Despite clear differences of degree and historical context, the cases of anti-immigrant violence in South Africa and the United States demonstrate the urgency of tackling the issue of unauthorized immigration. Particularly in this climate of economic uncertainty, failure to do so only heightens the potential for destructive episodes of violence that may result in the loss of human life and tear the democratic fiber of our society. There may be those who ...
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Posted by Evan Derkacz
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Vásquez cites sobering examples of violence and persecution of 'the other'--a phenomenon that escalates as our choices are diminished and our standards of living drop.
As we seek solutions to the problem of undocumented immigration, we must resist the temptation of thinking only from the perspective of the nation-state. We must see how our own nation has been implicated in some of the dynamics that have actively encouraged undocumented immigration. After all, we have led and benefited from a global economic and political system which relies heavily on the transnational availability of abundant, cheap and pliant labor.
The task, then, is to design an immigration policy that addresses the demographic, ecological, economic and cultural needs and limits of this community we call America. This community has historically been guided by the values of inclusiveness, egalitarianism, and pluralism, even if it has not always lived up to these high ideals. A new immigration law should reflect these core values.
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It is always easier to blame the 'other' than to face our own shortcomings or inability to change our own circumstances no matter how hard we try. We will better understand the plight of immigrants when we are forced to emigrate to survive. Until then, I believe we will be happier, stronger, and healthier if we work together for the common good.