Immigration Reform Immigration Has Become

Immigration Reform

Immigration has become a major debate across the U.S., with many different reasons given for and against its expansion. One of the individuals coming out strong against immigration reform is Star Parker, president of the Coalition on Urban Renewal & Education. If she had a sound reason for being on the "thumbs down" side, it would be important to respect her views. However, based on her comments in the article "Se Habla Entitlement," it appears the issue of no acceptance comes down to race more than anything else. This is very ironic, due to the fact that she is African-American. On the opposite side of the issue is Roberto Rodriguez, who comments on such inequities: "How long was this community supposed to remain in silence? Perhaps it is racial/cultural fatigue." (416)

If anyone should know about racism, it would be individuals such as Parker whose people suffered at the hands of the whites for centuries. However, somehow she does not equate the immigration issue with the Mexicans with the negative treatment of slaves. In fact, in the article "Se Habla Entitlement" she states, "If Americans were kidnapping Mexicans and selling them into slavery here, I might see the equivalence. But these are free people, who chose to come here and chose to do so illegally." Notes Rodriguez: "is all the hate and vilification directed at brown peoples and the southern border? Otherwise, why are these politicians also not bothered by the millions of Canadians, Europeans or Russians who overstay their visas?

Somehow Parker has forgotten her American history. This bias against the Mexicans stems far back into American history. The number of Mexican immigrants fell over 55,000 from 1925 to 1930. By the end of the 1920s, 15,000 Mexicans were being deported each year. Mexican laborers were still brought into the U.S. As temporary laborers, but not as citizens. The term "illegal alien" was used for the first time at this point. In the mid-1950s, "operation wetback" deported over a million undocumented immigrants. The U.S. also "showed off its true colors" when it forced the Japanese-Americans (and these were citizens) into internment camps during World War II. The history of Mexican immigration has been one of acceptance during periods of labor need and rejection when those periods have ended.

Immigration history for Europeans has played out differently. About 200,000 European immigrants gained legal status between 1925 and 1965. Granted, slurs were also made against the Irish, Italian and Eastern European (mostly Jewish) arrivals. Though there was early resistance to such immigration, and eastern Europeans were subject to discrimination.

Heer 43) Likely, because of their color, they could soon work their way out of poverty and into the middle class. Says Rodriguez about such double standards: "Let's not pretend that this hysteria is not about race, color and dehumanization. it's not even anti-immigrant or even anti-Latino/Hispanic bigotry. it's the exploitation of a deep-seated fear and loathing of Mexicans and Central Americans by shameless politicians." (417)