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Following is an introduction to a Social Justice Issue: "Migration: Needs Understanding and Action for Justice." (Thai Vue, an inspirational person, is a complementary piece.) Links to web sites are included for *in-depth information, *analysis, *action ideas, *contacts, and *organizing initiatives. You are encouraged to use the links to take you to facets of this issue that speak to your heart, mind, and desire to unite your faith with action. |
Migration
—Needs Understanding and Action for Justice
Introduction Immigration in the United States
Undocumented Immigrants Refugees
Children in Immigration Detention Contributions of Immigrants
Efforts for Immigration Reform Action Alerts!
In the world today, there are over 150 million migrants. Among these, it is estimated there are more than fifteen million refugees. Most of these people languish in camps with no hope of a durable solution to their plight. Yearly, hundreds of thousands each year seek to legally immigrate to the United States. Others lack means to come legally to the United States and cross U.S. borders without documents in order to seek a better life for themselves and their loved ones.
Many of these live in difficult situations: they face exploitation from employers who take advantage of their vulnerability, fear of deportation, long separation from family members, and suspicion and discrimination from those who view the newcomer with hostility. The issue of migration begs for understanding and action for justice.
The history of the United States is a history of migration. All peoples here have ancestors coming from other lands and nations; from the early Asians who crossed the narrow Alaskan straits to become the first “native” Americans, to the European explorers who “discovered” the New World, to the Africans who were brought here as slaves, to the myriad immigrants of all nationalities. Migration continues today. The Center for Immigration Studies provides a comprehensive profile of the foreign-born population in the United States.
The U.S. admits between 700,00 and 900,00 legal immigrants each year. Most immigration has three components -- family, employment, and humanitarian.
Undocumented immigrants are drawn by jobs and family connections. Migrants are recruited in their home countries to come to the U. S. to fill low-skilled, low-wage jobs to support their families. Smuggling rings abound, and migrants often sell all they have to find work, most often in agriculture, meat and poultry processing, and the garment industry. They work under harsh and abusive conditions surrounded by fear. The typical Mexican worker earns one-tenth of his/her U.S. counterpart, so U.S. businesses are willing to hire such cheap labor.
To stop migration, the U.S. increased its Border Patrol and built fences in El Paso and San Diego. The fences push migrants into Arizona, New Mexico, and less hospitable desert areas. Fences have brought a major increase in migrant deaths. Victims have suffocated in tractor-trailers, drowned in canals, and died of heat-related disorders in the deserts.
Immigrants include refugees -- people who have been forced to flee their home countries because of human rights abuse or fear of future abuse. The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees defines refugees as persons who have
crossed borders due to a "well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion." (Examples of this are the inspiring stories of Thai Vue, who fled the horrors of Laos, and of Anh Pham, after escaping war-torn Vietnam.)
Since September 11, 2001, refugee admissions to the United States have been cut by politicians in Washington, due mainly to a fear of terrorism and an obsolete asylum program. There is a strong anti-immigrant movement in the United States and in many other nations. An Amnesty International update reports on how "U.S." treatment of refugees and asylum-seekers has become much harsher."
However, there are also actions that reflect the words on the Statue of Liberty: "Give me your tired, your poor..." One example is the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Justice for Immigrants: A Journey of Hope campaign "designed to unite and mobilize a growing network of Catholic institutions, individuals, and other persons of good faith in support of a broad legalization program and comprehensive immigration reform."
The number of unaccompanied children detained in the United States has been rising. On any given day, it is estimated that 500 children are held in U.S. immigration detention, often in harsh conditions in secure, jail-like facilities designed for juvenile offenders. Escaping political persecution or fleeing war, abusive families or other dangerous conditions in their home countries, these children -- ranging in age from toddlers to teenagers -- arrive in the U.S. unaccompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
These children are not charged with any crime, but are held until resolution of their immigration status. Amnesty International’s report, Why Am I Here? Children in Immigration Detention, released June 18, 2003, details the violations against immigrant children.
According to Department of Commerce statistics, foreign-born workers comprise 11.4 percent of all U.S. workers and 16 percent of all service workers in the United States. Estimates are that immigrant households paid $133 billion in direct taxes to federal, state, and local governments in 1997. Undocumented immigrants contribute at least $3,300 billion to the U.S. gross national product annually.
Immigrants have served in the military and have had a role in every war through U.S. history. Nearly half a million of the men drafted for World War I were immigrants from 46 nations. They made up 18 percent of the total U.S. force. More than 20 percent of the recipients of the Medal of Honor for bravery in wartime have been immigrants. At least nine of the immigrants killed in the Iraqi war were classified as "noncitizens."
- Spring 2007: Thousands marched to push for comprehensive, pro-immigrant reform.
- Spring 2005: Worship resources on farm worker justice, including prayers, readings, litanies, Scripture passages and more
- March 2005: CIW and Taco Bell reach historic agreement
- March 2004: Oxfam America's report, Like Machines in the Fields: Workers Without Rights in American
- January 2003: The Catholic Bishops of Mexico and the United States issued a pastoral letter concerning migration, Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope. (Other faith traditions also have spoken out about the treatment of immigrants.)
In June 2007, the Senate failed to vote for “cloture” and therefore comprehensive immigration reform bill is dead, likely until after the 2008 presidential elections. Efforts are focused on urging senators to cosponsor AgJOBS as a stand alone measure and on its own merits to strengthen U.S.A. agriculture.
Help bring about immigration reform that is faith-based and just:
- Attend the Welcoming the Sojourner conference, October 16-18, 2008.
- In a study group, use For You Were Once a Stranger: Immigration in the U.S. Through the Lens of Faith
to reflect on what religious traditions say about immigrations and to engage in meaningful action for creating a just and humane immigration program.
- Celebrate International Migrants Day on December 18. Plan an interfaith prayer service using Celebrating Immigrants, prepared by Interfaith Worker Justice.
- As part of a group/class, watch the PBS series Meet the New Americans.
- Study and discuss these pastoral letters: Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope and For I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food.
- Learn about immigrant experiences in Border of Death, Valley of Life: An Immigrant Journey of Heart and Spirit.
- Since many U.S. farm workers are immigrants, work with the National Farm Worker Ministry in supporting "farm workers as they organize for empowerment, justice, and equality." Use their worship resources.
Modified August 29, 2008.