I have been inundated lately with a flood of articles analyzing the pros and cons of the various immigration bills, the impact of immigration on our social structures, the changing face of the color of our population, etc., and aside from an article by ex L.A. Times columnist Robert Scheer, (Legalize the “illegals” truthdig.com, 3-28-06), where he talks about the history of scapegoating immigrants in this country, there is something seriously missing in almost the entire discussion and analysis about immigrants; and that is the fact that the majority of them are misplaced people.

Women, men, and children have left their homes, countries and villages; places where their families have roots in their communities that go back hundreds of years to brave a journey fraught with danger and hardship, with only the clothes on their back; only to arrive in a country where they face a questionable future; where they are confronted daily with racism and the message that they are not wanted. The majority of them have not done this out of a love of adventure. They are here because they have been forced into such miserable poverty due to the neoliberal policies imposed by our government, that they cannot survive in their homelands. They are forced to move or they will die. It's as simple as that.

Everybody should make it a point to see the film "Wetback", which gives a glimpse into what that journey is like for so many; where immigrants from South and Central America knowingly face loss of life and limb trying to board a freight train known as “the train of death” which will move them through Mexico to the north; a journey where women are raped and worse, where children die in the desert.



People don't want to leave their homes, their family, their life, to suffer and do backbreaking work; nobody does. You wouldn't, I don't. So why does so much of this discussion center around the idea of hordes of brown masses converging on us to steal our jobs and use our hard earned resources....as if this is the only motivation?



Where is the discussion about how Neoliberalism has ravaged the economies of most third world countries; how so-called “free” trade deals like NAFTA in Mexico, and huge North American food subsidies have created “dumping” of cheap food which has forced many farmers to lose their land and move to overcrowded cities where the only work available to them is in maquillas at slave wages?



Where is the discussion about the privatization of natural resources in Central and Latin America….and the entire third world for that matter, where supposed “sovereign” governments understand that they either play along and allow companies like Coca-Cola to take over the water supply, for example, or they will be Erased… Killed. Murdered… where, if there is even a hint that the people might rise-up and resist they will be taken care of by military death squads which have been trained right here at the School of the Americas; trained in suppression and torture techniques to make sure that there will be no uprising?



Where is the discussion about the implicit agreement of this by every citizen of this country? And remember, “Ignorance is not an excuse under the law”. Where is the discussion about what our tax money is paying for? Doesn’t all of this make all of us just a little bit responsible?



Another thing that is a glaring issue ...and even more irritating when it is espoused from the so called liberal-left, is the paternalistic and condescending idea that "these people" are less educated than the workers here, and this is, in fact, why they are so well suited for the meaningless toiling jobs that “Americans” don’t want. Well, if people would bother to learn Spanish, which is a real language, and talk to your gardeners, your housekeepers, the maintenance guy at your office, you would discover that many of "these people" are highly educated. You might discover that many can quote the great poets Borges and Neruda, which most of the English speaking people I know have never even heard of. You might learn that there is a deep understanding of world history; that most know from personal experience what the word “Neoliberalism” means, are well trained in critical thinking, have homes full of books and children that read them, and in short, are for the most part, more educated than your average North-American educated middle class SUV driving mall shopper.

You might also be surprised to discover, that while Mexico is rich with culture and language, not all the Spanish speakers you deal with every day are Mexicans. Many come from other countries; countries with exotic names you may not have heard of like Surinam where Dutch is spoken; and some where the food staple is pasta and not tortillas, where everything from the music and language, to the manner of dress is different from Mexico. People come from places, including Mexico, where there is richness in literature, films, music and culture that easily stands next to any European tradition.

Of course I don’t claim to have painted the whole picture here; the subject is infinitely more complex, and many will have something to add. So let’s do it. Let’s talk about this and make it real. Maybe then we would begin to see the new additions to our population, our newer neighbors, as the human beings they are, talk to them as equals, invite them into our homes as they would invite us into their hearts, and begin to learn what they have to teach us.

Yes, let's start talking about the real cost of unlimited immigration. No one wants to talk about how LA area emergency rooms are now closed for large parts of the day. No one wants to talk about how huge numbers of unemployed people from mexico have strained our social services. And no one wants to talk about how schools have collapsed under the weight of unlimited immigration. California schools are now last in the nation.

http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=4675500&nav=9qrx

But as long as you can send your white, liberal kids to private schools everything is great. Come out and live in our communityfor a while before you talk about how we should welcome millions of more uneducated, unemployed people from mexico into our hospitals, schools and work places.

There are a lot of people from the other Americas who are Black and Asian, too. They're not just Red, Brown and White. People forget this.

Some poor people have been on the move for generations. Africans, Jews, Hindu, and Chinese people have been global people for centuries, living among different cultures, preserving their culture as best they can. The latest people in this intergenerational migration are the Indigenous of the Americas.

It's not just Neoliberalism that encourages immigration. There's also war and imperialism that creates the preconditions for large migrations. Slavery and contract labor also encourage immigration. Lastly, popular technology increases immigration: better boats, jet travel, and telecommunications make emigration and immigration more attractive.

This century will be the Illegal Internet Underground. Get ready for it, and enjoy the ride, because you can't stop the tide.

Good God! The Chicano , Central American, and Mexican communities are standing up like never before, the kids are ready to let the pigs beat on them tomoorow, and indymedia wants us to analyze NAFTA, privitization, literacy rates, and national origin.

Only White people want to hear this crap at this juncture, and not all of them.

I don't see a bunch of opinion pieces on here. I see a lot of real, factual reports. The kind of analysis Anna wants has been going on here for months, but now is the time for news, breaking news if we can get it, comprehensive news if someone will pull it together, and analysis about what's happening NOW. Who the f*ck cares what degrees people hold, when they're fighting for their jobs and their lives?????

You want analysis?

Then make the analysis you get stsand out.

I don't think you're getting much - I seldom see it, so I don't know what you are complaining about.

My guess is youre having some infight among the white liberals about posting Raza analysis you don't like, not that you're getting to much of anything.

You saw fit to post that crap from the Black conservatie Dr. Anderson, which doesn't anywhere near fit the bill of what you claim to want now.

So, what gives?

The feds decide they're going to round up all the "known gang members" in the U.S. and throw them into prison . . . . and LA Indymedia calls for articles on the "rising African-American middle class."

The U.S. drops a "pre-emptive" nuke on Mashhad . . . . and LA Indymedia wants reports on Iran's education system.

The LAPD gets ready to lock up kids for protesting (a taste of what will come under Sensenbrenner) . . . . and LA Indymedia tells us to write backgrounders on NAFTA.

LA-IMC has no editorial staff. No editor in chief. All articles, media and comments posted here are by readers, independent journalists and people who choose to contribute material.

If there is some topic or issue you feel is not getting published here. Then please feel free to publish an article on the subject. No one is gong to do it for you. That’s not how this site works. The content of this site is determined by its users. That’s what its all about. Get with the DIY concept and the spirit of Indymedia. Don’t complain, contribute.

Open Publishing... well yes and no...

Be honest.

There are editors who do make choices, and the choices matter.

Choices are made about what drops off the front page overnight, and virtually never gets seen, because an editor doesn't deem it "Local News," and choices are made about what goes in the center column to be prominently featured.

I got no problem with that - someone has to do it, and since someone has to do it, debate over what they should do and how is fair.

All over the world people are fleeing war zones. They are refugees, not immigrants. It makes no difference if it's a trade war or a guns and bombs war the result is the same. The solution is not more bad laws from the Senate. The solution is for the US and the G8, et al to stop waging war on the people of this world.

Thank you Anna for getting to the root of the propblem.

Whe claim that immigrants consume resourses in education and health, but we need to realize with how much they contribute, a large percentage of the immigrant population are young males ranging on ages from 20 to 30 years many of them never use the healt sistem or education sistem and they contribute to the economy in a lot higer proportion than a regualar american family. A lot of educated people also come here to do research and contrubute to the technological development with degrees that their home countries paid for. Some politicians ignorantly say that with a year of tryning an american citizen can do a qualified job. A job that requieres at least 17 years of full time study. That is just nonsense. Many immigrants are qualified to do any kind of job, however we are not allow to do them. I 've seen perfect qualified doctors and scientists, teachers that are working in construction or some other unqualified job just because they dont have a work permit. People should realize that a big part of the great technological and aconomical development this country has earned is due to the countribution of immigrants including recent immigrants from third wolrd countries