| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Monday, September 29 2003 |
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| For years, a group of immigration advocates has been trying to bring attention to the plight of immigrant workers, but the conditions to restart the debate that was abandoned after 9-11 have been less than optimal. So these union leaders, lawyers, clergymen and others who are committed to the rights of immigrants have decided to adopt a formula that worked for black civil-rights activists in the 1960s. They are boarding buses and taking their claims on the road, all the way to the nation's capitol.
In 1961, the famous Freedom Rides were successful in shaking up the establishment. Black community leaders and religious leaders, along with their white supporters, took buses through the Deep South to point out the inhumanity of segregation. Some of them were beaten along the way, but they got their point across.
This week there are dozens of buses from all over the country, with hundreds of immigrants -- many of them undocumented -- and their supporters, including some of the original freedom riders of the '60s, on their way to Washington to call attention to what they consider a failed immigration system. They are hoping their experience will be less violent, but that in the end they, too, get their point across.
Granted, there is a difference between blacks fighting for the right to be treated as equals, to denounce the injustices perpetrated against them and to demand humane treatment, and any demands made by immigrants who are in the country illegally. But in much the same way blacks were treated as second-class citizens, immigrants -- who can only dream of citizenship -- feel they are now at the bottom of the social totem pole. These immigrant workers, who do many of the toughest jobs our economy demands, feel they are voiceless and powerless members of our society.
"We have a two-tier immigration system," said Hilda Marcella Delgado, a spokeswoman for the immigrant workers' freedom ride. She points out that while a Pew Hispanic Center survey found that immigrant workers generate $130 million for the national economy, they are systematically denied their rights.
Miguel Contreras agrees. He is the executive secretary of the AFL-CIO in Los Angeles. "We have to face reality -- these workers are not going back to their countries, and they are being exploited in the workplace." Contreras says the freedom rides hope to awaken the nation's consciousness about civil rights, just as the ones from the 1960s did.
To make sure someone listens, they planned at least 100 stops along the route to spread a message that seems pretty clear: Open the road to citizenship for immigrant workers, allow them to reunite with their families, restore labor protection and respect their civil rights.
Whether that is going to translate into changes in policy or legislation is the big question. The main goal is to put the debate about legalization back on the front burner. The immigration issue suffered a huge setback after 9-11. Bush administration officials recognize that reviving it won't be easy.
Secretary of State Colin Powell said recently that while he recognizes the important contributions Mexicans make to the United States, it is not practical to think that an amnesty of some kind could be granted to those without proper documentation. For his part, Roger Noriega, the newly appointed undersecretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, agrees that an immigration accord with Mexico is not a top priority.
Instead of sitting by and waiting for the government to do something about the plight of immigrants in this country, these 21st-century Freedom Riders are taking a page out of history, hoping a formula that worked for oppressed people more than 40 years ago will work again. But for that to happen, Washington lawmakers have to stop giving lip service about their concern for immigrant workers. They need to turn their words into legislation that leads to true immigration reform. |
