October 9, 2019
The War Against Immigrants:
Implications for Democracy and Community Action
Patricia Fernandez-Kelly
Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Migration and Development, Princeton University
Patricia Fernández-Kelly and Shirley Satterfield, Introducer
Minutes of the Fifth Meeting of the 78th Year
President Coale called the Fifth meeting of the Old Guard’s 78th year to order at 10:15 AM. The invocation was lead by Julie Denny. Helena Bienstock read the minutes of the prior meeting.
Guest: Bill Russel introduced Mary Keath, his sister.
The number in attendance was 88.
Shirley Satterfield introduced our guest speaker, Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, Professor of Sociology and Faculty Associate in the Office of Population Research. She is also the Director of the Center for Migration and Development at Princeton University. Professor Fernandez-Kelly is also the Chair of LALDEF (Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund), a grassroots nonprofit organization formed to defend the civil rights of Latin American immigrants and facilitate their access to health care and education in the Mercer County area.
Professor Fernandez-Kelly started her presentation by paraphrasing President Trump in 2015:
Guest: Bill Russel introduced Mary Keath, his sister.
The number in attendance was 88.
Shirley Satterfield introduced our guest speaker, Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, Professor of Sociology and Faculty Associate in the Office of Population Research. She is also the Director of the Center for Migration and Development at Princeton University. Professor Fernandez-Kelly is also the Chair of LALDEF (Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund), a grassroots nonprofit organization formed to defend the civil rights of Latin American immigrants and facilitate their access to health care and education in the Mercer County area.
Professor Fernandez-Kelly started her presentation by paraphrasing President Trump in 2015:
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When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They are bringing drugs and crime. They are rapists…
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She then quoted one of our most cherished founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, who wrote in a letter in 1743:
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Those who come are generally of the most Stupid Sort… not being used to liberty, now they come in droves, they will soon so outnumber us that all the advantages we have will not in My Opinion be able to preserve our language and even our Government…
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By the way, Franklin was referring to German immigrants who today constitute a major proportion of white ancestry in the U.S.
These two statements perfectly illustrate the continuity in perception. Immigrants to the U.S. have always confronted prejudice as well as the demonization of outsiders. Exploitation AND opportunity have been the fare of immigrants.
New immigrants are typically seen in terms of national origin. As they adjust to their new environment, they are seen as distinct and foreign in terms of culture, language, religion, etc. If they succeed in moving their children into higher levels of education and/or business formation, then assimilation proceeds and subsequent generations become American. When the state intervenes with benefits, such as land grants and free education, the upward journey is greatly facilitated.
However, this journey doesn’t happen when high levels of hostility trigger marginalization and ensuing lack of economic opportunity. The involuntary migration of African Americans illustrates this aborted assimilation. Large numbers of African Americans continue to face shorter life spans, higher rates of incarceration, higher poverty and its associated ailments: all the result of past accumulated, inter-generational discrimination.
Two main factors explain the outcome of migration:
Here is a quick chronology of immigration:
Meanwhile, between 2009 and 2015, more than 2.5 million deportations happened, more than the cumulative amount under all 20th century presidents.
At the same time, permanent and temporary immigration programs thrived. In 2015, one million plus immigrants are admitted for permanent residence. More than half of H-1B visas went to immigrants from India.
Right now, at risk of deportation are 12 million undocumented immigrants, of which 2.5 million are Dreamers; i.e., they are children born and educated here.
In 2015, 242,450 Mexicans were deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while 268,834 were admitted for temporary agricultural labor. In other words, the government is setting up a revolving door where the same type of immigrants are deported by ICE and granted work visas by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
At present, we are seeing an escalation of asylum seekers from Central America, reaching a total of 3.5 million, of which El Salvador and Guatemala account for about 70%.
Given the present hostility towards immigrants from Mexico and Central America, will they and their children face aborted integration and persistent racialization, a form of exclusion such as African Americans have persistently experienced?
How can we respond to growing levels of hostility against immigrants?
The Latin American Legal Defense And Education Fund (LALDEF) founded in 2004 by local residents offers English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, legal referrals, tax preparation assistance, health fairs, etc. LALDEF serves about 3,000 people in the community.
Respectfully submitted,
Miquelon L. Weyeneth
These two statements perfectly illustrate the continuity in perception. Immigrants to the U.S. have always confronted prejudice as well as the demonization of outsiders. Exploitation AND opportunity have been the fare of immigrants.
New immigrants are typically seen in terms of national origin. As they adjust to their new environment, they are seen as distinct and foreign in terms of culture, language, religion, etc. If they succeed in moving their children into higher levels of education and/or business formation, then assimilation proceeds and subsequent generations become American. When the state intervenes with benefits, such as land grants and free education, the upward journey is greatly facilitated.
However, this journey doesn’t happen when high levels of hostility trigger marginalization and ensuing lack of economic opportunity. The involuntary migration of African Americans illustrates this aborted assimilation. Large numbers of African Americans continue to face shorter life spans, higher rates of incarceration, higher poverty and its associated ailments: all the result of past accumulated, inter-generational discrimination.
Two main factors explain the outcome of migration:
- Immigrants’ level of human capital
- Context of reception at the point of destination
Here is a quick chronology of immigration:
- Mexicans represent the longest voluntary and continued migration to the U.S. The 1848 War transformed the population identity of Texas, California, New Mexico, and Arizona. These populations were not immigrants, but people whose ancestors lived there long before it became American territory.
- In the 1930s, Mexicans were understood to be an inferior race, suited for agricultural labor. During the Depression, Mexicans were repatriated under the suspicion that they unfairly stole jobs from “real” Americans.
- In the 1950s, 1.3 million Mexicans were deported as a result of Operation Wetback.
- In 1965, The Family Reunification Act allowed populations of Latin Americans (mostly Mexico) as well as Asians to bring family members to the U.S. Most immigrant Mexicans were located in the Southwest and worked in agriculture.
- In 1986, under President Reagan, close to three million people acquired legal status under the Immigration and Control Act.
- In 1996, there was a change of tone: The Illegal Immigration Reform and Responsibility Act ushered in the punitive escalation against undocumented immigrants.
- With 9/11, immigration shifted from labor management to national security. With the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, immigrants did not return to their country for fear of deportation. This marked the end of circular migration. The end result has been a swelling of the undocumented population to about 12 million.
- The first DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) bill stalled in 2001.
- President Obama enacted DACA (Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals) in 2010. This executive order was then reversed by President Trump.
Meanwhile, between 2009 and 2015, more than 2.5 million deportations happened, more than the cumulative amount under all 20th century presidents.
At the same time, permanent and temporary immigration programs thrived. In 2015, one million plus immigrants are admitted for permanent residence. More than half of H-1B visas went to immigrants from India.
Right now, at risk of deportation are 12 million undocumented immigrants, of which 2.5 million are Dreamers; i.e., they are children born and educated here.
In 2015, 242,450 Mexicans were deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while 268,834 were admitted for temporary agricultural labor. In other words, the government is setting up a revolving door where the same type of immigrants are deported by ICE and granted work visas by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
At present, we are seeing an escalation of asylum seekers from Central America, reaching a total of 3.5 million, of which El Salvador and Guatemala account for about 70%.
Given the present hostility towards immigrants from Mexico and Central America, will they and their children face aborted integration and persistent racialization, a form of exclusion such as African Americans have persistently experienced?
How can we respond to growing levels of hostility against immigrants?
The Latin American Legal Defense And Education Fund (LALDEF) founded in 2004 by local residents offers English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, legal referrals, tax preparation assistance, health fairs, etc. LALDEF serves about 3,000 people in the community.
Respectfully submitted,
Miquelon L. Weyeneth