Immigrants Rights Battles Ahead
Immigration promises to be a major issue for the rest of the congressional session and into the November elections.
On May 15, Bush sent an unmistakable signal on the direction that he wants to take immigration reform, announcing plans to deploy 6000 members of the National Guard to the border with Mexico. This represents a leap in the longstanding trend towards militarizing the border region and observers agree it will result in more deaths of immigrants as they attempt to cross into the U.S. at more isolated points.
In the Senate, a consensus has emerged in support of a ‘guest worker program’ that, if enacted, locks immigrant workers into a second-class status of exploitation and oppression. The Senate has also gone on record in favor of discriminating against non-English speakers.
House legislation is oriented toward a crackdown on undocumented workers and most of the Republican majority is opposed to any measures that could be described as legalization or amnesty. This means it will be difficult for the House and Senate to agree on a common approach.
In this context, discussion is taking place in the immigrants’ rights movement. The powerful mobilizations of the undocumented have pushed the perimeters of the debate in Congress. Given that vigilance is needed to beat back any attacks, the challenge is to press for measures that lead to full equality and legalization and bringing enough people into the streets to make that happen.