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| Sign warning illegal immigrants |
While
looking up the term “illegal immigrant” in the etymology dictionary I found the
term “wet back”, which has come to be another term for illegal immigrants. It
refers to illegal immigrants swimming past the Rio Grande to get to America.
The term “wet back” was so incredibly racist and rude that it reminded me of
discrimination and racism or African-Americans, which we are studying in my
American Studies class.
So I
was looking up the term “illegal immigrant” in the etymology dictionary because
I was reading “Help Wanted” an article by David Eddy, which I read in American
Fruit Grower, a produce magazine that my parents left on the table. The article
made the argument that the government’s crack down on illegal immigrants is
hurting the produce industry and thus hurting America’s ability to produce its
own food. The article also touched on the injustice of the laws preventing the
hiring of illegal immigrants as well as expelled rumors surrounding illegal
immigrants. For example, many believe that immigrants do not pay taxes, but they
do pay taxes and social security under a false name. However most return to
Mexico and do not retire in America and therefore do not collect social
security. Another rumor is that they are taking jobs away from America who is
sufferings an enormous unemployment rate, however most jobs in the agriculture
industry have gone unfilled after these laws were enacted. These were the defenses
used by the politicians to rally support for these laws, which created a racist
sentiments and stereotypes against Mexicans.
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| Migration patterns of illegal immigrants similar to the migration patterns of African-Americans in the early 1900's |
“’One
day we will look back on this and say this is almost as bad as the Jim Crow
laws,’” said Gary Paulk a blackberry farm owner who is suffering from the loss
of workers, quoted by Eddy. Similar to the Jim Crow laws these state laws are preventing Mexican workers from bringing home money to thier families as well as preventing American farmers from producing food for their nation. Paulk is saying that the state governments are creating these laws out
of racism, because in reality implementing guest worker programs would be more beneficial
and wouldn’t make cause the decline that is being seen in the agriculture
industry. The government is spending money to crack down on illegal immigration while it fuels America's agricultural industry which is now crumbling because of the loss of labor.
What do you think should be done about illegal immigration?
I think this is a very good post, but I'd like to say a few things about the issue at hand. I don't believe that a decline in food production as described would be as crippling as one might believe. The United States over-produces food, especially corn, due to subsidies, so a minor loss of food production might not me such a bad thing. Additionally, a lot of US gains from illegal immigrants are lost in remittances, which disrupt society abroad, where the money is being sent, and take the money out of the US economy. But yes, I do think that there are some shocking similarities between Illegal immigration today and the Jim Crow laws.
ReplyDeleteRather than thinking what SHOULD be done about illegal immegrants, I think it's important to note what is currently being done. The fact that Americans are so against Mexicans entering the United States because they are "brown", and our other neighbor, Canada, has no border at all is shocking. Mexican and Hispanic people are just as hard-working and committed as Americans and yet they get no concrete jobs as you have mentioned in your posts since they are illegal. Good post though keep it up.
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