Immigration: A Foreign Policy Agenda
Article: Refugees or Economic Immigrants? Immigration from Latin America and the Politics of US Refugee Policy By Maria Cristina Garcia
A question that arose while reading this essay was, How can a government put their political agenda over people's lives? Living, breathing people who are actually running for their lives. A country that was founded by immigrants who were also trying to escape life threatening situations and persecution. How did we forget our roots so fast?
The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act only considered a refugee a person who was fleeing from a communist of communist-dominated country. We all know America has always been about spreading democracy throughout the world, but what about countries that have some sort of democratic government but still have deplorable life conditions that can be life-threatening? Conditions such as high crime rates or terrorism rates and religious persecution..
To me this Act just further proved that the U.S only cares about their political agenda. They don't actually care about the people in need.
Same goes with the Cuban immigration policies. When it was convenient for them they let as many Cubans in as possible. Trying to hurt the Castro revolution efforts they would even encourage Cubans to migrate and aided them. Afterwards when there were too many Cubans for their comfort they started puting restrains and asking the Cuban government to help regulate the migration issue. Not only did they showed biased towards the Cubans because of their political problems with the Cuban government, but they also let them down when it stopped being convenient for them. Their bias is still very much visible today. There are many who are a perfect match for the 'refugee' definition, but are still not given asylum because of racial stereotypes and biases.
It's no news that the United States government has always worked under a hidden agenda, but this does not make it any better. You can't call yourself the "Police of the World" only when it's convenient for your to invade places to your own benefit. They should not put themselves in a pedestal for doing the bare minimum to look good.
Same goes with the Cuban immigration policies. When it was convenient for them they let as many Cubans in as possible. Trying to hurt the Castro revolution efforts they would even encourage Cubans to migrate and aided them. Afterwards when there were too many Cubans for their comfort they started puting restrains and asking the Cuban government to help regulate the migration issue. Not only did they showed biased towards the Cubans because of their political problems with the Cuban government, but they also let them down when it stopped being convenient for them. Their bias is still very much visible today. There are many who are a perfect match for the 'refugee' definition, but are still not given asylum because of racial stereotypes and biases.
It's no news that the United States government has always worked under a hidden agenda, but this does not make it any better. You can't call yourself the "Police of the World" only when it's convenient for your to invade places to your own benefit. They should not put themselves in a pedestal for doing the bare minimum to look good.
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