immigration - Jezebel

posts about #immigration more →
To Have And To Hold
Proof Of Life
Administration Recommends Political Asylum For Rody Alvarado Peña
Does The Struggle For Women's Rights Extend To Citizenship?
"Business Marriages" Anything But Businesslike
Obama Adminstration Opening Doors For Women Fleeing Abuse
Immigration Rights Advocate Is Disappointed In Obama
ANTM: Big (European) Girls Don't Cry…Except For When They Do
A.G. Mukasey Rights One Of Many Wrongs Done To Victim Of FGM
Ruslana Korshunova, No Longer Anonymous

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notheretomakefriends
11/06/09

In reply to To Have And To Hold
Oh! Aïcha, Aïcha, listen to me
Aïcha, Aïcha, don't go away... #frenchnaturalization
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Triana Orpheus
11/06/09

In reply to To Have And To Hold
I mean, I think it's stupid to try to and force everyone to conform to being "French" instead of letting them be how they are, but I admire the decision to have a national discussion about such a difficult topic. You see how well burying your head in the sand turned out for the U.S. #frenchnaturalization
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BeckySharper
11/06/09

@Triana Orpheus: The US doesn't have anywhere near the problems with assimilation that France does. Say what you will about anti-immigration sentiment in the US, but our first- and second-generation immigrants are nowhere near as impoverished, marginalized, politically unrepresented and culturally maligned as the Algerian/West African immigrant communities in France.

You might admire them, but I don't think they get a cookie for finally being forced to have a discussion--not real change, just a discussion!--about an issue that's so central to their society. They should have discussed this and put policy in place decades ago. #frenchnaturalization
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Edited by BeckySharper at 11/06/09 11:53 AM BeckySharper was starred BeckySharper was unstarred

Triana Orpheus
11/06/09

@BeckySharper: Trust, I'm not jumping up and down in joy. I have a brother over there and he's let me know how awful they treat immigrants in France. I also watched the news during the riots and understood the anger the youths felt. I'm just saying that it would do us some good to open up the floor to talk about it. So many people want to close their ears for fear of being called rascists, but the conversation must be held. #frenchnaturalization
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ATull
11/05/09

In reply to Proof Of Life
France is sick.

I'm currently an English language assistant here and I've taken to carrying my passport around with me "just in case". I'm black and Canadian. I've heard stories of visible minorities being harassed by police and accused of being "illegal". Recently, a male (muslim) assistant returned home to Canada because of the racism he faced here.

France is an amazing country and there are certain aspects of it's culture that makes it really special. It's intolerance and treatment of visible minorities isn't one of them. #republicstatue
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Zira
11/05/09

@ATull: I've lived in both England and France and the manner in which the two countries treat their minorties is starkedly different: while there is a lot of poverty in inner city neighborhoods in England, minorities are far more integrated and successful than in France where they are still treated as pariahs with much much higher unemployment rates and no prospects.

Its a time bomb waiting to explode because over a quarter of births in France today are to parents of north african and middle eastern heritage so the face of France is changing very quickly. #republicstatue
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ATull
11/05/09

@Oryx Hearts Crake: I agree completely. I love England. #republicstatue
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boredparalegal
10/30/09

In reply to Administration Recommends Political Asylum For Rody Alvarado Peña
I wrote my senior thesis in college about this case. You can't tell from the NY Times article, but she was subjected to horrific violence on a daily basis. She left her children with a relative when she fled and I'm not sure if she's seen them since.

Each asylum applicant has to prove a certain level of violence/discrimination/etc. to be considered "persecution." If she had been abused by a local officer or a member of the military because of political beliefs or ethnicity, she would have been granted asylum and INS would not have appealed. The fact that it was a domestic situation and the US government is (properly) hesitant to expand asylum law without studying the impact of that change means she was just barely outside of established asylum regulations. In a way, she was lucky-ish because her case was picked up by Karen Musalo, who runs a gender and refugees clinic at Hastings. (There's been a link to Alvaradi's case since as long as I remember and students at the clinic learn about the case.) I'm just happy that DHS, after initially appealing a grant of asylum to someone who clearly deserves it, finally came to its senses and made this recommendation.

[cgrs.uchastings.edu]

Check out the court filings, they're pretty extraordinary. #asylum
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Atomic Bowling
10/30/09

In reply to Administration Recommends Political Asylum For Rody Alvarado Peña
I think this makes perfect sense if the asylum seeker is from a country that does not really provide legal protection to victims of domestic abuse, thus making them, as said above, a particular social group facing persecution. Of course, that still leaves a lot of room in our own system for providing better protection for victims of domestic violence, and I'm fairly certain that this unfortunately will not apply equally to male victims of domestic violence, but it's a good start. #asylum
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wordinedgewise
10/30/09

In reply to Administration Recommends Political Asylum For Rody Alvarado Peña
It seems to me the real problem here is the insanely pervasive culture of violence in the countries the women are fleeing. Why don't we spend some money on that? #asylum
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TheocratsForDarwin
10/30/09

@wordinedgewise: Much of U.S. foreign assistance is inefficient and tied to security issues. Aside from all the issues of imposing outside values, the U.S. government simply does not have the capacity to change other cultures in any kind of time frame that would actually help these women now. However, many NGOs are working toward women's rights, and often have local implementers - they would probably be happy for any support. #asylum
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wordinedgewise
10/30/09

@TheocratsForDarwin: Thanks for pointing that out. I should clarify that by "we" I meant American people (read: NGO's), not necessarily government agencies. #asylum
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Kristinkles Ingabogovinanana
10/30/09

In reply to Administration Recommends Political Asylum For Rody Alvarado Peña
It would be interesting to see if any women left the US under the same provision. Lord knows we have the same problems here. #asylum
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CurtCole
10/30/09

@Kristinkles Ingabogovinanana: But, we have resources and agencies for men and women subjected to domestic violence, whereas these countries, for the most part, do not.
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Edited by CurtCole at 10/30/09 10:21 AM CurtCole was starred CurtCole was unstarred

Kristinkles Ingabogovinanana
10/30/09

@CurtCole: I know, I know. These resources do fail our women though, and so I was just posing the point that while it's wonderful and very necessary to help elsewhere there is still much to be done here. #asylum
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CurtCole
10/30/09

@Kristinkles Ingabogovinanana: I totally agree. My best friend works for Child Protective Services and sees women fall through the cracks all the time. She'll refer them to Adult Services, but after that is is out of her hands. #asylum
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History Major
08/21/09

In reply to Does The Struggle For Women's Rights Extend To Citizenship?
This hits really close to home. Haitians are dying and I do mean dying to get to this country. A boat just capsized in the Caribbean a couple weeks ago full of people trying to make it to the United States. It's really sickening the policy the US has towards Haitians not even allowing them trial in this country but doing it aboard a ship in the ocean. Sigh I fully agree that Citizenship, what it means to belong and also how we exclude is one of the biggest global crisis.
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Casquivana
08/21/09

In reply to Does The Struggle For Women's Rights Extend To Citizenship?
IN the NYT interview with Hillary Clinton, there was this quote that jumped at me the moment I read it:I am also struck by every international public-opinion poll I’ve ever seen, that the No. 1 thing most men and women want is a good job with a good income. It is at the core of the human aspiration to be able to support oneself, to give one’s children a better future.The point is that this is also the exact definition of why most people immigrate. So of course, both topics are related. As long as there's hope, expectations and the desire to have a better life, for yourself and your family, there will be people moving across borders, looking for better prospects, and I can't see how it would be possible to empower women while limiting their choices and access to these very same expectations and aspirations.
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Maritsa promoted this comment Edited by Casquivana at 08/21/09 7:07 PM Casquivana was starred Casquivana was unstarred

envirodesigner
08/21/09

In reply to Does The Struggle For Women's Rights Extend To Citizenship?
I actually hate illegal immigration, not for the obvious reasons, but because people die trying to cross the border (land or sea) and once they do get here they get treated like s**** (and that's me being nice) and it's sad seeing how we treat immigrants here, deport and not ask questions at all. Just look at how many citizens get harassed or deported just because they don't look white.

I say we should help immigrants and make it more visible so that they can acculturate into the country and know their basic rights. Nobody should be treated like crap but should be able make an honest living and support the country.
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My_Latest_Incarnation
08/21/09

@envirodesigner: Yes, I live in a border state and I hate illegal immigration for exactly the same reason. The immigrants are treated like less than dogs or slaves. Alll so middle-class people can live like the rich and have servants to mow their lawns and clean their houses and babysit their kids. Plus the whole ecological disaster it's causing in the desert.
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Lymed
08/21/09

In reply to Does The Struggle For Women's Rights Extend To Citizenship?
It is also important to recognize that even legal immigrants are in a second class in America. Federal law prohibits legal immigrants from accessing most federal welfare programs until they have been in the country for five years. Including Medicaid and SCHIP.
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Penny
08/21/09

In reply to Does The Struggle For Women's Rights Extend To Citizenship?
In reality encouraging access to citizenship makes everyone more productive, helps people get to better places, and strengthens society. It's similar, in a way, to the relationship between men's and women's rights. One person's success doesn't necessarily mean that others have to lose.

This is a simple fact that so many people don't seem to understand. There is so much fear around immigration and you can see that people have latched onto the script of "the foreigners are coming, the foreigners are coming, to take our jobs, to not speak English!" Meanwhile, they continue to buy their cheap produce, drink wine, lay comfortably in clean hotel rooms, and any other number of things that would not be possible, for so cheap, without the labor of low-wage immigrants--illegal or otherwise. This resonates with me especially, living in the salad bowl of CA.

Ignorant people point the finger to harmless immigrants, vilifying them, when it's their government and corporate America who have failed them.

I have loved reading these conversations, Latoya, thanks.
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TexasCrude
08/21/09

@Penny: I'm an immigrant and I can't tell you how easy it is for the folks on the right to turn immigrants into scapegoats. I'd gander that about 99% of this country's problems are caused by, oh who? Americans.
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Plum-Pie
08/22/09

@TexasCrude: I love it when immigrants are blamed for racism. And by 'love', I mean laugh hollowly before returning to a state of mild depression about the chronic stupidity of humanity.
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stoprobbers
07/20/09

In reply to "Business Marriages" Anything But Businesslike
OY. I started with a comment in a WHOLE OTHER POST and ended up here?

Many apologies, I don't know what's going on.
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Edited by stoprobbers at 07/20/09 5:07 PM stoprobbers was starred stoprobbers was unstarred

malishka
07/20/09

In reply to "Business Marriages" Anything But Businesslike
I married a Ukrainian, which is a hot spot for that stuff - the people in the interview room with us were VERY clearly not legit. I prepared for months, didn't sleep for weeks, had every stupid picture/love letter/e-mail/bank statement/letter from friends saying it was legit. It was highly, highly embarrassing. But (perhaps because I'm a woman and they don't have as much of a problem with mail-order-husbands, or perhaps because I was living in Ukraine at the time) - the interview was maaaaaaaybe 10 minutes long. My friends who went through the same process said the same thing. Moral is: prepare everything, just in case, but if it's legit, it'll show.
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LindsayC: doctoral hilarity ensues
07/20/09

@malishka: Moral is: prepare everything, just in case, but if it's legit, it'll show.

Precisely. It is far better to be over-prepared and have a great story about what a joke it was than to be sitting there sweating bullets because you are missing something they want.
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envirodesigner
07/20/09

In reply to "Business Marriages" Anything But Businesslike
Man, that interview gets pretty detailed. Not that much that I feel that my privacy gets crossed but they want to them proof that you're not trying to cheat the system. But I did suggest to my husband that everything would be solved if I just released a sex tape of us.
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LindsayC: doctoral hilarity ensues
07/20/09

@envirodesigner: Hah! I always said that too. During the application process they kept asking for proof of our relationship and I joked with an attorney friend that I would gladly send them photos of us in the act if that would help.
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