05/04/2006
stampa
invia
stampainvia
The USA is debating how best to deal with the problem of Hispanic immigration
The Republicans are divided between those who are inflexible and those who are
pragmatic, the Hispanic immigrants and their children are applying their own pressure
by taking to the streets in hundreds of thousands, while the general population
would like stricter measures taken against illegal immigrants, even though they
recognise that without these immigrants the country would grind to a halt. Against
this background the biggest debate on immigration in the last twenty years is
currently taking place in the USA. How to deal with people who enter the States
without the right documents? Which rights should immigrants be granted and how
many should be allowed in to the country? These are just a few of the questions
politicians are being asked to respond to, with an eye on the upcoming Congressional
elections to Washington in November.
The disputed law. Last weekend’s maxi protests (there were around 500,000 people on the streets
in Los Angeles and another 300,00 in Chicago), haven’t gone unnoticed. The Latinos are demanding fairer treatment than that contained in bill HR4437 or in the Sensenbrenner
law, which was passed last December in the House of Representatives and which
makes the illegal presence of a person in the States an offence, contains provisions
for punishing anyone who helps or gives work to illegal immigrants, increases
fines for people without immigration documents and makes provision for the construction
of over 1,000 kilometres of wall separating the border between the United States
and Mexico, with the objective of extending the wall right across the country
from the Pacific to the Atlantic. In short, a massive clampdown that even president
Bush has opposed.
The new proposal. This week Congress once again discussed the measures, and an alternative proposal
arrived from the Senate where the Justice Commission approved by 12 votes to 6
a proposal to legalise illegal immigrants and offer them a way of acquiring citizenship.
If they have a job, have no criminal record and pay their fines and taxes, illegal
immigrants who register could obtain American citizenship after a few years. The
more extreme area of the Republican Party immediately branded the proposal as
an amnesty for 12 million illegal immigrants, and now Congress must try to reconcile
this proposal with the Sensenbrenner law. The fact that Congressional elections
are due to take place in seven months time has further complicated the situation,
since politicians know that the votes of the ever increasing Hispanic population
are at stake (more than one out of every eight citizens is a Latino) and tat this must be weighed against the desire to satisfy the demands of those
electors who want securer borders.
The opinion polls. On this point the opinion polls show that the majority of the population want
the law to be respected: 59% say they are against allowing illegal immigrants
to apply for temporary work permits; 62% are against making it easier to obtain
citizenship; and 75% believe that the USA isn’t doing enough to close its borders
to those who want to enter the country illegally. On the other hand, a poll just
published shows that legal immigrants sympathise with illegal immigrants, with
81% believing that illegal immigrants do work that nobody else wants to do any
more, and 73% saying that illegal immigrants help the national economy by providing
low-cost manpower.
The disputed law. Last weekend’s maxi protests (there were around 500,000 people on the streets
in Los Angeles and another 300,00 in Chicago), haven’t gone unnoticed. The Latinos are demanding fairer treatment than that contained in bill HR4437 or in the Sensenbrenner
law, which was passed last December in the House of Representatives and which
makes the illegal presence of a person in the States an offence, contains provisions
for punishing anyone who helps or gives work to illegal immigrants, increases
fines for people without immigration documents and makes provision for the construction
of over 1,000 kilometres of wall separating the border between the United States
and Mexico, with the objective of extending the wall right across the country
from the Pacific to the Atlantic. In short, a massive clampdown that even president
Bush has opposed. The new proposal. This week Congress once again discussed the measures, and an alternative proposal
arrived from the Senate where the Justice Commission approved by 12 votes to 6
a proposal to legalise illegal immigrants and offer them a way of acquiring citizenship.
If they have a job, have no criminal record and pay their fines and taxes, illegal
immigrants who register could obtain American citizenship after a few years. The
more extreme area of the Republican Party immediately branded the proposal as
an amnesty for 12 million illegal immigrants, and now Congress must try to reconcile
this proposal with the Sensenbrenner law. The fact that Congressional elections
are due to take place in seven months time has further complicated the situation,
since politicians know that the votes of the ever increasing Hispanic population
are at stake (more than one out of every eight citizens is a Latino) and tat this must be weighed against the desire to satisfy the demands of those
electors who want securer borders.The opinion polls. On this point the opinion polls show that the majority of the population want
the law to be respected: 59% say they are against allowing illegal immigrants
to apply for temporary work permits; 62% are against making it easier to obtain
citizenship; and 75% believe that the USA isn’t doing enough to close its borders
to those who want to enter the country illegally. On the other hand, a poll just
published shows that legal immigrants sympathise with illegal immigrants, with
81% believing that illegal immigrants do work that nobody else wants to do any
more, and 73% saying that illegal immigrants help the national economy by providing
low-cost manpower.New demonstrations. While the question directly involves illegal immigrants, it also involves their
relatives and friends who have already become legal. After the large protests
of last weekend, other demonstrations have taken place in various towns and cities
throughout the country and not just in the regions with the highest numbers of
Latinos, showing that Hispanics are now an integral part of the United States. The voice
of protest can be heard on the airwaves of the many Spanish-language radio stations
and on the Web, and it’s not always pacific. “They can’t calm us down or shut
us up. If they pass the HR4437, we’ll rebel. We might be poor and humble, but
we won’t hesitate to start a civil war”, threatened one of the messages that appeared
on a site for Latinos students. In Dallas last Monday and Tuesday, thousands of Hispanic students boycotted
lessons to protest in front of city hall, even occupying the building for a short
time, and it’s probable that protests won’t die down until Congress has drawn
up a definitive version of the law.
Alessandro Ursic
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