English Version:
Terri E. Givens
It has been a very interesting week in politics. In the wake of the release of videos showing
Mitt Romney writing off 47% of the electorate, both candidates had important
appearances on Univision. Despite the
partisan audiences, many important questions were asked on immigration by Jorge
Ramos in particular. Neither
candidate had any new proposals or positions to present, but the policy
differences were clear, President Obama has been unable to get Congress to pass
the legislation he wants on comprehensive immigration reform or the DREAM act
and Governor Romney maintains his position on “self-deportation.” For
immigrants and those who want immigration reform, the stakes in this election
are high.
Amidst the politics surrounding the immigration issue, I was
reminded once again that this is not just about politics but about human
lives. The Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals (DACA) program is at least a temporary step forward, but there are
real human lives in the balance if this policy does not turn into a law that
will address the situation of these undocumented immigrants for the long-term.
It’s a problem that has haunted U.S. policy makers
throughout our history. One the one
hand, we tout the “American Dream” and on the other, we demonize many of those
who would dare to reach for it. Although we are a country of immigrants,
nativism rears its head on a regular basis, nearly every ethnic group has faced
discrimination and been told to “go home” often despite being in the country
for generations. Organizing and voting
for pro-immigration candidates is important, but perhaps some of the more
important initiatives in moving forward on immigration reform have to do with
humanizing immigrants. People like Jose Antonio Vargas
have given a face to DREAMers who came to this country as children. Several new movements of undocumented youth
have grown out of the article he wrote, declaring their status and perhaps
influencing President Obama’s moves on deferred action.
Another initiative for highlighting the stories of recent
immigrants is Tony Hernandez’s Immigrant Archive Project (http://immigrantarchiveproject.com). The videos are a chronicle of the life stories
of immigrants from a variety of backgrounds and countries including celebrities
like Edward James Olmos to a DACA eligible college student. Although these stories may not change the
political narrative on immigration, they certainly can have an impact on the
narrative that these immigrants have for themselves. Rather than being acted upon, they can take
action and take pride in their stories.
As the title quote demonstrates, immigrants are more than
units of labor that can be easily shifted around. They are grandparents, parents, children and
members of the community. They have
dreams and aspirations for themselves and their children. There are millions of them who are here with
visas and green cards and millions who have no such documents. As the politicians debate the issues around
immigration, it is important to keep in mind that it is not just policy, but
human lives that are involved. As
Governor Romney said, it would not be possible to deport 12 million
people. But some states like Arizona and
Alabama are already trying to make the lives of thousands of immigrants
miserable enough that they will leave of their own accord, with predictable
consequences for those labor markets, particularly agriculture.
Hopefully the immigration reform debate will move forward
after the election. While all voices
need to be heard, there is a time for leaders to step forward and be a voice
for those who represent the future of our country. We are for the most part a
product of our ancestors who came to this country from other lands. We need to
honor our tradition of being a country of immigration and deal with this
ongoing issue in a responsible and equitable manner.
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