While the devasting death toll in Gaza is paramount in most minds--& rightly so--let's not forget the tens of thousands of deaths that sanctions levied against the people of countries by various U.S. administrations have caused. The much-ballyhooed “border crisis” is one result of these criminal policies. It’s quite reasonable to assume most people want to live in the countries they’re from rather than moving to an unknown land to face a plethora of hardships, including resentment, prejudice, & the like, all without a guarantee of finding a better life. However, people who lack food, medicine, shelter, & other life essentials are often forced to take extreme measures in order to survive.
If Washington felt a humanitarian need to remedy the so-called flood of immigrants into the U.S., then our so-called representatives would, as a first step, repeal all sanctions against other countries. Obviously, they'd have to reform many other foreign policies, too, such as regime change, free trade, & general forms of interference & exploitation on the part of the U.S. government & corporations. This would seem a no-brainer, but unsurprisingly, none of the solutions that Washington advocates have anything to do with correction of its own bad policies, instead doubling down, seeking additional funding for increased surveillance & militarization—pretty much its go-to solution for everything.
Unfortunately, America has tried this very same tactic before with little to show outside the expected & all too common systemic displays of oppressive, repressive abuse of power. It isn’t effective for various reasons. Desperate people will make desperate decisions, regardless of the risks. In some cases, those raising the biggest ruckus over "open borders" may be funding the current “crisis” to provide a cheap labor force. While that’s certainly a motive, the outrage over the situation also provides an opportunity for the ruling class to acquire more power. Although it may sound counterintuitive to say the powers that be want discord, manufacturing crises is a tried & true method of gaining public consent to enact draconian measures, ostensibly, if not ironically, to combat the very problem that they themselves have covertly created. Not only do further surveillance & militarization increase governmental control & power, but the funding of such policies, much like America’s funding of weapons around the globe, is also another money laundering venture, i.e., funneling tax dollars into the corporations that the politicians serve. Who knows? Given the general thinking in Washington, all this heated talk about the border may be a buildup to generate support for an invasion of Mexico. In any event, the vulnerability of the migrant workers' status makes them susceptible to extreme exploitation since they're unlikely to report abuses for fear of deportation or other repression, the very policies that are being touted as the solution to this situation.
Slews of American political pundits have loudly weighed in on the government's funding of migrants in the U.S. These pundits proclaim like the champions of justice they pretend to be that it's an outrageous travesty to give financial relief to migrants unless you do the same for needy Americans. (It may seem like semantics or pedantry, but I take exception to "unless." I would argue that American citizens deserve aid regardless of the aid to migrants, that one is not contingent on the other.) However, their arguments, especially among those who hadn't previously raised their voices to call for expanding the social safety net, resonate like xenophobic, nationalistic screeds aimed at "foreigners," as if taking the aid from migrants will benefit poor Americans. This is a variation of the old shell game, blaming one group of victims—many, it should be noted, who have been forced here by the U.S. imperialistic agenda—for the victimization of others. The real solution isn't to retract or reduce, but to expand the benefits for all needy people. It makes one wonder if what some of these pundits want is that neither U.S. citizens nor immigrants receive aid. Rather than haranguing on destitute migrants receiving government assistance, these talking heads, if the goal is genuinely to aid needy U.S. citizens, would be well-advised to laud the aid to migrants while insisting that U.S. citizens receive assistance as well. It should go without saying, but simply put, all people, regardless of nationality, deserve at the very least food, shelter, & healthcare.
Politicians & pundits alike, from whatever ideology they identify with, should stop making destitute, desperate people into political pawns & click bait. The solution isn’t hate & violence, but peace, love & sure, why not, understanding,
If Washington felt a humanitarian need to remedy the so-called flood of immigrants into the U.S., then our so-called representatives would, as a first step, repeal all sanctions against other countries. Obviously, they'd have to reform many other foreign policies, too, such as regime change, free trade, & general forms of interference & exploitation on the part of the U.S. government & corporations. This would seem a no-brainer, but unsurprisingly, none of the solutions that Washington advocates have anything to do with correction of its own bad policies, instead doubling down, seeking additional funding for increased surveillance & militarization—pretty much its go-to solution for everything.
Unfortunately, America has tried this very same tactic before with little to show outside the expected & all too common systemic displays of oppressive, repressive abuse of power. It isn’t effective for various reasons. Desperate people will make desperate decisions, regardless of the risks. In some cases, those raising the biggest ruckus over "open borders" may be funding the current “crisis” to provide a cheap labor force. While that’s certainly a motive, the outrage over the situation also provides an opportunity for the ruling class to acquire more power. Although it may sound counterintuitive to say the powers that be want discord, manufacturing crises is a tried & true method of gaining public consent to enact draconian measures, ostensibly, if not ironically, to combat the very problem that they themselves have covertly created. Not only do further surveillance & militarization increase governmental control & power, but the funding of such policies, much like America’s funding of weapons around the globe, is also another money laundering venture, i.e., funneling tax dollars into the corporations that the politicians serve. Who knows? Given the general thinking in Washington, all this heated talk about the border may be a buildup to generate support for an invasion of Mexico. In any event, the vulnerability of the migrant workers' status makes them susceptible to extreme exploitation since they're unlikely to report abuses for fear of deportation or other repression, the very policies that are being touted as the solution to this situation.
Slews of American political pundits have loudly weighed in on the government's funding of migrants in the U.S. These pundits proclaim like the champions of justice they pretend to be that it's an outrageous travesty to give financial relief to migrants unless you do the same for needy Americans. (It may seem like semantics or pedantry, but I take exception to "unless." I would argue that American citizens deserve aid regardless of the aid to migrants, that one is not contingent on the other.) However, their arguments, especially among those who hadn't previously raised their voices to call for expanding the social safety net, resonate like xenophobic, nationalistic screeds aimed at "foreigners," as if taking the aid from migrants will benefit poor Americans. This is a variation of the old shell game, blaming one group of victims—many, it should be noted, who have been forced here by the U.S. imperialistic agenda—for the victimization of others. The real solution isn't to retract or reduce, but to expand the benefits for all needy people. It makes one wonder if what some of these pundits want is that neither U.S. citizens nor immigrants receive aid. Rather than haranguing on destitute migrants receiving government assistance, these talking heads, if the goal is genuinely to aid needy U.S. citizens, would be well-advised to laud the aid to migrants while insisting that U.S. citizens receive assistance as well. It should go without saying, but simply put, all people, regardless of nationality, deserve at the very least food, shelter, & healthcare.
Politicians & pundits alike, from whatever ideology they identify with, should stop making destitute, desperate people into political pawns & click bait. The solution isn’t hate & violence, but peace, love & sure, why not, understanding,
Comments