natalie's narrative

The moral construction of "illegal"

Language is an important tool in shaping perception.  The "toxic assets" of the 2008 financial crisis are now "legacy assets." A common practice discussed in a piece of legislation becomes a "death panel," and quickly garners opposition.  One of the most prominent--and de-humanizing--uses of language is within the immigration debate.  I saw this on Racewire today regarding the use of the word "illegal":

The real lie here is that we’re all illegal, and there’s no way of reframing this to make it anything but the truth. The United States began as a colony by a colonial empire, yet we behave as if we’ve always been here. As if the sins of our past conquest make us better than the crisis of globalization we’ve helped to create and the people caught within it. The whole notion of “illegal” is an artificial construction designed to dehumanize, deprioritize and deport without any tugging on our American heartstring. I’m not an “illegal” because I’ve run a red light, pirated software, cheated on taxes, or am Queer – because these actions don’t violate the notion that I’m still an American citizen. But take away that citizenship, built on a false sense of global security and conquest, and somehow I’m not human?

Working within the framework of "illegal" vs. "legal" imposes a status on a group of people that is reminiscent of our country's history of slavery and is based on a broken, draconian, outdated system of laws.  I'm trying to break out of this framework, whether with immigration, healthcare, or the economy, because words can have so much power without us even realizing it.

Never thought I would be quoting Deuteronomy...

You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow's garment in pledge. Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this.

- Deuteronomy 24:17-18

This verse arrived in my inbox last week, via Sojourner's Verse and Voice email.

The Accidental American

I read The Accidental American by Rinku Sen and Fekkak Mamdouh earlier this year.  It's about Fekkak's journey of immigrating to the US, working in the restaurant industry, and organizing immigrant workers to fight for their rights, but it's also about immigration in general.  Although a bit disorganized, the book does provide one of the most succint and helpful explanations of why we are in this situation today, especially with regard to immigrants from Mexico.  I still have a copy if anyone would like to read it.

Racewire has a video up of Fekkak.  It can be found here.  I like his comment that we cannot ship the restaurant jobs to China.  A lot of our jobs have been moved elsewhere, where the pay is less and the labor conditions are less stringent.  But it is impossible to ship labor in the hotel/restaurant sector, construction, and other service industries overseas, which is why we need to be vigilant about making sure workers are not being exploited.

Fighting change

I just caught this on NPR:  Latino USA's report on Siler City, North Carolina's changing demographics, called "Mayberry Meets Mexico."  A town that was traditionally black and white has seen an influx of Hispanic immigrants, and many are none too happy.  One resident interviewed compared the newer members of his community to roaches, although he prefaced his remark with "I don't mean to be racist or anything..."  Another resident complained that she feels like a minority now, and frankly admitted that she doesn't like it.  I am continually amazed at the things that people feel are acceptable to say about Hispanics in the U.S.

As a side note, during the report, all I could think about was this silly Rascal Flatts song, "I Miss Mayberry," which includes the line, "I miss Mayberry, when everything was black and white."  OMG I didn't know Rascal Flatts was that racist! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

The legal immigration maze...

I found this on Racewire.org today.  It's a great visual image of our current immigration system!  A full view can be found here.

From a refugee camp to the Olympics

Having just finished the book, What is the What, I was thrilled to hear that a Sudanese refugee who resettled in the U.S. will represent us in the Olympics as a flag bearer during the opening ceremonies. I recommend Dave Eggers' retelling of Valentino Achak Deng's story of his life in Sudan and in a Kenyan refugee camp. Not only does it open your eyes to what was going on in the Sudan (and this was before Darfur), it will get you to thinking about theodicy, as well. Anyway, congrats to Lopez Lomong!

Underground America: Required Reading!

While on vacation, I finished Underground America, which is a collection of immigrants' stories. Edited by an immigration attorney/writer, this book will make your stomach hurt and also (hopefully) encourage you to take action. One man essentially trafficked himself from China, to Thailand, to Cuba, to Mexico, then finally to the United States, where he now owes over $60,000.00 in debt to smugglers. I wish every Christian and every American would check out this collection--or even better, get to know a few immigrants and their stories. Our immigration policy and civil rights record would see some changes, that's for sure!

Aside from a book plug, I also wanted to share our most recent, and one of my favorite, photos. Me and my fiance (what a fancy word! I feel weird using it!) spent some time at a forest preserve/lake over the 4th of July:

My 4th of July...

...was spent in a pretty neat way. I was with a group of friends (all of which are Mexican-American) at a forest preserve/lake in the western suburbs of Chicago. One of the things I enjoy about living in Chicagoland is its diversity. We joked about the spot where we ended up, calling it the United Nations. Our fellow cooking-out neighbors all consisted of a couple of Indian-American groups, some Caucasian people, and a group of Chinese-Americans. There was soccer, cricket, and volleyball, and music from all over the world. And the FOOD! Thank goodness everyone was up for sharing! Corny as this may sound, I really enjoyed spending America's birthday with immigrants--pretty soon our country will look less and less Caucasian, so my 4th was so cutting edge, right?!

How did I miss this?

Thank goodness I frequently check Bender's Immigration Bulletin, because I found a link to an op-ed piece in the New York Times from last fall. Lawrence Downes discusses the word "illegal," in the context of the current immigration debates:

"Since the word modifies not the crime but the whole person, it goes too far. It spreads, like a stain that cannot wash out. It leaves its target diminished as a human, a lifetime member of a presumptive criminal class. People are often surprised to learn that illegal immigrants have rights. Really? Constitutional rights? But aren’t they illegal? Of course they have rights: they have the presumption of innocence and the civil liberties that the Constitution wisely bestows on all people, not just citizens."

The whole piece is worth a read (and it's short, too). Here it is: What Part of "Illegal Don't You Understand?