to mutual advantage too.
The grueling poverty and mismanagement of the ruling
classes in their native lands force them to cross
the border to the north, despite the attendant risks.
In addition to the mismanagement and incompetence
of ruling elite, the process of globalization has
caused the removal of restrictions at national boundaries
for entry of mighty American corporation for the
setting up of their operations that have often led
to the elimination of local enterprises and the
consequent unemployment. This has happened on a
vast scale in Mexico and other states south of the
US border pushing the labor northward.
There is an evident paradox in the situation. Borders
have been removed for the multinational corporation
and other businesses while walls are proposed to
be built to stop workers from coming into this land.
The growth, legal or illegal, of the immigrant workforce,
has been augmented further by the drive down of
segments of the middle class in the US itself by
the export of jobs and manufacturing to countries
in Asia and elsewhere. This has widened unemployment
even among this sector of the society that is willing
to accept even low-paid jobs.
The situation has been complicated further by the
expansion of the gap between the super rich and
the working people. According to available data,
twenty-five years ago, CEOs were paid ten times
the wage of an average worker; today the ratio is
400: 1. Dick Cheney drew $44 million in salary as
the CEO of Halliburton in 1990s. The CEO of Exxon
was paid $400 million on retirement at the end of
last year.
No doubt, America is a “nation of immigrants”.
The wave of immigrants from Europe at the end of
the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth
century caused the explosive growth of US manufacturing.
The country became the chief manufacturer and the
main innovator of the world, and the venue of the
‘American Dream’.
Keeping this in mind and the fact that it is the
US based corporations that demand open borders for
their investment in foreign countries, now incongruously
oppose the working people attempting to cross American
border in search of work and demand the walling
off and militarizing of the 2,000-mile-long frontier
with Mexico. Some of them, however, want the flow
to continue to keep their labor costs down.
The House of Representatives has already passed
a bill calling for the undocumented to be treated
as criminal felons and for walling off the border.
The Senate is faced with an impasse; it is pressured
by some businesses to avoid disturbing the steady
flow of cheap labor and by providing a protracted
path for legalization for those who have been in
the US for a long time.
The inability of the two houses of the Congress
to arrive at an agreed formula, has led the State
legislatures throughout the country to introduce
their own bills. According to Washington Post of
May 9, as many as 463 bills have been introduced
in 43 states. Most of them call for punitive measures
such as subjecting undocumented immigrants to arrest,
denying them basic services as well as driver’s
licenses.
No doubt, there is a backlash to the very peaceful
and very successful countrywide demonstrations -
a xenophobia is taking roots.
Also, the illegal immigrants serve as the scapegoats
for the frustrations caused by the rising petrol
prices, increasing unemployment, exodus of job to
countries in Asia, shift of production to Mexico,
China, India and elsewhere.
The demonstrations of immigrants have brought to
surface a serious crisis. It has to be tackled with
sympathy, not in a spirit of vengeance, with utmost
patience, understanding and sanity. The illegal
immigrant is here to stay. It would be counterproductive
to treat him as a pariah. The world trend is against
such discrimination. The Dalits, belonging to the
lowest Hindu caste is India, are now treated as
respectable citizens. One of them became the President
of India not far back.
One is reminded of the deportation of tens of thousands
of undocumented persons in the wake of 9/11 just
because they had not entered the country legally
and fitted a certain profile. If that was unfair
and discriminative, any expulsion of undocumented
immigrants from South America will have to be labeled
as such.
One is also reminded of the fact that tens of thousands
of immigration applications from South Asia are
pending disposal at the Immigration and Naturalization
Department. The wait is killing for them. If the
country can accommodate 12 million illegal immigrants,
why can’t it find room for the law-abiding
applicants?
(arifhussaini@hotmail.com)
