"... Everyone has
the right to freedom of movement and residence within the territory of any
State."
Human Rights’
Universal Declaration. Cap 13.01
Likewise, the Forest
Indians were super populations whom inhabited the forests between the
Atlantic Ocean and the Mississippi River. Those tribes were generally communal
and used to live in villages with wooden huts and tracks.
The arrival of British settlers definitely remarked a new
era in the history of North America. The emergence of the United States of
America starts from the British colonization of America, starring British waves
of immigrants whom, between the XVII and XVIII, founded the Thirteen Colonies
on the Atlantic coast of the North American continent, east of the Appalachian
Mountains. These colonies turned back against the French possessions in Quebec
and Louisiana, whom had built their first colonial empire in North America,
called New France, which extended from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Rocky
Mountains to the west and to the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Furthermore, the Spanish
also established colonies south of America with the foundations of the cities
of St. Augustine in Florida, San Diego, California and Santa Fe, in New Mexico.
Well, with this brief preamble we tries to emphasize the vital
importance that English and French immigration -and to a lesser scale in the
Spanish-birth- of the today great nation United States of America is. We could
add the waves of immigration happened before and after World War I and II,
which include populations of foreign countries as different as Germany,
Ireland, China, Italy, Russia, Poland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, and
many others, whose have further compelling reasons as to claim that the United
States is a country made through the influence of immigrants. A country that,
ironically, in the twenty-first century, recklessly trying to curb the
phenomenon of immigration at any cost and still not or choose not to take a
leading role in favor of illegal immigration, although it promotes world
towards legal and orderly migration.
Nevertheless, what would become United States of America,
the most powerful country in the world, without immigrant’s contribution?
Consider this:
As the immigration of black Africans to America was forced
and arbitrary, though, to work as slaves and supply the workforce for the
benefit of white patterns between the XVIII’s and XIX’s is one of the most significant chapters in the
growth, cultural and economic development of the United States. The 1993 Nobel
Prize for Literature, Toni Morrison, said "... American culture is a black
culture, and that is precisely what makes it unique. Migration can be voluntary
or involuntary, because some people choose to make the trip, but not others.
However, they robbed, kidnapped Africans and forced to migrate.
They had in mind a home they left, and the migration problem
is how to make that place to where they go a house. "
He added that black culture has also inspired many of the
social movements in the United States, from civil war to abolish slavery to
those of the 60’s of last century to claim civil rights or to demand rights for
women.
"All liberation
movement in the United States begins with black people. When people in the U.S.
mobilize to its demands, there are blacks. They have inspired others who have
suffered repression in some form. Such as women or Latin-Americans, who thus
become more powerful, more demanding. However, it is interesting how these movements
are supported by blacks”, said Morrison.
With Latin-American’s immigration is happening as much. It
is not just the unprecedented cultural contribution is giving the United States
a different dimension in the global arena. The magnitude of the Hispanic
immigration, largely, felt as a blow to the very traditional roots of the
nation. The issue of the Spanish language, politics, sports, art forms,
strength of Hispanics as the largest minority prevailing in the country, is
having quite some time an overwhelming presence in the different aspects of
life in the USA. The myth that immigrants have taken jobs from American workers
has caused to those economic experts -who have studied the relationship between
immigration and employment in the United States- report that immigrants create
more jobs than they take away. They do so by establishing new businesses,
increasing the productivity of existing businesses, investing capital and
spending dollars on consumer goods. For example, a 1994’s study by researchers
at the University of Ohio found a statistically significant relationship between
immigration and unemployment... by stating, "To a greater scale
immigration is associated with lower unemployment" and concluded that
immigrants do not have a negative effect on earnings and employment
opportunities of Native Americans.”
Another myth is equally untrue that immigrants deplete
social services. In fact, immigrants actually generate significantly more in
paid taxes than the cost of services. This is because undocumented workers,
despite not being qualified to receive most federal benefits, often withheld
Social Security taxes and income from their paychecks. Indeed, immigrants
contribute more than $ 90 million in taxes to the U.S. economy each year, while
only receiving $5 million in social welfare.
As a result, a television commentator recently stated,
"a retired citizen receiving Social Security benefits and living at rural
Kentucky is subsidized indirectly by an immigrant who washes dishes in a
cheaper restaurant in Santa Monica." On the other hand, another
commentator recently proposed that the best solution to the Social Security
crisis caused by aging of "baby boomers" would be to encourage
immigration to create "instant adult" whom begin to work immediately
and to make payments in the Social Security system.
Therefore, what prevents the federal government from the
U.S., promote and approve at once an act that may lead to a legal and orderly immigration,
which allows near than 12.5 millions illegal immigrants -currently residing in
the U.S. - leaving anonymity and adjust their legal status? How is possible the
Dream Act (a bill that would encourage college students, basically) would allow
hundreds of thousands of immigrant students across the country to continue their
studies in the country which gave them the opportunity to do so and, consequently
after graduates, contribute their knowledge for development of this country?
This yet has not been approved but is being lambasted by a group of senators
and representatives whom have entrenched themselves in the axiom what they are
promoting is a kind of amnesty for those who stand to the U.S. illegally. Why
so much uncertainty or resistance to admit what is best for all and for the
country at the end of the day?
Besides, the Supreme Court, in reference to Arizona’s SB
1070, which arbitrarily criminalizes undocumented immigrants and crime
suspects, recently rejected the birth of such absurd, inappropriate and
discriminatory laws, as it. This law, considers all those, who their appearance
may seem immigrants, whether U.S. citizens or legal or illegal immigrants, as
criminals. Many sees it as an "immigrant hunt", reflects just
stubbornness and intolerance of a minority group who themselves believe as absolute
masters of this country just cause they were born here, or speak English, or
have a lighter skin than immigrants. However, it is also regrettable the
inability of the federal government, as a matter of immigration and foreigners,
which management is concern them entirely, to establish a consistent and legal
basis according with current real world and despite this does not act
resolutely as a result.
In addition, recent laws have appeared as "English only"
stating that English is the official language and prohibit public employees provides
any assistance and services that are not in English. Actually, these laws, regulations,
or restrictions disagree with the First Amendment’s right to communicate with
or petition to government, or the right to equality. They are also unnecessary
and sometimes even dangerous to both individuals and the public. Some
legislation as "English only" which are currently in force in 18
states are written in so broad sense as prohibiting services that are not in
English such as assistance to recipients of benefits, applications for driver's
licenses and bilingual education.
The current laws of "English Only” have the false
premise that today’s immigrants coming from Asian or Spanish speaking countries
will not learn English without government coercion. Indeed, the vast majority
of Asian and Latino immigrants acquire proficiency in English just quickly,
more even faster than previous generations of Italian, Russian and German
immigrants. In fact, only 4% of the population of the United States over the
age of five does not speak English.
The problem is not immigrants do not want to learn English,
but there are not enough educational resources
for them. Today, many thousands of immigrants across the
country are on the waiting list to learn English for adults. English laws not
only do nothing constructive to increase English proficiency, but they just
discriminate against for and punish those who have not yet learned English.
However, it is becoming more undeniable today, the real need to create more and
more available jobs for those who have a good command of both languages
(English and Spanish) due to growing Hispanic population requiring provision
of bilingual services.
Now, it’s true the Constitution does not give foreigners the
right to enter the United States. Nevertheless, once they are here, the
Constitution protects them from discrimination based on race or national origin
and from arbitrary treatment by the government. Immigrants work and pay taxes.
Legal immigrants are subject to military service. Many immigrants have lived in
this country for decades; they have become citizens of the United States and
raised their children as citizens of the United States. Laws that punish them
violate their fundamental right to a fair and equal treatment. In this case,
there is also a clear violation of Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, which states:
1. Everyone has the
right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
2. Everyone has the
right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
However, it is fair to acknowledge that human rights at the
international level cannot go in practice, against or above the human rights of
the population of the countries of immigration. To think otherwise would be
inconceivable, especially since immigration countries could not solve the
problem of overpopulation in Southeast Asia, to cite one case. Rather it is the
opposite: immigration in developed countries usually supporters (especially
among the economically most powerful classes) to meet the needs of developing
countries especially in regards to having cheap labor and keep wages relatively
low, even at cost of social harm which could be make by working with the native
population. In addition, in the country of emigration, is often not a solution for
those who have emigrated are precisely those who have the greatest desire to
excel themselves in many instances, even in higher level of education.
No comments:
Post a Comment