The Day WIthout Immigrants

The May 1 immigration reform boycott, dubbed, Day Without Immigrants has drawn mixed feelings among immigrant rights proponents.

Some feel that it was too drastic a move considering overtures from our legislators at a compromise with respect to the sensitive issue of undocumented immigrants.

Others believe that the boycott was an effective way to push harder the agenda for immigration reform and galvanize the US Congress into action.

Still, there are those who agree that mass actions must continue but in more subdued forms.

It is clear that the immigration reform drive has come a long way since President George W. Bush declared it a priority when he began his second term. But many immigrant rights proponents at first feared reform would be taking a backseat.

It wasn’t until the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4437, arguably the harshest piece of immigration legislation in recent history, that immigration was restored to its rightful place as a national priority.

Nothing could have been more draconian than considering an undocumented immigrant and any person assisting him or her, a felon. It was a fundamentally cruel and unjust proposal that it was not too difficult to rouse public opposition against it.

What has driven the immigration reform campaign in the US, however, is not just the opposition to H.R. 4437. Its underlying power is drawn from specific demands for reform, which are based on real, identifiable and recurring issues”the undocumented population and the day-to-day travails of immigrants with a broken immigration system.

Pockets of demonstrations in key cities in the country culminating in massive rallies in metro areas like Chicago, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, had made the public call to US Congress for comprehensive immigration reform loud and clear.

Public awareness of the immigration reform issue has escalated to higher level where the people know exactly what to ask from their legislators.

The Filipino American community, though numerically not large compared to their Latino counterpart is as unrelenting and persistent, in its campaign for immigration reform.

The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) had been circulating petition letters addressed to President Bush and the US Congress for signing among its member organizations during the past several months.

NaFFAA unequivocably supports earned legalization for undocumented persons; the reduction, if not the elimination, of family immigration backlogs; increased number of visas; and improved border security measures.

Upon the formal call of the national leadership to hold informational sessions and join May 1 rallies, NaFFAA member organizations have also participated in various May 1 activities across the country.

If we keep up the pace, our legislators will become more reasonable and more concessions will come the way of immigrants who are already exploited and seriously disadvantaged under the present system.

The latest development in the raging immigration debate is that President Bush and Senate leaders have struck a compromise, although it seems there is no official action from the Senate yet.

The situation is quite fluid. The Senate still has to come up with its own immigration reform proposal, while the House appears to stand by H.R 4437 with some of its members hinting at a compromise as well.

We have to continue our mass action. We enjoin Filipinos and other immigrants to push for immigration reform. It was the mass action that pushed the Senate to act.

The nationwide movement on May 1 has demonstrated the power of immigrants once more. We must strive for real immigration reform, which must include a guest worker program and earned legalization with a path to eventual citizenship.