Embracing Immigrants

Immigration has been the topic of choice over the last handful weeks. Spurring numerous protests and astoundingly simple debates, it seems that immigration may become America’s latest wedge issue. At issue- how the government should deal with the scores of undocumented immigrants who work for paltry wages at the benefit of homeowners, corporations, and small business owners.

Even more interesting are the varied opinions of black folk on the matter. Spend time in any barber shop, church, or cramped plastic covered living room couch and you’re sure to find yourself confronted by the viewpoint that immigration is the new obstacle impeding the progress of the black community. Common wisdom presents as follows:

Undocumented immigrants are taking the low-skilled jobs that normally go to African Americans, thus greatly diminishing the earning potential of many working class blacks, blah, blah, blah… 

To be sure, there is plenty of empirical evidence that shows that the decades long influx of low skilled laborers does negatively impact the wages of America’s native-born workers. In fact, the latest report by Harvard researchers, George Borjas and Leonard Katz shows that Mexican immigration diminishes the earning of native born high school drop outs by 8 percent. Small beans considering the myriad of other factors that impact black employment (such as multi-syllabic first names).  Nevertheless, the common assertion that blacks are impacted negatively by the influx of undocumented does indeed have some merit. 

However, the Bush administration’s “guest worker” proposal should be viewed as the larger threat to black progress. Situated as a compromise that would allow currently employed undocumented immigrants the opportunity to work legally, the compromise has been openly supported by business leaders. And rightfully so, considering that the measure would allow businesses the opportunity to continue to employ recently immigrated manual laborers at little cost without any worry of breaking the law. Moreover, (and here’s where things should begin to sound familiar) the law would give currently employed undocumented immigrants the right to work for low wages, but would strip them of the ability to become full citizens. That is, the 8- 20 million illegal immigrants (depends on who you ask) who toil daily on America’s farms, suburban yards, and take care of your bourgeoisie a@@ kids will not be allowed to vote - thus, creating a permanent underclass of temporary non citizen-workers. If you’re not humming Go down Moses yet, you’re missing the point. The guest worker program would allow another minority group to replay our post-emancipation past. Black support and/or silence in regard to this proposal would strip us of any moral high ground in the continuing struggle for equal rights.

Undocumented, brown, white, and black (big up to Haiti) immigrants stream into this country daily looking for work because they lack opportunities in their home countries. This is due in part to tremendous disparities in employment prospects and income across national economies. Today’s global economy benefits those with the ability to participate in information-based markets (your cousin who surfs the internet all day doesn’t count). Deregulation and free trade has expanded the number of democratic countries and the freedoms of their citizens. But make no mistake, the rise of neoliberlism and the dominance of multinational corporations has not raised the living standards of low level workers in most countries. In fact, its done the opposite- increasing the disparity between rich and poor classes. As a result, black, brown, and white low skilled workers across the world have been forced to find work by any means necessary- even if it means risking life and limb to exist in the shadows of the American labor market.

Granted, this is a very simplified explanation of a very complex global circumstance. There are a number of additional factors that have led us to today’s immigration employment dillemma and black Americans' unemployment dillemmas. However, for African Americans, even the simplified version should serve as a clarion call to reframe the next decade of civil rights work. The position of laborers across the world should move us to more overtly connect our ongoing advocacy for economic justice with the struggles of laborers across the world. Moving away from the seductive and divisive rhetoric of the “20 button black clergy clique”, hip hop drunk academics, and neoconservative ideologues, we should seek to develop even more coalitions with civil rights organizations in economically deprived countries. We must assume that the dilemmas of undocumented immigrants represent the new civil rights landscape. Any temporary guest worker program would diminish the collective voice of American laborers, giving corporate leaders even more political influence (be patient, most immigrants eventually come to embrace the pro-labor politics of unions, the NAACP, La Raza, and other justice oriented watch groups). The tenor of this proposal should move black leaders to think beyond the too often narrowly defined African American body politic and strategically engage discourse and policy concerning multi-ethnic economic interests at home and abroad.

We think Barack Obama has the right idea.  Read his book or visit his website to find out why.  Read more about African American perspectives on immigration here, courtesy of the New York Times.