This language that de-humanizes and
vilifies hard-working people has led to increased and much more heinous violence
against immigrants. In Pennsylvania, three teens are on trial for
beating an immigrant to death. And this is not an isolated incident. According to a recent article in the
Chicago Tribune, "With Mexicans
the focus of anger over illegal immigration, reported hate crimes against
Latinos increased to 576 in 2006, or 25 percent more than three years before,
according to the most recent FBI report on such incidents. Latino
activists argue the trend has only gotten worse as the debate rages over immigration reform." (Click here for the
full article)
As unionists, we have a long history
of standing up for and marching next to our brothers and sisters in our
struggles for a better life and economic justice. I believe that we can and
should do better in our discussions about immigration policy and immigrant
workers. Do we all have the right to discuss what we think the best policy on
immigration is? Absolutely. But why is it so much easier for us to blame the
workers for problems at work and in our community and country than it is for us
to take a more critical look at the government and corporations? Why do we look
at the often most powerless person in the equation and say, ah it’s his fault?
Why does this debate very easily devolve into discussion that emphasize race?
And finally, if we are talking about immigrants as less than human, are we to
blame when people begin to treat them as such?
Comments
re: Words have Impact
Immigrants in America are underpaid, overworked, victimized then blamed for all that is wrong with America. We are not unique in this regard but your post is an important reminder of a serious problem.
re: Words have Impact
My father's parents were legal immigrants from Italy. When they came over my grandparents used their own resources to learn English - the language of their new home - and didn't have to rely on resources of anyone else.
My grandfather got a good job and took care of his family - without handouts or the need for government assistance.
He realized more in his paycheck because he didn't have some union to skim off his earnings.
Legal is great, illegal immigration is illegal. There is nothing hateful about that simple concept.
re: Words have Impact
Thanks for the comments and we appreciate that people are interested in comparing immigrant workers from the past with immigrant workers in the present. Unfortunately, comparing immigration stories from the past and today is often tricky business because major differences between the laws in effect. The Immigration Act of 1882, the country's first firm stance in response to immigration, levied a one-time tax of 50 cents on each immigrant. Similarly, to limit immigration more severely, the Immigration Acts of 1921 and 1924 assigned each nationality a quota of immigrants based on its representation in past U.S. censuses. Obviously, these laws made it much easier for immigrants to legally enter the country, unlike today where it is estimated that it now costs thousands of dollars to become a legal immigrant. And, while you grandparents from Italy were able to immigrate, they probably received some pretty nasty treatment when they got to the US. Much of what we are trying to change today. Below is a passage from 1906:
"In common with Mexicans and Jews, the Italians are pilloried by insulting nicknames. They are charged with pauperism, crime, and degraded living, and they are judged unheard and almost unseen. Almost eighty per cent of them are males; over eighty per cent between the ages of fourteen and forty-five; over eighty per cent are from the southern provinces, and nearly the same percentage are unskilled labourers, who include a large majority of the illiterates." John Carr, The Coming of the Italian (The Outlook, 24th February, 1906)
As for the union piece, in a large part much of the US labor movement was built by Italian Americans who were very much a part of labor unions in Italy and the United States. It is important to realize that many of our family members were helped by labor unions, even if our own grandparents chose not to join. The Library of Congress shares this information about Italian Immigrants in the labor movement:
"Italian immigrants fought against unscrupulous management and unsafe conditions by taking organized action. Because several of the major U.S. unions barred foreign workers from membership for many years, many immigrants formed their own unions, such as the Italian Workers union in Houston, or joined the radical International Workers of the World. Italian union organizers fanned out across the nation, often risking arrest or death for their efforts. Italian workers were active in most of the great labor struggles of the 20th century’s early decades, leading strikes in the Tampa cigar factories, the granite quarries of Vermont, and the textile mills of New England."
As a country, we are thankful for your ancestors’ contribution and recognize that immigrants today have much great challenges in becoming citizens and that we would all benefit from a system that created a way for immigrants to come here legally, work hard to support their families, and contribute to our society, just like your grandfather.