12 Million People Cannot be Criminals: a Rant.

In the wake of the larest mass protests in US history, US Immigration has retalliated with its own record. Late last week, INS simultaniously executed the arrest and detention of over 1200 illegal immigrants in several states; more than the total amount of illegals detained in 2005. If this was to serve as some sort of deterent, it backfired. Almost immediately protests began anew. In Chigago, an estimated 200,000 people packed the streets to fight what they see as another premptive strike by the Bush Administration against immigrants. An interesting side note, this protest was the largest in Chigago's history next to the general strike of 1876(?), the famous protests by Russian, Irish and Italian immigrants that is largely credited with bringing around the standard 40-hour work week we all know today.

Here's the kicker. Right now, there are an estimated 12 million undocumented workers and illegal immigrants in the US today. In a few weeks, the Sentate and House will vote to decide whether to criminalize all 12 million people and systematically deporting them, or instituting some comprehensive guest worker programs, and granting citizenship to others. My facts are hazy, but I believe something on the order of 11 million illegals were granted citizenship some time in the 1980's. So the reason people are a little cheesed off is that rather than wait to let the "democratic process" determine the legal standing of these 1200 people, the government rounded them up. This is the sort of thing that used to happen in Soviet Russia, not in the self-described model of freedom and democracy for the world.

The United States is a country founded on immigration, just like Canada. Waves upon waves of immigrants to the United States have fought hard to gain freedom inches at a time. From freedom from the British, to freedom from slavery, to workers rights, to voting rights, its been a passionate battle. But no more. Its seems that the predominatedly Christian Right that currently runs the House, the Senate and the White House has forgotten its roots, and is unwilling to share power with the new wave of immigrants that serve to reinvigorate the course of politics and the democratic agenda of the country.

Voter apathy is at and all-time high. Presidential approval rating are at an all time low. It seems obvious to all but the whitest of the white that those with power in the US just don't care about using it anymore, and do aren't allowed to wield it. It is a product of selfishness and fear. Selfish in the sense that the old boys simply don't want to play with the new kids on the block, despite the fact that latino immigrants represent the fastest growing segement of the (voting)population. It is also the fear that given the apparent passion immigrants have for the freedom of choice and change that the US comports itself to the home of, giving real political power to new Americans will tear the system down. Just look at the earth shatering changes taking place in South America (and perhaps even Mexico). The standard Western Model of Capitalism has been and is being rejected, and it scares the shit out of rich America. Allowing 12 million politically interested people the right to vote and change the course of law at home represents a real potential for similar change here too.

And we can't have that, can we?