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GUEST COLUMN

Stop anti-immigrant violence

By TISHA R. TALLMAN
Published on: 10/11/05
Our current broken immigration system has fueled, among other things, violence against contributing members of our community.

I am referring to the recent murders, beatings and rape of Latino agricultural farm workers in South Georgia. Has our society gotten to the point that labels such as "illegal" connote "otherness" to such a degree that our immigrant brothers and sisters are beaten to death as a matter of course?

We must all work together to ensure that these attacks are the last.

I can't help but think that our current unworkable immigration system and Congress' inability to fix it has fueled violence against our immigrant brothers and sisters. Nightly news shows promote immigrant bashing, fueling resentment largely based on myth. Hateful legislation does nothing more than prevent working Georgians the opportunity to carry out their basic daily needs.

Millions of immigrants have come to the United States to be with family and find work opportunities. They have fueled economies, including Georgia's agricultural sector, benefiting all Americans. Yet, our system has not allowed them to integrate into our economy and society as whole.

The 10 million to 12 million undocumented immigrant workers in the United States are mostly employed in low-wage jobs. The U.S. immigration system classifies low-wage jobs in the "other worker" category, with only 5,000 visas granted per year worldwide.

It becomes a mathematical impossibility for our immigrant brothers and sisters to do something about their status. But this is not the focus of our public debate.

Instead, we ignore the dysfunctional immigration system and go after the individual immigrants who are trying to provide for their families. We are quick to point out scarce resources, job loss and depressed wages, without digging deeper. Now, the blood is on all our hands.

It is time to educate ourselves and become aware of the larger context, one in which we all play a part. We must demand change and that the violence stop.


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