Sunday, May 21, 2006

Couldn't have said it better

Here's an editorial on the immigration bill from the NY times that articulates exactly what I think about this issue. From reading it, I can already imagine the disastrous consequences the enforcement of the bill will have and the very possible damage to the social fabric in general of this country, as people let their nationalistic and xenophobic instincts rule. Illegal immigrants have not come out of the shadows (those who have been here for five years and need to start being "guest workers") and will certainly not come out of the shadows now in an environment of even worse fear of detention and deportation.
I insist: instead of putting all the onus on and punishing the migrants, the Bush Administration should read the riot act to the Mexican government as well. They need to cooperate to curb this problem, not just send everybody packing and expect the gringos to take care of it. I insist that the Mexican government has nothing but contempt and disrespect for their own citizenry and is ensconced in the exploitation and indifference towards its own people. When is this going to change?
You should see the lines of people every day looking for a visa at the US embassy in Mexico City. Sometimes it's the rich, who want to go to Disneyland or who want to study in the US, but there are many others who try the legal way and are almost invariably sent away. A lot of people try the legal way. Not everyone's a wetback.
By the way, why do people make issues of things that are so self-evident as to be completely stupid? English should certainly be the official language of this country, like French is in France, and Spanish in Mexico. I don't see what the hullaballoo is about that. Of course English should be the official language, and of course the national anthem should be in English. And of course the people who come here should learn the language, if they don't want to remain marginalized forever.

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