News

May 22, 2007, Dan Rather Reports

TIMES SQUARE, CROSSROADS OF THE WORLD, IN A CITY, NEW YORK THAT EXEMPLIFIES THE HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION IN THIS COUNTRY AND IT’S PRESENT. AND NOW IN WASHINGTON LAWMAKERS ARE AT WORK DEBATING IMMIGRATIONS FUTURE. ON THE TABLE IS A NEW COMPROMISED BILL THAT WOULD OFFER THE HOPE OF LEGAL STATUS UNDER A NEW VISA PROGRAM FOR THOSE ALREADY HERE WHILE IT WOULD ALSO CHANGE THE RULES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF IMMIGRANTS. HOW DOES THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE SOUND HERE IN IN AMERICA’S GREATEST MELTING POT. WE ASKED THREE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES’ LEADERS TO ADD THEIR VOICES TO THE DEBATE AND JUST AS IN THE SENATE WE FOUND SOME COMMON GROUND AND SOME VERY DISTINCT DIFFERENCES OF OPINION.

MOST PEOPLE ARE JUST HEARING, WE’RE GONNA HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION BILL. ISN’T THAT A TERRIFIC THING? AND IT– IT IS A TERRIFIC THING IF WE HAD A COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION BILL, IF WE HAD A BILL THAT REALLY IS GOING TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY IN A FAIR AND PRACTICAL WAY LILLIAN RODRIGUEZ LOPEZ HEADS THE HISPANIC FEDERATION REPRESENTING NINETY LATINO GROUPS IN THE NORTHEAST. A YEAR AGO LATINOS TOOK TO THE STREETS OF NEW YORK DEMANDING LEGAL STATUS FOR MILLIONS OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TODAY THERE IS CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM THAT IMMIGRANTS ALREADY HERE WILL SOON HAVE A WAY OUT OF THE SHADOWS. RODRIGUEZ LOPEZ SEES THE LATEST IMMIGRATION PROPOSAL AS A STARTING POINT WITH A LONG WAY TO THE FINISH LINE. THE SENATE IS PUSHING FOR A MERIT BASED POINT SYSTEM. WHICH MEANS THE MORE SKILLS THAT YOU SHOW TO POSSESS, THE HIGHER LEVEL EDUCATION YOU HAVE, THE MORE POINTS YOU WILL HAVE. AND PREFERENCE WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU IN TERMS OF COMING INTO THIS COUNTRY OR REMAINING IN THIS COUNTRY IN SOME LEGAL STATUS.

…

“IN THE ASIAN COMMUNITY, THE NEW PROPOSALS MAY MEAN FEWER PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO QUALIFY FOR LEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM COUNTRIES WHERE FAMILY TIES ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT LINK TO THE UNITED STATES.

“I THINK THE PROPONENTS OF THE BILL FEEL THAT IT’S A GOOD STARTING POINT. BUT, I THINK IT’S NOT A GOOD STARTING POINT BECAUSE IT’S JUST SUCH A RADICAL DEPARTURE FROM THE PAST. ” STAN MARK IS THE SENIOR STAFF ATTORNEY AT THE ASIAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND.

“THE FAMILY SYSTEM ACTUALLY DOES WORK. EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE BACKLOGS, IT DOES WORK. AND – IT JUST ALLOWS FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE THAT ABILITY TO GET TOGETHER WITH THEIR RELATIVES. AND, THEY’RE ABLE TO USE THEIR RELATIVES, OR AT LEAST THE PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES TRYING TO REUNITE. THEY ARE ANCHORS FOR THEIR FAMILIES. AND, IT’S A KIND OF TRANSITION POINT. AND, IT HELPS IN THEIR NETWORKING AND BUILDING SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING IN. EVERY WEEK MARK HEARS FROM NEW IMMIGRANTS WHO WANT TO KNOW HOW THEY CAN BECOME CITIZENS MORE QUICKLY. HE FEARS THE NEW PROPOSALS WILL PUT MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE ON PERMANENT HOLD. I THINK IT’S BASICALLY SAYING, “WE WANT YOUR LABOR. WE WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO WORK. WE WILL GIVE YOU SOME KIND OF ANOTHER STRATIFIED CLASS OF PEOPLE. BUT, WE REALLY DON’T WANT YOU TO STAY HERE. WE DON’T REALLY WANT TO GIVE YOU RIGHTS.”

“U.S. CITIZENSHIP WAS DENIED TO ALL BUT A FEW ASIAN IMMIGRANTS UNTIL THE NINETEEN FORTIES UNTIL THEN THE LAW SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDED MOST ASIANS FROM LEGAL IMMIGRATION. AND, IT WASN’T UNTIL 1965 WHEN THE SYSTEM WAS SORT OF– RENOVATED AND CHANGED STRUCTURALLY SO THAT INSTEAD OF USING NATIONAL ORIGINS AND NATIONAL ORIGIN DISCRIMINATION TO DECIDE WHICH PEOPLE COULD COME FROM WHERE INTO THE UNITED STATES, WE– NOW HAVE A SYSTEM– UP TILL NOW AT LEAST– ONE BASED ON FAMILY IMMIGRATION.”

AND ALLOWING PEOPLE TO COME THROUGH THE SYSTEM SO THAT THEY CAN BECOME RESIDENTS AND EVENTUALLY CITIZENS. LAWS ENCOURAGING FAMILY MEMBERS TO JOIN THEIR RELATIVES IN THE UNITED STATES BENEFIT NEW YORK’S THRIVING ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES.

WITH THE NEW PROPOSAL PUTTING MORE WEIGHT ON MERIT- ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS INCLUDED–STAN MARK SEES A NEW FORM OF DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKS.

“I THINK IT BRINGS BACK THE DISCRIMINATION IN A WAY, MAYBE NOT AS EXPLICIT INITIALLY, BUT BECAUSE YOU’RE FAVORING SOME FORM OF NATIONAL ORIGIN. SO, THE COUNTRIES IN EAST ASIA, AND SOUTHEAST ASIA, AND AFRICA, CENTRAL AMERICAN, MEXICO, THESE COUNTRIES– WHERE ENGLISH IS NOT PART OF THEIR– EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, THEY WOULD BE– AT A DISADVANTAGE. I THINK THE IDEA THAT– WE CAN GROW FASTER, WE CAN BECOME BETTER BECAUSE WE SOMEHOW PICK THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO COME IN I THINK IS KIND OF A MISTAKE. I THINK, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO CAME THROUGH FAMILY IMMIGRATION, AND THEIR CHILDREN HAVE SHOWN THAT OVER TIME THEY CAN MAKE AS GREAT, IF NOT GREATER CONTRIBUTIONS THAN PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING INWITH THESE SKILLS OR THESE LANGUAGE ABILITIES, OR THE TALENT.”

UNDER THE CURRENT SYSTEM, PRESIDENT KENNEDY’S GRANDPARENTS COULD NOT COME TO AMERICA. PRESIDENT REAGAN’S GRANDPARENTS COULD NOT COME TO AMERICA. SO WE WANT TO SAY THAT AMERICA, AGAIN, WILL SAY “WELCOME” TO IRISH PEOPLE AND WELCOME TO PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD FOR THAT ONE SECTION OF THE WORLD IS NOT LOCKED OUT FROM AMERICA. AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR. SO AS PART OF THIS COMPREHENSIVE PACKAGE OF IMMIGRATION, THAT WE DEAL WITH THE 11 MILLION UNDOCUMENTED, THAT WE GIVE OTHERS, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY, ACCESS TO AMERICA, SO THAT WE WON’T BE GOING BACK DOWN IN 10 YEARS AND SAYING TO CONGRESS, WE HAVE 10,000 UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS, WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING. EVERY PERSON HAS A FACE AND EVERY PERSON HAS A STORY. AND IF WE WOULD JUST TAKE– THINK OF IT THAT WAY, IF IT WAS OUR BROTHER, OUR SISTER, OUR UNCLE, OUR– OUR AUNT THAT WAS FACING THIS SITUATION, WE WOULD JUMP OVER HURDLES TO TRY TO HELP THEM INDIVIDUALLY. BUT WE’VE– WE’VE ALLOWED THE– THE RHETORIC TO MAKE IT SEEM LIKE THEY’RE– YOU KNOW FACELESS, MASS OF PEOPLE THAT– YOU KNOW DON’T HAVE LOVED ONES. AND AREN’T REALLY JUST– WORKING FOR THE SAME THINGS WE’RE WORKING FOR, A BETTER LIFE FOR OURSELVES AND OUR FAMILY.

FOR MUCH OF OUR HISTORY, AMERICA HAS TRIED TO COME TO TERMS WITH WHO GETS IN AND WHO IS KEPT OUT. THE HISTORY OF OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS REFLECTS THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN ATTITUDES TOWARDS DIFFERENT IMMIGRANT GROUPS. MUCH OF THAT HISTORY IS NOT PROUD, STEEPED IN PREVAILING PREJUDICES AGAINST PEOPLES DEEMED, QUOTE, ” UN-ASSIMILABLE.” NOW THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS STRUGGLES AGAIN WITH THE IMMIGRATION QUESTION, WITH IMMIGRANTS FROM MEXICO AND LATIN AMERICA IN THE SPOTLIGHT. ONE THING THAT DISTINGUISHES THIS GROUP IS HOW MANY ARE HERE ALREADY, OCCUPYING A NICHE IN THE AMERICAN LABOR FORCE THAT IS ESSENTIAL TO MANY EMPLOYERS, PARTICULARLY THOSE IN THE AGRICULTURAL AND SERVICE INDUSTRIES. ESSENTIAL, BUT NOT OFFICIAL IN THE EYES OF THE LAW. THERE ARE NO EASY REMEDIES TO THIS SITUATION, AND THE LINES OF THIS DEBATE CAN BE HARD TO DEFINE. ON THE POLITICAL LEFT AND THE RIGHT, THERE ARE INTRA- PARTY DIVISIONS OVER ISSUES OF ECONOMICS AND FAIRNESS. THE BILL CURRENTLY UNDER CONSIDERATION REFLECTS THESE CONTRADICTIONS. AND IT REFLECTS THE DIFFICULTY THIS NATION OF IMMIGRANTS HAS STILL, IN DECIDING WITH WHOM TO SHARE AMERICA’S BLESSINGS NEXT.

For HDNet, Dan Rather Reporting. Good night.

A transcript of the full show is available <a href="https://www.hd.net/transcript.html?air_master_id=A4601

target=” new”>here.