Reflections On the Great Immigration Battle of 2006 and the Future of the Americas
Social Justice › Vol. 33 Nbr. 1, January 2006
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Summary
Jonas outlines some possible future reverberations of the immigration battle of 2006, in which millions of demonstrators, primarily but not exclusively Latinos, marched throughout the US in response to proposed federal legislation that would criminalize as aggravated felons and deport the 10 to 12 million undocumented immigrants currently living and working in the US. She also details a decade of unprecedented abuse and punishment of immigrants, both documented and undocumented, in the form of immigration, welfare, and anti-terrorism legislation that has created a national security regime for immigrants.
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Extract
Reflections On the Great Immigration Battle of 2006 and the Future of the Americas
ON MARCH 10, 2006, SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS and their supporters in Chicago marched for their rights, surprising even the march organizers by the massive turnout. The Chicago march opened the path for millions of demonstrators, primarily but not exclusively Latinos, in dozens of cities and communities throughout the U.S. this past spring. This collective, grassroots, peaceful uprising, powered largely by Latino talk radio, culminated in May Day protest rallies and boycotts throughout the country and in some Latin American countries. Taking history into their own hands, undocumented immigrants have sparked a chain reaction of unexpected magnitude that could transform politics and society in many venues of the Americas-most importantly, but not solely, in the U.S. Although it is far too early to foresee precisely how these changes will play out, we can begin to perceive their magnitude and the outlines of some possible future reverberations of the great immigration battle of 2006.
Ironically, this movement was triggered most immediately by anti-immigrant politicians in Washington, D.C. In December 2005, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4437, a bill that would criminalize undocumented immigrants-even further depriving them of due process rights and, in effect, keeping them undocumented, and then punishing them (detention, deportation) for being undocumented. The mere act of being in the U.S. without a visa would constitute an "aggravated felony," a criminal violation treated far more harshly than a delito, or nonviolent civil offense, as it is now, precluding any possibility of legalization; anyone or any organization assisting (or hiring) undocumented migrants could also be brought up on criminal charges. In addition, the measure revived the (previously rejected) provision to authorize local police to enforce immigration law. The bill was so extreme as to give new life to the ...See the full content of this document
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