Immigration: Let's stop history from repeating itself again by Luz María Gordillo

[pampango]

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/05/immigration_lets_stop_history.html

"As a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Mexico City, and living in the United States for 25 years, I wonder how our nation's ancient, repetitive and unsuccessful anti-immigrant litany can actually have any credibility in the 21st century. But recent demonization and criminalization of Mexican immigrants, compounded by legislation such as that recently signed into law in Arizona, points to the social repercussions of this very serious historical amnesia and the inhumane methods used to defend what we all are led to believe are "American values."

That immigrants rob our jobs, that they depreciate our wages, that they put American culture at risk by refusing to deny their native language, that they bring crime and drugs with them -- all of these statements have been effectively used against different minority groups at different times in our nation's history. At the end of the 19th century, the United States aggressively recruited Chinese labor while implementing the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, which curtailed all Chinese immigration to the United States. At the beginning of the 20th century and continuing until World War II, the United States recruited Japanese immigrants, again to promote economic growth by exploiting cheap labor. In another bout of xenophobic hysteria, the nation imprisoned not only Japanese immigrants but also Japanese-Americans. The United States has a pathological attitude toward immigrants whose phenotype is not white. More seriously, however, are the absurd connections this attitude promotes: that these immigrants will not assimilate and therefore are inherently un-American.

It seems to me that after generations of such experience as a nation, we would be able to discern the link between the enforcement of racist attitudes – such as Arizona's SB 1070 – and capital gain – such as the large numbers of Mexican workers who have brought economic prosperity through their cheap labor. In a simple tour of downtown Portland's vast array of international-cuisine restaurants, one notices the labor demographics: the majority are Latino immigrants. In Oregon the Latino population is the fastest growing of all, significantly reporting 11 percent of the total in 2008."

"Arizona's anti-immigrant sentiment only foments hatred and ignorance at a point in history when the majority of U.S. citizens have proven that they won't tolerate a racist nation by voting for a black president. Let's continue to demonstrate that posture and that we won't tolerate hate crimes against a population that is now an important part of our social fabric. The latest incident of racist police brutality in Seattle against Mexican immigrants illustrates some of the hideous repercussions that the current anti-immigrant hysteria has provoked."

[Xipe Totec]

1. You should see some of the comments posted already nt

[pinboy3niner]

2. Subject: Wielding power to suppress a minority is not the smartest lesson...

to teach to the next (nonwhite) majority.

[dkf]

3. The Chinese laborers were hired exclusively.

They did take jobs away because the white guy who built the railroad only hired Chinese. This caused resentment against the Chinese and forced them to contain themselves to what is known as China town in San Francisco and kept them socially isolated for a long time.

The Japanese were interned for different reasons namely that they were suspected of loyalty to Japan over the US during the war. I guess when you can't electronically spy on all of them you have to round them up.