|
|
PROBLEMS CAUSED BY THE 96' INS ACT:
In highlighting the problems posed by the INS Act of
1996, the INTERNATIONAL IMMIGRANTS FOUNDATION
would like to draw your attention to the following issues:
As a result of the oppressive and persecutory nature of
the new Law, a clandestine sub-cultures has been created of close to 6 million so
called "undocumented" human beings;
Triggered by a frustrating sense of discrimination, loss
of cultural identity, and inability to participate in regular societal activities, this
demeaning situation, in turn, has given rise to an underground workforce envirionment
that is adversely affecting the social, economic, cultural and political structures of
every area of our life;
Contrary to what the government seeks to achieve, the new
Law promotes rather than discourages the number of illegal aliens, allowing the
situation to be prolonged indefinitely, on account of the undocumented population's need
to survive and to hang on to all that they cherish and have worked so hard to achieve
through personal sacrifice over the years;
Another adverse effect of the new Act is the requirement
that, in order to legaliza their status, undocumented immigrants must leave the US for a
period ranging from 3 to 10 years, thus causing;
a) the cruel separation of spouses and children from their beloved families and
from their established environment; and
b) anxiety and disruption to Employers in desperate need of qualified, able and willing
US legal workers to perform urgent duties.
Despite the undocumented immigrants' willingness to
contribute to the general well being of our nation, the fear of persecution from mandatory
reporting under the new Law prevents from:
a) seeking adequate medical assistance;
b) receiving proper education, thus promoting a new and vulnerable generation of
undesirable young and adult illiterates;
c) paying owed taxes to the detriment of US fiscal policy;
Instead of promoting a healthy society, the new Act is
causing a great deal of endless and unnecessary physical, emotional and psychological
hardship to countless US citizens, legal permanent residents, and their loved ones, denying
them the chance to become useful, productive, and law-abiding citizens.
The painful effects of these bitter challenges include:
a) A total inbalance in all aspects of daily living at all levels: moral, social,
cultural, domestic, financial, religious, and others;
b) An incapacitating feeling of being discriminated against by society with no way out
from the perceived threatening dangers;
c) Reckless abondonment to the ranks of the "silent minority";
d) A feeling of depression that consumes one's personality as a result of threatening
insecurity, helplessness, and inferiority complex;
e) A harsh mental torment;
f) A sense of loss of freedom, mobility, and individual expression;
g) A strong inclination to become introverted;
h) Inability to act independently and with self-confidence;
i) An addiction to alcohol, drugs and other abuse substances in order to escape from
reality; and
j) other serious afflictions too numerous to mention here.
Notwithstanding discrimination in every single area of
life, mainly on account of the lack of proper documents and identification, undocumented
immigrants bear the brunt of the most devastating prejudice in the sectors related
to housing and care of the elderly;
Documented and undocumented immigrants continue to be
used as a scape-goat to alleviate public anxiety over the concerns of
recent decades fueled by divisive political rhetoric and demogoguery;
The 1996 Immigration Act reveals a hypocritical
and insensitive attitude toward immigrants and their dependents that is
incompatible with the most basic values of compassion to be found not only in our Nation's
Christian-Judeo beliefs, but also in other traditions (such as Muslim,
Buddhist, Hindu, etc) that COMMAND us "to love help and care for our friends,
neighbors brothers and sisters, and the environment we live in as we love ourselves";
Considering the United States' position as the world's
leading Nation in safeguarding and protecting human rights, all forms of discrimination
and degradation of human dignity under the guise of so-called
"reforms", are not only embarrassing but also unacceptable and intolerable.
continue
|
|
