Heather MacDonald Ping!
Posted on 04/17/2006 6:58:25 AM PDT by rellimpank
With last month's mass demonstrations of illegal aliens, the United States has entered the era of postmodern rights. The protesters looked like conventional rights demonstrators, with their raised fists, chants, and banners. But unlike political protesters of the past, the illegal-alien marchers invoked no legal basis for their claims. Their argument boils down to: "We are here, therefore we have a right to the immigration status we desire." Like the postmodern signifier, this legal claim refers to nothing outside of itself; it is, in the jargon of deconstruction, a presence based on an absence.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
I say give them those criminals what they want. Treat them like American citizens.
First, sic the IRS on them. Charge them with federal tax evasion charges. Then hit them with failure to register for selective service.
Oh you mean they don't want to be treated like citizens now? What those invaders really want is to be above the law.
Excellent article.
Good article.The demonstrations woke a lot of citizens up.Illegals are not only in violation of the law and demanding rights they don't have,but they're trying to coerce/intimidate America into giving them citizenship.The question is,will our elected polititians cave in?
Los Estados Unidos del Norte.
Brazil claims to be the "United States of the South".
They can be charged with those crimes now. Just because you're in the country illegally doesn't mean you can't be prosecuted. Just means you should do jail time before you get deported.
And remember that any amnesty will have to include no prosecution for these crimes as well as the myriad other immigration and document fraud crimes. Funny how no one ever mentions that in the debates.
At this time in American history we have a group of foreigners of incredible size committing ongoing crimes - do you think that 10 million illegals sweated out their 1040's this last weekend?
But the people who supposedly serve us have no interest in carrying out their duty to prosecute them. They smirk and say, "they only come to work. We must do something for them".
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
MEXICAN AND AMERICAN BISHOPS HAVE BEEN QUITE SPOKEN FAVORING THE ILLEGAL INMIGRATION TO THE EE.UU., BUT AS FAR AS I KNOW, THEY NEVER CONDEMNED THE MEXICAN SEVERE IMMIGRATION LAWS, MUCH LESS THEY NEVER DARED TO CHALLENGE THE MEXICAN CATHOLICS TO VIOLATE MEXICAN IMMIGRATION LAWS.
Mexico’s Immigration Law: Let’s Try it Here at Home
By J. Michael Waller
Mexico has a radical idea for a rational immigration policy that most Americans would love. However, Mexican officials haven’t been sharing that idea with us as they press for our Congress to adopt the McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill.
That’s too bad, because Mexico, which annually deports more illegal aliens than the United States does, has much to teach us about how it handles the immigration issue.
Under Mexican law, it is a felony to be an illegal alien in Mexico.
At a time when the Supreme Court and many politicians seek to bring American law in line with foreign legal norms, it’s noteworthy that nobody has argued that the US look at how Mexico deals with immigration and what it might teach us about how best to solve our illegal immigration problem. Mexico has a single, streamlined law that ensures that foreign visitors and immigrants are:
• in the country legally;
• have the means to sustain themselves economically;
• not destined to be burdens on society;
• of economic and social benefit to society;
• of good character and have no criminal records; and
• contributors to the general well-being of the nation.
The law also ensures that:
• immigration authorities have a record of each foreign visitor;
• foreign visitors do not violate their visa status;
• foreign visitors are banned from interfering in the country’s internal politics;
• foreign visitors who enter under false pretenses are imprisoned or deported;
• foreign visitors violating the terms of their entry are imprisoned or deported;
• those who aid in illegal immigration will be sent to prison.
Who could disagree with such a law? It makes perfect sense. The Mexican constitution strictly defines the rights of citizens – and the denial of many fundamental rights to noncitizens, illegal and illegal. Under the constitution, the Ley General de Población, or General Law on Population, spells out specifically the country’s immigration policy.
It is an interesting law – and one that should cause us all to ask, Why is our great
southern neighbor pushing us to water down our own immigration laws and policies, when its own immigration restrictions are the toughest on the continent? If a felony is a crime punishable by more than one year in prison, then Mexican law makes it a felony to be an illegal alien in Mexico.
If the United States adopted such statutes, Mexico no doubt would denounce it as a manifestation of American racism and bigotry.
Mexico’s Immigration Law: Let’s Try it Here at Home 2
We looked at the immigration provisions of the Mexican constitution.[1] Now let’s look at Mexico’s main immigration law.
Mexico welcomes only foreigners who will be useful to Mexican society:
• Foreigners are admitted into Mexico “according to their possibilities of
contributing to national progress.” (Article 32)
• Immigration officials must “ensure” that “immigrants will be useful elements for
the country and that they have the necessary funds for their sustenance” and for
their dependents. (Article 34)
• Foreigners may be barred from the country if their presence upsets “the
equilibrium of the national demographics,” when foreigners are deemed
detrimental to “economic or national interests,” when they do not behave like
good citizens in their own country, when they have broken Mexican laws, and
when “they are not found to be physically or mentally healthy.” (Article 37)
• The Secretary of Governance may “suspend or prohibit the admission of
foreigners when he determines it to be in the national interest.” (Article 38)
Mexican authorities must keep track of every single person in the country:
• Federal, local and municipal police must cooperate with federal immigration
authorities upon request, i.e., to assist in the arrests of illegal immigrants. (Article
73)
• A National Population Registry keeps track of “every single individual who
comprises the population of the country,” and verifies each individual’s identity.
(Articles 85 and 86)
• A national Catalog of Foreigners tracks foreign tourists and immigrants (Article
87), and assigns each individual with a unique tracking number (Article 91).
Foreigners with fake papers, or who enter the country under false pretenses, may be
imprisoned:
• Foreigners with fake immigration papers may be fined or imprisoned. (Article
116)
• Foreigners who sign government documents “with a signature that is false or
different from that which he normally uses” are subject to fine and imprisonment.
(Article 116)
Foreigners who fail to obey the rules will be fined, deported, and/or imprisoned as felons:
• Foreigners who fail to obey a deportation order are to be punished. (Article 117)
• Foreigners who are deported from Mexico and attempt to re-enter the country
without authorization can be imprisoned for up to 10 years. (Article 118)
Mexico’s Immigration Law: Let’s Try it Here at Home 3
• Foreigners who violate the terms of their visa may be sentenced to up to six years in prison (Articles 119, 120 and 121). Foreigners who misrepresent the terms of their visa while in Mexico – such as working with out a permit – can also be imprisoned.
Under Mexican law, illegal immigration is a felony. The General Law on Population says,
• “A penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine of three hundred to five
thousand pesos will be imposed on the foreigner who enters the country
illegally.” (Article 123)
• Foreigners with legal immigration problems may be deported from Mexico
instead of being imprisoned. (Article 125)
• Foreigners who “attempt against national sovereignty or security” will be
deported. (Article 126)
Mexicans who help illegal aliens enter the country are themselves considered criminals under the law:
• A Mexican who marries a foreigner with the sole objective of helping the
foreigner live in the country is subject to up to five years in prison. (Article 127)
• Shipping and airline companies that bring undocumented foreigners into Mexico
will be fined. (Article 132)
All of the above runs contrary to what Mexican leaders are demanding of the United States. The stark contrast between Mexico’s immigration practices versus its American immigration preachings is telling. It gives a clear picture of the Mexican government’s agenda: to have a one-way immigration relationship with the United States.
Let’s call Mexico’s bluff on its unwarranted interference in U.S. immigration policy.
Let’s propose, just to make a point, that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) member nations standardize their immigration laws by using Mexico’s own law as a model.
[1] “Mexico’s Glass House,” Center for Security Policy Occasional Paper, April 3, 2006.
All depends on the elections this year. The get-tough-on-illegals Republicans are doing well in the polls, but those GOPers favoring the amnesty proposed by Frist, McCain and Kennedy liekly won't be re-elected. What this means is that unless the GOP takes illegal immigration seriously, congress will pass to the Dems and they will grant amnesty.
Which ever way the elections go,my gut feeling is Congress will come up with a "compromise agreement" that will appear tough on illegals simply to placate voters.I think we(conservatives and moderates)have lost out already.
Unfortunately, GWBush and Co. (in both parties) have allowed the illegal alien hispanics to be the protected class in America.
The consequences of this novel argument are not insignificant: the demise of nation-states and of the rule of law. Remember: The only basis for the illegals' demands is: "I am here." The "I am here" argument could be made by anyone anywhere — a Moroccan sneaking into Sweden could make the same demand for legal status. In one stroke, the border-breaking lobby has nullified the entire edifice of American immigration law and with it, sovereignty itself. None of the distinctions in that law matter, the advocates say. The conditions for legal entry? Null and void. The democratically chosen priorities for who may enter the country and who not? Give me a break! In other words, the United States has no right to decide who may come across its borders and what legal status an alien may obtain upon arrival. Those decisions remain solely the prerogative of the alien himself. The border no longer exists.
If we don't get this under control we quite simply don't have a nation anymore.
--I'm afraid we already may be past that point--
Yup. They're the "real 'Mericans" now, apparently, according to our self-selected overseers.
Hey, after all, this is "their" continent, right? All the Inidan tribes of North America never existed! It was all the property of the Aztecs. Or the Spanish. Or the Mestizo's. Or...Or....they're not sure, just not them damn gringo's!
What a comedy.
Heather didn't go far enough, which is unusual for her.
What we are seeing now with the asserted mass right to "immigrate" is actually an assertion of a right to Invade. If taken at face value, the notion that "anyone who desires to be here has a right to be here" doesn't have any upper bound on numbers - so why picture it as just a few people casually ambling into the country every now and then? Why not an army?
If we accept the logic being advanced by garbage like Kennedy, that "it's a new civil right to 'immigrate' to the United States", then why not an organized immigration of 10 divisions of the Red Chinese Army?
If they arrive on ships with civilian clothing on, leave the ships in an orderly manner (carrying their weapons, naturally, because doesn't the Constitution extend the right to keep and bear arms?), then do we have the right to stop them?
Not if you buy this "right".
A casual analysis of the nonsense being uttered now reveals totally absurd and ludicrous outcomes if we were to actually go along with it.
Let's toss in a martyr or two ... with apologies in advance for the size of the photo (from LA Indymedia)
IMO, schools are going about this the wrong way. These "poor immigrant children" (with cell phones that text message) should be locked OUT once they leave class ... not locked IN.
Another interesting article also linked to from LA Indymedia by Trotskista Fraction (Babelfish translation). Trotskista has a nice hammer & sickle graphic on its web site. Possibly the students above should add a third flag ...
Down the racist laws of North American imperialism
by Trotskista Fraction - the Fourth International Monday, Apr. 17, 2006 AT 10:15 A.M.
to ft@ft.org.ar
Declaration of the Trotskista Fraction - the Fourth International Down the racist laws of North American imperialism By the unit of the working class, all the support to the immigrants in the United States Outside the imperialism of Latin America
The mobilizations of more of a million people in the United States, with center in the Angels (Californian) put on the rug the problem of illegal immigration. These mobilizations, until today enormously controlled, have gotten to untie an important participation of youthful sectors, mainly Latin secondary students, who against the threats of the authorities march spontaneously against reactionary law HR 4437.
This ample mobilization of Latin, as well as Asian, has struck in the main cities like expression of a movement that comes being developed against the reactionary migratory policies, and more in general against the oppression who suffers, not only the Latin community, but also the black, Asian community and Arab (that comes being struck specially from 2001).
In spite of the enormous presence of working immigrants, to the front of the marches are religious leaders (mainly of the catholic church), industralists and politicians, mainly democratic. Party Democratic, that in the last elections lost weight in the Latin community because it did not present/display in the matter of migration (nor in any other subject) alternative some forehead to the republicans, has taken the lead of this movement, with the clear one of intention to contain the enormous phenomenon that has arisen. It is not necessary to forget that one of the figures most outstanding of the march in Los Angeles was the own mayor of the city Antonio Villarraigosa (a democrat in the heat of ascent). These leaders try and will try to cut by root any movilizador potential mainly and any "legal" impact that can have between the American working class and the million white poor men, black and immigrants who live in that country. Its objective to canalize this mobilization is not a secret: to take to million that are against to the militarization of the border and the criminalization of the undocumented people behind the law MacCain/Kennedy, supported by the same Bush and the patterns.
During years the employer's association comes using the immigrants as cheap manual labor, contracting workers without democratic nor union rights, with the lowest wages. In the United States they live more than twelve million undocumented workers submissive the operation capitalist and forced to live in the shade of the illegality. It is this employer's association the one that supports to alive voice "the alternative" law of the Senate, the same law that cynically impels the democrats within the same movement, with the help of union leaders and figures of the Latin community.
The debate on the immigration, opened by the partial approval of the law extreme-reactionary HR4437, who turns criminals the working immigrants and militarizes the border with Mexico, has untied the mobilization. The "agreement" between democratic republican senators and, the industralists and until the same Bush try to use it to approve a law whose only objective is to legalize the hiring of cheap manual labor and maintains the central pillars of the present imperialistic policy towards the immigrants.
The cynicism of Bush, the democrats and the industralists do not have limit, today they fill the mouth speaking of the rights from those who flee exactly from their countries of origin because of the hunger plans and misery that the same North American imperialism imposes in the region, and are accepted by the cipayos regimes of Latin America.
In own Latin America the repressive policy of the imperialistic state is done echo in the cipayos governments who are accomplices direct or indirectly, or blocking the transit of immigrants, like the Mexican government who deposits hopes (and thus he generates expectations) in the law of Bush and in addition he restrains the passage of Central American brothers by his South border, deporting them (after putting under them only comparable humiliations with that it applies the patrol of North American border).
Meanwhile, other cipayos do not stop to praise the North American master, allowing the parking of troops (like Colombia, Ecuador or Paraguay). But the extended cipayaje more without doubts is the application of the economic plans that put under in our continent million the poverty, while they give our natural resources, and they become rich making businesses at the cost of the operation of the "advantage" of the cheap manual labor. In this sense the new Free Trade Agreement, like the CAFTA (in Central America) or the TLC that impels the cipayos imperialism and governments, does not represent another thing that to reinforce this submission.
No of the laws in dance is legalization guarantee neither grants to the working immigrants the elementary rights the more in the country where it governs the ominous Patriotic Act, that limits the democratic rights of the set of the population, in special of its workers and the million immigrants (still the "legal ones").
The entrance in scene of the immigrants, who represent an exploded sector of the American labor movement (next to the black workers and the working women) can play a very progressive roll in the present situation that crosses the proletariado one of the set in the United States. Their organized sectors, that today do not have answer as opposed to the supervisory attacks, will find in the independent mobilization of the undocumented immigrants today a fort allied in the fight against the same employer's association and the government that attack their conquests, after the speech of a "competitive labor market". Today more than ever, the combative working organizations and of left must bet to that mobilization and the unit of unshakeable class front to the racist attack and xenófobo that base between the white working class will look for that sees day day how their labor conditions fall drastically while the great employer's association becomes rich with the tax advantages and the "facilities" that to him the republican government and his democratic partisans grant.
In front of this offensive on the brothers immigrants we say:
Down the racist laws of imperialism: The imperialistic laws are not an alternative for the workers. The recent "agreement", that not even managed to be approved in the Senate as propose (joined by the most preservative sectors) it is a new deceit for the million undocumented workers. It will generate new divisions between the immigrants (dividing them in categories of illegal) and only will reinforce the persecution of all those that are in favor of outside the law.
Total legalization of all the immigrants who live and work in the United States. Equal rights and equal wage for all the workers and workers. Unit of the working class to face the supervisory attacks, the same government who criminalizes and persecutes the undocumented workers is the one who impose the laws anti-workers, attacks the wage, the medical insurance and the retirements of all the workers.
Not to the policies of persecution and militarization of the border. The set of the workers must be against to the repressive measures that today affect the immigrants. It is necessary to face the propaganda anti-immigrant and the discrimination that has been historically a tool of the patterns. Each working persecuted and deported immigrant will debilitate the fight of the working class. Each measurement against laws and practices discriminatorias will fortify to the set of the proletariado one. In the way to unite to all the working class it is necessary to finish with racism and the discrimination that exists in the own rows of the workers. During decades it has pierced the racist speech deep, imposing cultural and economic ethnic divisions, of sort. The North American working class will be able to face the supervisory attacks if it gives by earth with these divisions and faces his own government.
Unit with the workers of all the continent. The immigrants who arrive at the United States, flee from their countries of origin product of the plans of hunger and misery imposed by North American imperialism, and even political and military interventions. The fight against the imperialistic plans fortifies the fight of the immigrants, and a triumph of the immigrants in the heart of the United States would be a hard blow for those who imposes the imperialistic sacking of our continent.
From this perspective we denounced the conciliadora policy of the main union, AFL-CIO, that during years allowed the hiring of workers without no right and encouraged the chauvinismo within the same working class. Today, the direction of the great unions goes behind the industralists and the supervisory politicians and support a law that legalizes the cheap manual labor and, far from being an alternative, will reinforce the supervisory abuses towards the working immigrants and will attack the set of the working class thus. At the same time it comes being the union bureaucracy the one that gives the working conquests, in spite of the new samples from fight will as the strike of the transport in New York or the Boeing in 2005.
Today more than ever, in front of the new trap of the supervisory politicians who will try to use the migratory debate to make electoral campaign and demagoguery towards the enormous Latin community and at the same time continue seeding divisions between the working class organized, centrally between the poor and black white sectors which they see the immigrants like competition in the work market, we must impel the amplest mobilization of the working class by the defense of the undocumented workers and by the rights of all the workers. The unions that group to great sectors immigrants (like SEIU and UNITE-HERE, who say to be against to the creation of workers of second with the temporary visa program) must impel it decidedly and retire their support to the democratic party and the industralists.
As in our continent North American imperialism tries to impose its interests anywhere in the world, using all the means available. Thus it has been maintaining for three years the military occupation of Iraq, against million that were mobilized around the world against the war and even against thousands that was mobilized in their own country. The workers and students of the United States, where ample sectors are demanding the retirement of the troops of Iraq, must mobilize themselves and actively support all the efforts of the masses of the region to obtain the aim of the occupation and the immediate exit of the imperialistic troops, and to support with the towns of Iraq and all Middle East which they face the political offensive, military and diplomatic of North American imperialism.
The workers of all Latin America we must support and bet to the amplest independent mobilization of the immigrants, in unit with all the North American working class, in the perspective to fortify to our strategic ally in the fight against the oppression and the imperialistic operation.
The oppression and the operation divide us sides to both of the border. Only one revolutionary perspective will be able to unite to the workers and the town of all the continent.
TheTrotskista-Cuarta Fraction the International is conformed by PTS (Started off of Workers by the Socialism) of Argentina, the LTS (League of Workers by the Socialism) of Mexico, the LOR-CI (Revolutionary Working League by the Fourth International) of Bolivia, LER-QI (Liga Estrategia Revolucionaria) of Brazil, Class against Class of Chile, JIR (Youth of Revolutionary Left) of Venezuela and FT Europe.
www.ft-ci.org
Shudder to think of it.
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