By Richard Trotsky
In
recent weeks we have seen heart wrenching images of children in
tears, after being stripped from their parents arms. We have heard
the audio recordings of the terrified and confused children wondering
where their mothers or fathers are. We have witnessed the callous
disregard that elected officials have expressed for these unfortunate
individuals, and we have even seen some attempt to justify these
atrocious actions using religion as a means of justification. I
myself have been brought to tears imagining what I would do if I were
in that situation, and my two beautiful daughters were taken from me
in those circumstances. What heinous crime are these people guilty of
that could warrant such a cruel and inhumane course of action? That
of desiring a better life for themselves, and for their families. The
desire to be able to provide a sense of safety and security for the
ones they love and cherish.
Both
sides of my family, my mother’s and father’s, both emigrated
there from their respective home countries. I’m only a third
generation American, my great grandparents on my mother’s side came
to this country with the hopes of having a better life for themselves
and their children. As far as my father’s side, well, that’s more
of a bit of a mystery that my siblings have been unable to unravel,
so not much is known about it. Never the less, they left all they had
behind and came to this country longing for the embrace of Lady
Liberty as they were part of the huddled masses yearning to breathe
free. America has long been a beacon of hope for oppressed
millions throughout the decades and even to this very day, millions
more still see it as that beacon.
I
find it particularly appalling that the current administration has
acted in such an inhuman manner. Immigrants have been continually
painted in a broad stroke as criminals, thugs, and terminology has
been used that essentially compares them to some kind of infectious
disease that is a danger to average Americans and should be
eradicated. That seems like a significantly far cry from the words
Emma Lazarus wrote which are enshrined on the base of The Statue of
Liberty. Have we strayed so far from those ideals which led to
America becoming the great beacon of hope of which so many long to be
a part of? In short, the vast majority of us haven’t, yet it seems
there is a very thin layer of those who have. This layer, has somehow
entrenched itself in American politics, it has infected the fibers of
the moral fabric of our nation. Yes, I used the very term that has
been used incorrectly to demonize immigrants, as it’s much more
appropriate when used in this context.
This
blatant xenophobia is based on inaccurate statements made by the
president himself. Continuously making references to specific gangs
in South America in an attempt to mislead the masses into believing
there are thousands of these individuals coming across the border in
droves. The fact of the matter is quite the contrary, and actual
statistics show that there are not in fact thousands coming across
the border, but more along the lines of several hundred. Hardly the
quantity that the president would have us believe. That comes as no
surprise, as he repeatedly makes baseless accusations in his
statements, only to be forced to back peddle once factual evidence to
the contrary is presented. Even more ridiculous, on several occasions
he actually denied making such statements, fortunately for us, he
seems to lack the general knowledge that social media sites keep
records of posts on their servers. This kind of behavior could very
well be an indicator of some form of mental illness.
Lets
analyze some of the accusations that he’s made thus far. He alleges
that there are hundreds, if not thousands of violent gang members
crossing the border illegally. Since the Trump administration took
office, the Border Patrol has detected fewer gang members crossing
irregularly than during the Obama administration. In FY2017, these
amounted to 0.075 percent of the total number of migrants (228 MS-13
members out of 303,916 total migrants). When combined with MS-13’s
rival, the Barrio 18 gang, the number rises only slightly to 0.095
percent. So as far as his accusation that there are thousands coming
across the border, try again Mr. President.
Next,
let’s take a closer look at his statement that undocumented
immigrants take American jobs. Well, it seems according to the
Brookings Institute’s Senior Fellow Vanda Felbab-Brown, many of the
jobs undocumented immigrants take are often physically demanding
positions that most Americans don’t want, such as gutting fish or
farm hands. What’s more, in a 2016 report from the National
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine which assembled
research of 14 leading economists, demographers, and other scholars
(including several of Ivy league accreditation) states the following:
•
“We
found little to no negative effects on overall wages and employment
of native-born workers in the longer term,” said Francine D. Blau,
an economics professor at Cornell University who led the group that
produced the 550-page report.
•
Some
immigrants who arrived in earlier generations, but were still in the
same low-wage labor markets as foreigners just coming to the country,
earned less and had more trouble finding jobs because of the
competition with newer arrivals.
•
Teenagers
who did not finish high school also saw their hours of work reduced
by immigrants, although not their ability to find jobs. Professor
Blau said economists had found many reasons that young people who
drop out of high school struggle to find work. “There is no
indication immigration is the major factor,” she said.
• High-skilled
immigrants, especially in technology and science, who have come in
larger numbers in recent years, had a significant “positive
impact”
on
Americans with skills, and also on working-class Americans. They
spurred innovation, helping to create jobs.
Hmmmm,
that sounds like significantly different assessment to me than the
“sky is falling” approach to immigration that the president
presents. What’s even more delusional, is the assertion that this
“law” he cited on several occasions as being enacted by Democrats
cannot be recalled by any Republican member of government. To
directly quote California Republican Representative Jeff Denham “I
don't think we're sure what bill he is actually commenting on, so
we're waiting for him to clarify”. Yet again, simply
another clearly deceptive statement given by the president to attempt
to justify his blatantly fascist policy. The alarming truth is that
it was simply his decision granting the institution of a
zero-tolerance policy towards immigration, which was enacted by his
fascist cohort, Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
There
is a significantly disturbing event in history that closely parallels
the actions undertaken by the administration, and I won’t even
mention the issue of a senior member of government citing scripture
as validation to undertake such an injustice (must I point out
Jefferson’s open letter to the Danbury Baptists, in which he
directed attention to the dangers of the interfusing of church and
state?). That event occurred in the early 1940’s, where
approximately 400,000 children were taken from their parents and
placed in “assimilation” camps to be properly “Germanized”.
These poor children never saw their birth families again, and were
essentially stripped of their identities and given ones more pleasing
to the Nazi regime. There is actually one individual who is currently
bringing suit against the German government for these actions
committed, and this poor soul has no idea of whom he was before he
was sent to the camps. My heart truly breaks for this man.
There
seemed to be a glimmer of hope, when the president signed an
executive order granting the reunification of the children with their
parents, yet this was a half-hearted half-measure, as it contained no
definitive course of action to reunite them. It was nothing more than
an attempt to appease the massive outcry from the American people in
response to this cruel injustice. According to this new order, it
kept children of undocumented immigrants detained together with their
families, however allowed for modification of a condition that could
potentially allow these families to be detained indefinitely.
Fortunately, to my knowledge that condition was never modified
Most
recently was the announcement of the federal court judge issuing a
ruling ordering the children reunited with their families. This order
has one significantly inherent flaw, that separations could still
occur provided the parent is deemed unfit. Fortunately it would seem
that Customs and Border Protection found a slight degree of humanity
and stated it would freeze criminal referrals for crossing the border
illegally, as this could very well be grounds to question the fitness
of parents. However Justice Department officials displayed no such
sign of humanity nor mercy, stating that U.S. attorneys would
continue to prosecute the cases. In an even greater farce of the
immigration system legality, these children have actually started
appearing in court without any council to represent them, and often
have to complete the complex immigration forms alone. Sadly, in
immigration proceedings, unlike criminal and family law proceedings,
the court is not obligated to assign council to the defendants if
they have no ability to retain such. There are literally toddlers
representing themselves in immigration court! How does this amount in
any way, shape, or form any semblance of a fair hearing?
This
ruling allowed the administration 14 days to reunite children under
the age of 5 with their parents, and 30 days to reunite children the
age of 5 or older with their parents. This would appear on the
surface as a significant step in the right direction, however the
ugly face of the half-hearted measure enacted by the president struck
again. There have been deportations of individuals who had been
detained already undertaken, with their children still remaining in
detention facilities. These children are now alone in detention
centers faced with the potential life devastating affect of never
seeing their parents again. There has been talk of resorting to DNA
testing to reunite the children with their parents since there has
been such chaos on account of the clearly vague, and simplistic
executive order. Which was issued by an individual who has no concept
of the political arena, clearly cannot fathom the interconnectedness
of the contemporary global capitalist economy, and has incited
vicious attacks against Muslims, people of color, and anyone who
doesn’t adhere to his nationalistic aspirations, including the
media. All his mind can comprehend is how to deregulate so the elite
can amass even more multitudes of wealth.
The
administration has requested an extension of the deadline stipulated
in the court order, and I truly hope it gets denied. It is my
steadfast hope that this administration will be found in absolute
contempt. It would in no way be a befitting punishment for the
audacity that the administration has to enact such half-hearted
measures, and display the callousness it has, yet it still would be a
punishment. What is truly needed is a mass mobilization of
individuals in response to these clearly xenophobic policies and
racist rhetoric. What is needed is not in fact a strictly political
revolution, as stated by some. That does nothing but replace those in
power with more of the same institutional actors, but rather a
genuine social revolution that forces the elite to surrender power
and places it squarely and firmly in the hands of the masses. What’s
needed is genuine and authentic change, and that begins with us. That
begins with a political party that truly represents the best
interests of the workers and the oppressed. That hope does not lie
with those who remain embedded and in reverence of the current
system. Such a contradiction can never, and will never be able to
occupy the same space and time. Those who uphold the system will
always consume those trying to break those bonds. The thought that
one can enter a rigged game and come out the victor couldn’t be
clearer in it’s absurdity. In this game there are only ever allowed
two players, those being the two capitalist parties themselves. Thus,
the only option is to smash the game itself.
