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<a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/cooke10262009.html" eudora="autourl">
http://www.counterpunch.org/cooke10262009.html<br>
</a></font><font face="Verdana" size=2 color="#990000">October 26,
2009<br><br>
</font><h1><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4><b>Enforcement
First on the Border <br><br>
<br>
</i></font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=5 color="#990000">
Obama's Dirty War on Immigrants
</b></font></h1><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4>By SHAMUS
COOKE <br><br>
</font><font face="Verdana" size=6 color="#990000">U</font>
<font face="Verdana" size=2>nder Bush, immigrant communities lived in a
constant state of fear terrorized by “Homeland Security” agents
arresting anyone who appeared Latino and lacked ID. Families were
separated, children left parentless, property abandoned, and long-lasting
relationships severed.<br><br>
This scenario highly reminiscent of the NAZI Gestapo has changed only
slightly under Obama. Some say for the worst. Obama’s campaign promise of
undoing Bush’s immigration strategy was, like nearly every other promise
he’s made, a blatant lie. Instead, he’s adopted the “enforcement first”
immigration approach -- the style of John McCain that Obama once mocked.
<br><br>
The Obama Administration is taking immigration policies created under
Bush and expanding them, much like he’s done with Bush’s war policies,
bank bailouts, civil right restrictions (the Patriot Act, torture,
unlimited/unchallengeable imprisonment, etc.). <br><br>
Obama’s head of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, admits: “We are
expanding enforcement, but I think in the right way.” In this case the
“right way” is Bush’s way, though modified for public
consumption.<br><br>
While ending the large, media-attracting factory raids that Bush
endorsed, Obama is intensifying “…a shift in federal law enforcement that
began under George W. Bush and now has taken a particularly callous turn
under President Obama.” (Los Angles Times, Oct 3, 2009).<br>
The Los Angles Times refers specifically to the recent firing of 1,800
mostly immigrant workers in Los Angeles, who suffered the same fate as
thousands of others around the country victimized by the Obama
administration. <br><br>
Companies that are suspected of hiring immigrants are targeted and
closely monitored, “…but instead of concluding with a raid, Immigration
and Customs Enforcement simply compels the employers to fire anybody
whose papers aren't in order under pain of ruinous civil penalties.” The
Los Angles Times concluded, “…the most appalling aspect of the Obama
administration's wretched conduct of this affair is its studied
indifference to the fate of the men and women it has thrown out of
work.”<br><br>
Well said.<br><br>
When immigrants are fired from their jobs, they receive no unemployment
insurance. Thus, the heavy burden of being jobless during a severe
recession is multiplied, and families who’ve lived in the U.S. for years
suffer terribly. Obama’s merciless attitude to immigrants was displayed
nationally when he proudly declared that, under his health care plan,
“illegal immigrants will not qualify.” When asked later about the health
care of immigrant children, Obama seemed to show a moment of compassion.
Exceptions may be granted, he said, "partly because if you've got
children who may be here illegally but are still in playgrounds or at
schools, and potentially are passing on illnesses and communicable
diseases, that aren't getting vaccinated, that I think is a situation
where you may have to make an exception." The President is
astonishingly clear: caring for the basic well-being of immigrants or
their children is of zero concern.<br><br>
This coldness is reflected in all aspects of Obama’s immigration approach
programs born from the Bush administration. The New York Times
explains:<br><br>
</font>
<dl>
<dd>“… Ms. Napolitano has expanded a program that runs immigration checks
on every person booked into local jails in some cities. And she recently
announced the expansion of another program…that allows for cooperation
between federal immigration agents and state and local police agencies.”
(Oct. 18, 2009).<br><br>
</dl>The first policy means that any immigrant that lands in jail for
whatever reason faces potential deportation. And although the law was
created by Bush to deal with immigrants who committed “serious crimes,”
Latino communities have long known this claim to be a fraud. Officers
instead arrest immigrants on minor or manufactured charges and alter
their lives forever. <br><br>
The second mentioned program will greatly increase these injustices.
Before Bush, immigration laws were enforced by the nationally-run
immigration department, with the rationale being that local police were
meant to protect and serve communities. Now, local police are being
enlisted to hunt down immigrants, most of whom are no danger to anybody
and productive members of their communities.<br><br>
The dangerous result is that immigrant and Latino families will be pushed
further into society’s shadows: they will be less willing to call police
if they witness or fall victim to serious crimes, suffer from domestic
violence, or are victims of hate crimes. If they are not paid by their
employer a very regular occurrence no one will be held
accountable.<br><br>
These types of crimes will be greatly encouraged with Obama’s new policy,
alongside another form of abuse. Many Latino communities have become
familiar with police picking up suspected immigrants off the street and
sending them to deportation facilities with no crime committed. Knowing
that these racial profiling abuses would likely increase with local
police becoming immigration enforcers, the Obama Administration gave
lip-service to the increased “oversight” of the expanded policy, but
little action is likely to follow, and civil rights violations will
almost certainly increase.<br><br>
Another Bush policy being expanded under Obama is the controversial
E-verify system, which gives governmental access to employers' employment
records, with the intention of verifying the legitimate documents of
employees. Aside from the above-mentioned hardships this is already
creating for thousands of families, the system is accused of being highly
dysfunctional and error-ridden, like its predecessor the “no match"
letter. <br><br>
"No match" letters were mailed to workers and employers alike
to notify them that a worker’s social security number didn’t match
implying that the worker was using a fake number to gain employment. The
"no match" system was recently scrapped, likely due to the
enormous errors being committed and consequent outcry (this writer can
personally attest that the system was flawed, since my Caucasian,
Indiana-born domestic partner had such a letter addressed to
her).<br><br>
These policies of Obama’s represent a drastic swerving to the right over
immigration. But he’s just following the Democratic Party line, itself
becoming hysterically anti-immigrant. High ranking Democrat Charles
Schumer is leading the Democrat offensive, helping create a highly
punitive “immigration reform” bill that includes Bush-era border
militarization.<br><br>
So far, this bill consists only of “general principles" -- polices
agreed upon to appease the section of big business that benefits from
immigrant labor. Highly skilled immigrants will be favored, lower skilled
deported; some immigrants will be allowed to stay and work, while others
are hunted down like animals. This divide and conquer strategy has
already won over some immigrant and labor groups, who wrongly view the
bill as “a step in the right direction.” The Democrats have spoken at
length about their immigration philosophy; they want to provide
corporations with sufficient cheap labor while demonizing “undesirable”
immigrants.<br><br>
Why the right turn? Since having taken power of both Congress and the
Presidency, the Democrats have proven to be a very proficient tool for
the corporate elite, following much of the same polices created by
Bush.<br><br>
The enormous public anger over these policies creates in the Democrats an
urgent need for distraction. Rather than focus on the super-rich that are
profiting from the recession and the politicians feeding them trillions
in tax dollars, the Democrats would rather have our scorn funneled toward
society’s most vulnerable population.<br><br>
Always left out in the immigration discussion is why immigrants enter the
U.S. at all. U.S. corporate-controlled foreign policy under NAFTA and
CAFTA forced cheaply produced U.S. goods into the markets of poor
countries to the south. Impoverished farmers and others were forced out
of their country (where they would rather have stayed) to feed themselves
and their families. U.S. corporations took further advantage of the
situation by paying slave wages across the border and by paying
immigrants in the U.S. below-poverty wages with no benefits. Speaking out
against these injustices equals deportation.<br><br>
Consequently, wages for both U.S. and Latin American workers are lowered
by this divide and conquer tactic. Scapegoating immigrants is absolutely
crucial to this strategy working.<br><br>
Therefore, the only progressive solution to immigration is to unite all
workers against the planned corporate offensive: CAFTA and NAFTA must be
eliminated, and all workers in the U.S. must be given not only equal
rights, but a livable wage. To achieve this, unions must fight harder to
organize not only immigrants, but the millions of other workers who have
little or no rights on the job. By doing so, corporations will be unable
to exploit any worker so as to lower the wages of all workers. These
lofty goals would be easier to accomplish if immigrant and labor groups
diverted their energy and resources away from the Democratic Party, so
that they could be used instead for real social change.<br><br>
Shamus Cooke</b> is a social service worker, trade unionist, and writer
for Workers Action
(<a href="http://www.workerscompass.org/">www.workerscompass.org</a>
). He can be reached at
<a href="mailto:shamuscook@yahoo.com">shamuscook@yahoo.com</a><br><br>
<br><br>
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