By Mariana Vázquez-García
Managing Attorney/New York Immigration Attorney
The Law Offices of Spar & Bernstein
http://www.4immigration.com/
Attacks against immigrants seem to be making the rounds these days, with states seemingly eager to legislate racial profiling of anyone born South of the Border, Asian or Arab-looking.
But the fact is, anti-immigrant sentiment has been around for centuries. It is the very reason immigration laws were created in the first place: not to assist immigrants in the country, but, quite the opposite, to prevent them from being here in the first place. Do not forget that the first laws were created by people who could easily trace their roots to another country.
But I digress.
Attacks against immigrants always seem to bubble to the surface when the country goes through the type of tough economic times we are experiencing today – and with opportunistic, up-for-election politicians all too ready to heap all the blame on the most convenient target.
Calculating politicians tell their worrying constituency that job losses, crime, problems with too much government spending, and lack of security are in big part due to immigrants who come to the U.S. illegally to take jobs from US citizens or get hand-outs from the government. It is such an easy thing to do, and it is clearly a bullying tactic, picking on the weakest among us, people who cannot fight back with political clout.
Such sentiments and tactics, of course, will not end in this country any more than racism has.
It can be somewhat ameliorated by comprehensive immigration law reform. Perspectives can be altered through time, better education, and showing time and again the need for immigrants here and how immigrants and their descendants have helped build this country.
But end? I don’t think so.
Just like I don’t believe that illegal immigration to this country will end, regardless of the laws passed and regardless of the tactics used.
This country is the country built by immigrants and their descendants because it is so attractive to the rest of the world. It is the beautiful land of opportunity. It is the land built for you and for me. I believe that.
