Weekend Rap: African Americans and Illegal Immigration
An issue that is starting to get some attention is the impact of illegal immigration on African Americans. While George Bush says illegal immigrants take the "jobs Americans don't want," (or Vicente Fox says that they are "doing jobs that not even Blacks want to do.") many African Americans are finding that immigrants from Latin Amercian countries are pushing them out of jobs. Not only do illegal immigrants force down wages for everyone, but hiring practices in many of these jobs favor Latino employees and racism is keeping African Americans from these jobs, particularly in the construction business. Blogs such as Modern Tribalist document a "Growing anger among Blacks over Hispanic immigration." Conservative Black leaders are accusing African American figures such as Jesse Jackson and Maxine Waters of giving into political correctness and not caring about the impact of illegal immigration on the Black population.Now, discuss.
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 4/08/2006 12:00:00 AM
32 Comments:
Finally someone is bringing the truth out. This is a problem and thank you for bringing up the conversation.
Why did W skip the NAACP convention during his two presidential campaigns, but made sure to court hispanic voters?
Do the math and you'll figure out.
As usual, Earl Ofari Hutchison is two steps ahead of everybody is his observations.
Interesting none of the media has covered this issue. Blacks in South LA have been complaining about the illegals moving into and taking over their community for years. Why do you think there's so much racial tension in the schools at Jefferson, Santee, Fremont, Crenshaw. All use to be black schools but now illegals are over crowding them. Why aren't they speaking out now? They sure speak out on every other issue.
After 230 years of discrimination, African-Americans are smarter than white people like you. They have come to understand that mexicans are allies.
They are even starting to wave mexican flags alongside their chicano brothers and sisters.
Black/Brown unity has never been stronger thanks to people like Martin and Maria Elena Durazo.
There is hope after all.
La Opinion reported this past Thursday (i.e.,April 6), that illegal immigration is up 256% at the border in the past year. Interesting how that statistic hasn't been reported in, say, the English-language L.A. Times.
Correction: 265%.
how do they measure?
Surely we all understand the black community believes again they are being short changed. And we must admit they are right. Opportunity in education, for scholarships, employment are being taken by immigrants. And the frustration knowing it's by illegal immigrants must make them feel we don't care about them. If anyway thinks illegal immigration is OK they're wrong. Throughout the years immigrants in Los Angeles start in lower economic areas. It is embarrassing as a legal resident to watch educational standards be lowered because you live in such an area, all along expecting these students to succeed in higher education and a chance for a better life. Of course families discuss these feelings and the children again feel there is no chance for them to move up in the world. There chance has been hijacked by those who have decided (and don't get me wrong because we have allowed it) to move directly to the front of the line and by pass the legal way to immigrant. And anyone who says they are taking jobs no one else would do is a liar. And the faster we stand up and admit these facts the faster our government will take action.
10:34pm I don't know where you're getting your info but the Blacks/Latinos ARE NOT united. Why do you think there's racial tensions in the high schools in South LA? Because blacks are sick and tired of illegals demanding they deserved the same as US citizens. Its their arrogant attitude that has people wanting them to be deported. Why hasn't the gov't cut off all aide to them, welfare, medical, education etc. How can the govt give them all the FREE resources when they are illegal then blame the numbers here? If there are no FREE resources or jobs they'll go back,. Why hasn't the govt said anything about going after the EMPLOYERS. Nothing about that in the compromise bill with Senators.
The council meeting in the valley was horrible...Big waste of time....Councilman Herb Wesson brought in a 4-year-old German shepherd-Labrador mix and a 5-year-old cat that are up for adoption to the public.
Someone please direct Wesson to the animal shelter. This is the second time he's done this. What a waste of city time.!!! Another city council member who doesn't have a clue.
To Anon at 10:52:
They interviewed federal border authorities who, as best as I can tell based on having taken one Spanish class per week since September, base it on the number of people caught so far this year vs. the same period last year.
I will say this for the Spanish language: it's easier to learn than French, because you pronounce every letter except "h." Thank goodness our new overlords don't speak Russian or Chinese, which are very hard to learn.
To Anon at 8:06:
The cat got adopted at the meeting, so a little life was saved, which is more than usually gets accomplished at a City Council meeting. I think that's nice!
Buried in today's Brownstein column (underneath the bloated Kennedy pic) is the fact that some Dems may be cooling on the immigration bill because of strong opposition to the guest worker provisions from the AFL-CIO. Flooding the market with millions of unskilled workers so businesses can fatten their profits is going to hurt working and middle class Americans of all skin colors. Kennedy, McCain et al should explain why they are against wage increases for citizens who work hard and follow the rules. The pro-illegal "protesters" should go to Mexico and protest the inept and corrupt govt there.
You know why the resentment? What do you think is actually being said when pro-immigrant advocates say - "Immigrants do the jobs that Americans won't." Which Americans do you think they are talking about? These lower tier jobs are not for whites or Asians - they are for blacks. So when they say that Americans won't do these jobs, that is code for saying that blacks won't do these jobs. And can you blame them? If I were on welfare and making as much if not more than some immigrant slaving in a field for 10 hours a day - what do you think I would do?
What the media hasn't pointed out is many of these illegals are on welfare AND working. Many of them get tax free cash. The govt is encouraging them to stay here by providing for them then they don't understand why they stay????? DUH
6:48
Name one illegal that is on welfare! Are you aware of the process to get welfare? Fingerprinting, photo taking, residence verification. It's much easier to get a license, or file for unemployment. Name one undocumented immigrant that is on welfare. Just more racist bait for the ignorant - DUH!
Shorter Mayor Sam: "Let's you and him fight."
No thanks.
This is really pityful. The tone of this conversations demonstrates everything wrong with our society. Racism, bigotry, stereotyping and lack of coalition. Don't bother getting the Crash DVD, just read some of these blogs.
The federal government should stop being selective about the laws they enforce, especially immigration. The federal government should crack down on this issue, but should provide amnesty to anyone who can demonstrate that they have been contributing to the U.S. Economy for at the past 5 years (ie. income taxes, small business). They should not be afforded beenfits of social services.
It is what it is... This is an economic issue before it is social. Stop stiring this pot Mayor Sam.
9:27 - two challenges: splitting up families with children as citizens (I'd love to hear MS's and JS's take on birthright citizenship) and preventing access to social services (many of which like roads and public transit aren't practical to ID for usage)... things like welfare and social security aren't available to non-citizens.
Did anyhone read the Joe Hicks article in the LA Times last Saturday? Kind of debunks the "new civil rights" myth of immigration reform.
7:37 pm Everyone knows that all an illegal has to do is have a baby here in US and bingo they get free aid. I know of at least 10 women who attend a monthly community meeting that are all on welfare, get aid to buy milk and cheese for those kids and they get food stamps. THEY ARE ILLEGAL.
I truly believe this issue of Blacks and immigration is another wedge issue for Whites.
Whites love to divide and conquer. It's whites who have left our public schools and perpetuated the pay-to-play in our government.
Whites are looking for a scapegoat and Mexicans are it. It's not complicated.
It's not a color issue, it's an issue of legal immigration.
Quit trying to skirt the real reasons people feel the way they do. Citizens know the laws and try their best to follow them. Our federal government has laws and state, local government follow them and that's what makes and keeps us the United States.
This problem is what it is today because rules are not being followed.
Using the excuse of citizens won't do these jobs is laughable. If you're hungry, if you have kids and they are hungry you'll do whatever you have to do to feed them.
And how many of you who have a baby in Paris would leave the baby because you were asked to leave? If illegal immigrants are having children on american soil because they believe that's their ticket to the head of the line, they didn't really want that child anyway.
everyone is leaving public schools. i had my child in public school, after correcting papers for several months for the teacher i asked the teacher why so many of the children did so poorly, i was told the class was an "english as a second language" class. i immediately removed my child from the school and transferred him into private school. my child doesn't speak spanish, and i was perplexed as to why my child was ever put into such a class. thru my research i found out that there were 5 out of 30 students in the class who only spoke english.
oh, by the way, at the private school, students are all different colors and from different cultures. the difference is-they are tested to make sure they are prepared to perform at grade level.
i won't allow my child to receive a below average education, or be dumbed down to those who are not prepared to handle the curriculum for the grade the schools enter these students in.
it's just not politically correct for this to be discussed. but at the private school, it's a big reason parents are transferring their children from public schools.
and i wouldn't have even known about the ESL class my child was in unless i had been an active parent and volunteered to correct papers.
anon 12:19
You're full of what the little bird left on the window...there's right and there's wrong. I guess you bringing up the race issue and blaming whites is suppose to scare us from speaking up.
We have let ignorant persons like yourself, liberal politico's and the media make us feel it's wrong to voice our opinions when we disagree with all of yours.
No more. We are speaking up now. It's time you all shut up.
esl
Conmpetition is what makes the world go round
If it takes building more private schools with public money the better.
That means the LAUSD will have to learn to compete or lose students which means they lose money.
America doesn't owe you a job! You go out and get one. Quit blaming illegals for taking "Your" job. Now the reason that many do not work is because if they did... then they wouldn't be able to collect welfare or any other form of government aid.
I agree, America doesn't owe anyone a job as long as they can import and export (pimp) cheap labor from third world countries.
12:59
No one listens anymore to Joe-right wing-Hicks.
His choice of spouse and boss is all too white for all of us.
And he gets paid to look black but write white.
But that is what the right wing pays for these days.
How can these people look at themselves in the broken window?
guess what?
NO ONE CARES.
cry us all a river, oh ye complainers....perhaps if you got off your lazy asses and did some work, and didn't spend all your time fucking around, american businessmen would not need to hire illegals.
work ethic of illegals > that of THEM
Blacks and Latinos are not united. How can we be? Latinos come over to our country and stand on all of the struggles that Black people have fought for. And, to add insult to injury, they adopt the dominant culture's (white people) attitude towards black people--simply because they can. It is a broken system--honestly, why would someone who is ILLEGAL be entitled to benefits? Black people and Native American people are the LEGAL citizens of this country that should be entitled to receive the benefits that illiegal immigrants are getting. Yet, Native Americans and Black Americans are disproportionately poor compared to white society. And, with new laws that favor illegal immigrants, it won't get any better.
Here are a few questions that, if you ask yourself, I think they will show you what the true problems are: 1) Would Mexico let Americans come to their country illegally and then support us? Answer: No, they are smart. They would save their resources for their own citizens and for the legal immigrants. 2) Would America allow such a large number of illegal immigrants from say, Haiti, Africa or any other large mass of black immigrants? Answer: No.
These views may seem harsh but they are accurate from my point of view. Latinos would NEVER be able to demand half of the priviliges they do had not Afican Americans fought hard for equality.
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