2008 Woodie Awards
Pensamientos: meaning thoughts
Rudy Ornelas
Issue date: 4/27/06 Section: Opinion
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"It's not enough to accuse, to wail and spit on the face of all oppression - this can be ignored. It takes a scientific approach to uncover the source of exploitation, to unravel society's delicate and intricate tapestry, stitched with the skin of our mothers, the bones of our ancestors, the blood of all who toil." - Luis J. Rodriguez
Not too long ago I wrote a commentary in the Silhouette called "Living the Fantasy of America." In the article I stated that too many Mexicans get wrapped up in this paradise we've found called America. As a result forgetting our Mexican roots, undermining and degrading those who are just like us.
I have never been so happy to have been proved wrong. When the new immigration bill was passed we all rallied together. We stood up for others less fortunate, we cared. Not just Mexicans but all Latinos. United as one for a common cause. This was a beautiful thing all across the nation including here in Garden City.
The bill? HR 4437, the anti-immigrant law the House of Representatives passed in December, was stalled April 7 by the U.S. Senate, and is a rotten piece of legislation that would place the United States in violation of basic human rights. Here's why:
HR 4437 will impose jail time for over 11 million undocumented immigrants It allows local police and the U.S. military to serve as immigration agents. It allocates hundreds of millions of dollars to build an enormous wall across our southern border. It will also make it a felony for anyone-be they churches, charities, employers, and even family members-to assist undocumented people. At the same time, there are no provisions in HR 4437 for undocumented immigrants to apply for green cards or to become citizens.
Together we all spoke out for a population that is silenced, a population that can not be visible, for fear of deportation. I was especially pleased with the teens, the legal teens, the ones that are citizens. Even with the knowledge that they would be suspended from school, they attended. Some might have seen this as a foolish rally that would prove nothing. What this proves is what a better grasp on reality these young students have. They know that their parents are at risk of being deported. Some of them know that they are not eligible for good jobs that depend on an education; they are going to do the kinds of work their parents do. They live a working class reality.
Not too long ago I wrote a commentary in the Silhouette called "Living the Fantasy of America." In the article I stated that too many Mexicans get wrapped up in this paradise we've found called America. As a result forgetting our Mexican roots, undermining and degrading those who are just like us.
I have never been so happy to have been proved wrong. When the new immigration bill was passed we all rallied together. We stood up for others less fortunate, we cared. Not just Mexicans but all Latinos. United as one for a common cause. This was a beautiful thing all across the nation including here in Garden City.
The bill? HR 4437, the anti-immigrant law the House of Representatives passed in December, was stalled April 7 by the U.S. Senate, and is a rotten piece of legislation that would place the United States in violation of basic human rights. Here's why:
HR 4437 will impose jail time for over 11 million undocumented immigrants It allows local police and the U.S. military to serve as immigration agents. It allocates hundreds of millions of dollars to build an enormous wall across our southern border. It will also make it a felony for anyone-be they churches, charities, employers, and even family members-to assist undocumented people. At the same time, there are no provisions in HR 4437 for undocumented immigrants to apply for green cards or to become citizens.
Together we all spoke out for a population that is silenced, a population that can not be visible, for fear of deportation. I was especially pleased with the teens, the legal teens, the ones that are citizens. Even with the knowledge that they would be suspended from school, they attended. Some might have seen this as a foolish rally that would prove nothing. What this proves is what a better grasp on reality these young students have. They know that their parents are at risk of being deported. Some of them know that they are not eligible for good jobs that depend on an education; they are going to do the kinds of work their parents do. They live a working class reality.
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