(Name-mce) ListServ City Vents Anger at Illegal Immigrants

[Sabine E. Teaver]

NAME-MCE - National Association for Multicultural Education EmailDiscussion
Group <Name-mce at nameorg.org> on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 at 8:26 AM -0500 wrote:
>I agree with Anne Dobson. I am very glad she has opened up the discussion
>about the issue of immigration and legality/illegality. It is an issue of
>illegality, but it is also an issue of the national origin of the immigrants.
>How much uproar would there be if they were all from Europe, especially
>central and northern Europe? Or from Africa, north or south. Or Asia. Would
>there be the same concerns voiced in a similar manner?

Good point. How about international students (secondary and post-secondary) who
overstay their visas? MIght there be a stigma attached to Mexican-origin
immigrants or immigrants from Latin America?

> As for taking jobs Americans won't do, I have heard it convincingly argued
>that, if companies had to pay decent wages, they would have no trouble finding
>Americans to work for them. That, in fact, it is American companies who are
>putting so much pressure on Congress to allow illegal immigrants so that they
>can keep wages down.

I work with some immigrant families whose members work in poultry processing
companies who pay $10.00 - $15.00 per hour. The issue sometimes is not so much
pay but the sheer unpleasantness (to put it mildly) of the work. Imagine to
work 8 hours and more per day in an ice-cold poultry plant using metal scissors
to extra bones from chicken breasts. One of the Mexican women with whom I work
can barely move her hands at the end of the day because all day long she
clutches the scissors, executes the same repetitive movement, and touches
refrigerated meat. She cannot stretch out all of her fingers anymore. Same goes
for many construction jobs. Some pay up to $20.00, especially for brick work.
But how long can a body sustain the hard work? Especially for construction,
some research has shown that only those White high school drop outs or grads go
into construction who have a family connnection (father also worked in
construction or owns a construction business). 


> There are so many issues involved in the question of immigration

Yes, very complex issue  that will not be solved by a simplistic approach.
Today's illegal/undocumented/unauthorized (take your pick) immigrants are
tomorrow's citizens. Has always been the case, if history can serve as a
teacher. By the way, we might look at how other countries are handling the
issue of illegal immigration because the U.S. is certainly not alone with this
problem nor does it take in more immigrants than other countries (legal or
illegal).


> that I am very glad to see Anne's opinion so well expressed. I hope others
>will continue the discussion.

I hope so, too. Thanks for bringing this issue up. It certainly is in the news
every day, as can be expected in a mid-term election year.




Give a dad a fish, and he will eat it. Teach a dad to fish, and he will drink
beer on the dock. (Shoebox Cards)
 

Sabine E. Teaver                                                  
Division of Educational Studies
Suite 240
Emory University
1784 North Decatur Road
Atlanta, GA 30322
Phone: 404-727-0622 (Emory)
Fax: 404-727-4990 (Emory)
Phone/Fax: 770-965-9565 (home)



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