What will be the reality that awaits the immigrants who dream of obtaining legal status? Will they be welcomed like the 1880s saying of the Statute of Liberty in New York: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”? Or will they continue to be criminalized, scapegoated and blamed for the ills of this country, and exploited without end?
In the recent presidential elections, the unity of African Americans and Latinos was the decisive factor in the re-election of Democratic President Barack Obama. There are great hopes that at last, an immigration reform for the 11 million undocumented living in the United States will be possible. Even the Republicans had to hide their anti-immigrant rhetoric; especially since their candidate Romney lost the Latino vote when he called for “self-deportation.”
With good reason many immigrant leaders across the U.S. maintain caution, since President Obama had not come through with his campaign pledge of passing immigration reform during his first term in office. In addition, the highest number of deportations ever in the history of the U.S. has taken place during Obama’s first four years in office, more than in any Republican administration through the implementation of E-verify, Secure Communities, and militarization of the border, including the use of the notorious drones—robotized unmanned air vehicles.
So, what should one do? We must fight on our feet, recalling the famous words of Emiliano Zapata. Remember, Obama “owes us.” The Republicans are in retreat at this time, and the Democrats are pretending to be our friends. Moreover, a recent poll shows that a great majority of U.S. citizens favor legalization for the undocumented persons in this country.
Today is not 1986, when three million persons obtained amnesty. Times have changed since then. That is why we did not get immigration reform in 2006 when millions marched. We have continued to march year after year. More than likely, some will be offered amnesty, but the great majority of immigrants will not be satisfied nor included. We hear the debate of including a Guest Worker plan for factories, and not only for agricultural workers. We also know that there is a push to include the visas for highly trained engineers and scientists so that the U.S. will benefit from them in worldwide competition.
And what of the others that will be forced to immigrate in the future?
As many immigrant leaders across the country realize, we must continue marching with our eyes wide open. More than ever, we must inform ourselves and learn, and support one another. Something very basic to learn is to know who is our enemy and who is our friend. We had to immigrate because of our need to survive and provide for our families. Today we arrive in a country where we may live better than our own countries of origin but also see a lowering of the standard of living for those that are born here. This is a result of the high technology that is replacing the workers, via the use of robots such as in the auto industry, or robots that sort tomatoes in the canneries or that pick the grapes for wine-making.
Those born in the U.S., like those who have immigrated, are victims of the capitalist globalization and their worldwide markets. They try to pit us one against the other; but we must realize that it is the same enemy that is exploiting us—the capitalist class. For example, a great number of the dignitaries from Mexico have studied in the most prestigious universities in the U.S. alongside their current U.S. counterparts.
U.S. citizens and immigrants are part of the same working class. For many years, the capitalists have torn down the borders for their free trade. Now it is our turn to tear down the borders that divide us, because we belong to no one country. We all have the same needs, whether born in the U.S. or another country. It is in our fight for survival and to provide for our families where we unite with our same needs. There awaits a world of abundance, family unity, and happiness. Why would we fear this?
