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Blacks Differ on Immigration
By Jennifer Bihm, Los Angeles Sentinel
LOS ANGELES – Have African Americans become the middle child in the
national debate over illegal immigrants? Community residents appear
divided on President Bush's immigration bill when responding in an
exclusive Sentinel poll conducted during the heat of the debate.
When asked about the bill, Blacks offered strikingly different
opinions on the measure, defending their position based on their
economic status.
"We don't need any more," said Los Angeles resident Charonda who is
African American. "They're taking our jobs away. I remember I used
to work at McDonald's and I had get paid low wages because Hispanics
would come in and work for low wages. I didn't want to, so that's
money out of my pocket."
"I don't have a problem with Latinos or the fact that some are
trying to make a better life for themselves," said Delores who also
declined to give her last name. "But I do have a problem with the
fact that they want to have rights without responsibilities. They
cross the border and come here illegally and have the same rights
and freedoms we have.
"I don't think it's fair that they should make demands and ignore
the law under the guise of tolerance and civil rights. It makes me
angry... for them to say that they're taking jobs that [blacks]
won't even do... " That notion is false, she continued. It's that
they're taking jobs that pay such low wages that nobody else will be
able to live off them.
But some blacks like Phillip Smith, also a Los Angeles resident say
community members are wasting their time even debating the subject
and should take responsibility for their own well being.
"[Some] black people are attempting to preserve a position that they
no longer need," he said. "The whole issue is whether or not
Mexicans can come into California, Texas, Arizona and other states
to provide a low wage base certain jobs. These are jobs, which
allegedly, African Americans don't employ themselves in anyway.
"My gut reaction is that it is now 2006, some 200 years after
slavery ended. We should have taken ourselves to another level by
now. The bottom line is we're sitting up here saying we want to make
sure that we can continue to operate at the other level and be
cleaning ladies and gardeners, etc.
"If we want to be gardeners we should start gardening businesses and
compete with the Japanese. We should not be competing with Mexicans
who want to work for seven dollars an hour... If we're going to
consider ourselves competing with indigenous Indians who were
conquered by Spaniards then we don't have a lot of self esteem at
this point."
On Tuesday, community activist Reverend Al Sharpton urged Black
America to "get off the sidelines just watching this national debate
on immigration and become fully engaged on this issue." "Immigration
has and will continue to have a tremendous impact on the lives of
African Americans nationally," he said.
As far as farm labor, one anonymous resident, a long time black
farmer said, "Black people were out there doing it first. But we
didn't get the treatment they get as far as medical care, [adequate]
equipment... we were just thrown out there." When blacks protested
the miserable conditions, he said, that's when land owners brought
in Latinos and pushed them out. Nevertheless, he continued, "They
have the numbers. There's power in numbers. If we as black people
organized ourselves, we'd have that kind of power too..."
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved what citizens are calling
the McCain-Kennedy bill that would allow millions of illegal
immigrants currently residing here since before 2004 to stay and
work for six years legally if they pay a $1000 fine and clear a
criminal background check. Furthermore, illegal immigrants would
become eligible for citizenship if they pay another $1000, pay back
taxes and learn to speak English.
More than one million farm workers would be exempt from illegal
status for five years segueing into possible citizenship status
after that time period. Each year the United States government would
allow about 400,000 guest workers for a limited time, sending them
back home when they're done.
The new bill also calls for at least 14,000 border patrol officers
by 2011 and the exemption of religious and other charitable
organizations from repercussions for helping illegal immigrants get
basic services like healthcare.
Ironically, the legislation comes on the heels of an ongoing battle
(sometimes with bloodshed) here in Los Angeles - a longtime
destination for immigrants - between Blacks and Latinos.
Related Stories:
• Immigration: Where Blacks Stand
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=c1dbdfdb14af689402405e4d3c1df9b4
• Black Media Stress Human Rights Struggle of Immigrants
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=0f4bf2fbb4255db878e3c1542adc43af
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