Nemsie Gonzalez
Managing Editor
As we settle into the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term, there is a lot to reckon with. To no one’s surprise, immigration and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have been top of mind for the 47th president. Increases in Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in our local communities and loss of justice initiatives in every area of life come as a devastating after effect. These raids began a while ago at the start of the California wildfires, further evidence of the widespread lack of empathy and humanity for immigrant families.
Videos addressing the mass deportations of immigrants from their homes have largely focused on the economic loss the country will soon face. While I find it important to acknowledge all the good work immigrants do for this country, it deeply saddens me that real people with lives and families, who have experienced intense hardship, are being reduced to their monetary value.
I am sure that by now, many of you have seen the video of Kelly Osbourne on “The View” talking about Donald Trump’s position on immigrants, making a mention of Latinos and toilets and her co-hosts coming to her rescue to save face. It feels to me that the majority of videos I see boil down to the same question: who will be doing the jobs no one else wants when there are no immigrants or latinos left? Often, this is said in opposition to the claim that immigrants and Latinos have “stolen jobs.”
Two key points are of note here: One, there is this idea that immigrants can never be real Americans. Two, the idea that Black and brown communities are seen as secondary citizens. If you are unconvinced, I urge you to go online and look at the dozens of cases of Indigenous folks being racially profiled as immigrants, and the dozens more of legal immigrants or natural born citizens being detained and taken into custody without proper trial. The entirety of our immigration system fails to meet the general expectations we have when it comes to notions of justice. Quota systems, intimidation tactics and a lack of translators available all act as silver bullets against any possibility of fair trial.
What I hope to achieve in outlining all of this is for us to address the instrumentalization and dehumanization of our fellow citizens. All of this talk about stealing jobs falls on deaf ears within the actual community affected by this type of language. My parents have worked the stereotypical Latino jobs: contractor, nanny or housekeeper. What I’ve seen from my family and friends alike is that these people are some of the most abused and manipulated in the country.
Countless times, my mom has had to step in and encourage her peers to demand their pay when their bosses refused to pay them or tried to cut their pay. What Trump and his followers seem to forget is that many undocumented immigrants are forced to work in low paying jobs when they first enter this country, and due to their status, are often unaware of the protections provided for them.
When I hear about these fights for economic opportunity I can’t help but laugh and cry. There is such a severe lack of class consciousness within our society, rather than demand better standards of living for themselves and their fellow man, they turn to infighting amongst people who share the same objective of living comfortably. David Roediger in “The Wages of Whiteness” discusses how in the 18th century biracial unity was observed more frequently in lower classes than in any other area of life. This was largely due to the shared oppression experienced by poor white workers as well as poor or enslaved Black workers. It was the fear of this coalition between the oppressed that pushed the leaders of the time to force the rhetoric of whiteness onto the working class.
In that same vein, I feel we have lost the thread. Rather than encourage your government to cut spending in areas it does not need — such as the military — and increase job opportunities or put more legislation to protect your interests from corporations, the U.S. is instead putting all its efforts into vilifying an entire group of people. These so-called freeloaders are hard working people who just want to stay with their families. With such a lack of empathy, it becomes impossible to see the bigger picture.
It is my belief that the United States, a country built by immigrants and enslaved peoples, has a responsibility to the descendants of these people to give them a better life. Latin America has been deeply destabilized by the U.S. and its interference, yet the U.S. likes to complain when those living in those countries want to leave. I hate that capitalism has put us into a position where all of our values are tied up in their economic value, and even beyond that, it seems we can no longer appreciate things for their inherent value. Capitalism gives us the perfect avenue for depreciating life.
Our arguments for the protections of immigrants and the latino community at large should be centered around their humanity, and not what they can do for you or for the economy. Remember, these are people first: mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers, not workers.