U.S. ethics under fire fore recent attack

Friday, April 5, 1996

Americans reap benefits of immigrant labor, still fail to treat
them as equalsBy Eduardo Paredes

The recent attack by Riverside sheriff deputies on suspected
illegal immigrants is testament to an entrenched racist attitude
that pervades American culture. Throughout history, immigrants have
been treated harshly and degraded based upon the false notion that
Americans are superior to other ethnic groups that exist in the
country.

Despite the aggressive campaigns to foster a society of racial
equality, it is clear that racism is still a monumental obstacle
immigrants deal with on a daily basis.

The key criticism of immigrants is that they are a drain to the
economy. This excuse is not only a cliche, but totally absurd. In
fact, immigrants contribute significantly to the growth of the
economy. The American Western frontier was developed by the labor
of immigrants forced to live in substandard conditions and denied
the basic necessities of life at the same time. You would think
that 150 years later immigrants would be given the respect they
deserve and would be treated like the productive individuals they
have proven to be.

American businesses would not boast the success they do without
the Chinese and Mexican labor that was exploited in building the
railroads in the late-19th century. The railroads were crucial to
connecting the eastern seaboard with the economy of the West, which
provided the bases of financial investments that made it possible
for the growth of huge economies, such as California’s.

Additionally, California has grown to become the largest
industrial state in the country. This phenomenon can be directly
attributed to immigrants and their labor. Without immigrants,
particularly Mexican immigrants, California’s agricultural economy
would not have become the large-scale commercial giant that it is
today. Mexicans work on farms in Central and Northern California,
which provide needed foodstuffs for this country as well as other
parts of the world. At the same time, much like during the Gold
Rush, immigrants are forced to live in poverty and face
discrimination, despite their positive contributions to the
economy. The same is also true for the huge garment industry housed
in Los Angeles which employs over l00,000 immigrants, and is a
significant part of L.A.’s industrial economy.

Clearly, there is no question about the productivity of
immigrants. The only issue is why immigrants face such hostility
when they are the backbone of the economy.

For years, the biggest supporters of immigration have been
American businesses, which profit from the cheap labor immigrants
provide. Politicians listen to these demands and do what they can
to keep immigration alive. However, in order to appease Americans,
they introduce bogus immigration reforms that appear to cut down
immigration, but in reality do not change anything.

The Immigration Reform Act of 1986 is a perfect example. About a
million people were granted amnesty if they qualified, and then
regulations were enacted to make it illegal for businesses to hire
undocumented workers. The problem is that it is not enforced. In
fact, for the entire Southern California area, there are
approximately five inspectors in charge of enforcing the law. The
point was to make it appear as if immigration reform was enacted,
but the real message is that immigrants are welcome to join the
work force as long as they maintain inferior positions to
businesses and citizens.

What it boils down to is that racism is very much alive in this
country. The attack by sheriffs deputies is an indication of the
disgusting hypocrisy that exists. For some reason, immigrants have
been shoved to the bottom of the economic political and social
ladder of this country, and must deal with abuse, such as those who
were beaten by the Riverside sheriffs. This treatment cannot
continue.

People must realize the difficulties that immigrants have to
overcome. In addition, people must become informed and know the
truth about the effects that immigration has on the country. It is
not enough to argue that immigrants are ruining the economy,
because this is clearly not the case. The truth is immigration
patterns have remained the same throughout history with very little
fluctuation, and that the only concerns are stemmed by racism and
the false idea that Americans are inherently superior to other
ethnicities.

Paredes is a third-year history student.

”I just prayed to God to help me, because I have kids and my
family. I’m really poor, and that’s why I decided to come over
here, to get my kids an education, because I never had one."

Alicia Sotero Vasquez, whose beating by Riverside County
sheriff’s deputies was captured on videotape.

"It doesn’t matter if they stopped or not. The fact is they were
treated inhumanely."

Marta Samano, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
leadership director

"They deserved it."

Shouted outside the detention center.

"Go Home."

Sign held by woman outside INS detention center where 18 Mexican
immigrants riding in the back of the pick-up truck that beating
victims Vasquez and Enrique Funes Flores also rode in were
released.

"From the videotape, it certainly seems that excessive force was
used in apprehending the driver and one of the passengers traveling
in the vehicle. At all times, officers must maintain control of a
situation and act professionally."

Gov. Pete Wilson

"When adrenaline is rushing and you are so filled with fear or
rage, you don’t think."

Psychologist Beverly Anderson, director of the Metropolitan
Police Employee Assistance Program in Washington, D.C.

”There’s a change happening in California, an ethnic change.
It’s the English empire meeting the Spanish empire and becoming
culturally mixed. … It’s hard for a lot of people to accept
that."

David Ross, Vasquez’s lawyer