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 Editorials | Opinions | May 2007 
Presidential Candidate: Immigrants Beaten Coast to Coast
 Peace and Freedom Party
| | Immigration rights supporters in a march through Los Angeles, California. A landmark congressional compromise with the White House on the thorny immigration issue did not suit all lawmakers Friday as some Republicans called it amnesty and some Democrats argued it did not go far enough (AFP/Robyn Beck) |
On a day when Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton spent the evening in rallies with thousands of immigrants, to make amends for the terrible beatings that hundreds of immigrants and reporters received at the Los Angeles May Day rallies, President Bush, along with key Democrats and Republicans, took their turn beating up 12 million immigrants coast to coast.
This week, on Thursday, President Bush introduced a comprehensive immigration package that is suppose to offer millions of illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship; the bill will surely be faced with many obstacles from lawmakers on both sides of the isle as it makes its way through Congress.
Stewart A. Alexander, a president hopeful with the Peace and Freedom Party, is rejecting all elements of the Bush immigration package “from A to Z.” Alexander says, “This immigration plan, as presented, will be a major set-back for immigrants and working class people and will divide families.”
Under this immigration plan the pathway to citizenship is now a pathway into the twilight zone and opens a door only to exploit immigrants for cheap labor throughout the United States and the entire western hemisphere.
At same time that the Democratic controls congress is proposing to bring hundred of thousands of guest worker “slave laborers” into the U.S., the Democratic party leadership are joining with Bush to push a “Fast Track” bill that will create more corporate trade zones similar to NAFTA in Columbia, Panama, Peru and South Korea.
Ultimately both bills, dealing with immigration and trade, will cut wages for U.S. workers and will lead to more forced immigration; these bills are written by multi-nationals and union busters who are well represented in Congress.
This latest immigration package, as presented by the Bush administration, make provisions for illegal immigrants to apply for a permanent resident status after they pay a huge $5,000 fine and application fees.
The bill would create a renewable “Z” visa good for four years. After paying the $5,000 fine and fees it would be require that the head of the household return home for 8 to 13 years and wait in line for residency.
The Guest Worker provision of the bill, a two year work visa or “Y” visa, will be a two year temporary work visa capped at 400,000 annually. This provision will offer immigrants no stability in employment and will create a temporary labor force at a poverty pay level.
The bill also requires that border security measure be in place before green cards, for “Z” visa applicants, are issued; which could take 18 months or longer.
The bill requires 370 miles of border fence be in place, also 18,000 additional border agents and 200 miles of vehicle barriers. In the short term this could cost American taxpayers over $20 billion.
Alexander says, “This whole plan, this immigration bill, is no better than the idea of building the Berlin Wall during the height of the cold war. I reject the entire bill and reject the notion of dividing families for any period of time.”
Alexander notes that this immigration package is an assault on the rights of immigrants, their families and working class people. “I am asking all immigrants, working people and labor unions to join the Peace and Freedom Party in opposing this immigration bill that has been presented by the Bush administration and his Democratic and Republican partners.”
For more information search the web for: Stewart A. Alexander; Stewart A. Alexander for President; Immigrants are Lost in American Politics; Border Fence - The Cost Far Too High. http://www.salt-g.com - stewartalexander4paf@ca.rr.com |
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