FT-CI

U.S.: Republicans and Democrats Versus Immigrant Workers

20/02/2015

U.S.: Republicans and Democrats Versus Immigrant Workers

Republicans and Democrats Versus Immigrant Workers

The dispute over immigration reform and the obstructionism of the Republicans against the timid concessions offered by Obama produce the illusion of a dispute between antagonistic forces. A closer look reveals that, despite differing in tactics and in discourse in order to appeal to their respective electoral bases, the two parties defend similar interests.

The Democratic party, bound by the support of Latinos and the unions, has been forced to make some minimal concessions to immigrant workers in recent years, such as the 2013 immigration reform plan introduced in Congress which ultimately stalled. Having failed in that route and shaken by the defeat in last November’s midterm elections, Obama decided to issue an executive order which would give some breathing room to a significant number of undocumented immigrants.

The Republicans, who have no need to respond to the demands of these sectors, have rejected outright all attempts to protect undocumented immigrants and have called for massive deportations. These calls have served to solidify the support of the party’s reactionary and racist base, while also shifting attention away from the current economic crisis, for which the Republicans, just like the Democrats have been incapable of providing a solution.

However, both Republicans and Democrats represent industries which profit immensely on exploiting immigrant workers, such as the service industry, construction, and agribusiness. Even under Obama’s new immigration plan, between 6 and 7 million immigrants will remain undocumented, and forced to work at low wages with virtually no protections.

Immigrant workers and the state

The dynamic of immigrant workers has been studied by many, including Burrowoy and Arrighi. Both have demonstrated the importance of state policies in generating and perpetuating the systems of exploitation of immigrant labor. The cases of South African and California have served as paradigms to explain this mechanism. First, through policies of disposession, unfair competition, and economic attacks, among other measures, individuals in a subsitance economy (in our case, Mexico and Central America) are deprived of the ability to sustain themselves. As a consequence, they are obliged to abandon their land and seek out work. NAFTA is a good example of a policy of the strangulation of low-skilled and rural workers in Mexico.

The state’s second attack comes when the migrant worker arrives in her new country. In order to ensure that this new army of second-class workers keeps its head down and works under the conditions that are imposed upon it, they deny the basic rights of protest, association, and strike. How? By maintaining workers in permanent "illegal" status.

Both the Republican plan, and the Democratic plan serve to discipline any immigrant worker who stands up for her rights, demands a higher wage or seeks better working conditions. Pressured by the growing discontent of its electoral base, the Democrats aim to shield a portion of undocumented workers from raids and deportations. By delivering certain concessions, and more generally, coöpting the immigrant movement through religious and nonprofit organizations, the Democrats have succeeded for the moment in containing the conflict within institutional channels and away from mass mobilization.

But neither the Obama plan, nor of course the Republican plan, offers the chance at citizenship for immigrant workers. We have seen why both parties are interested in maintaining the current status quo.

The struggle of immigrant workers for their democratic rights is of utmost importance. The majority of the unions have underestimated or ignored this sector for decades, although things appear to be changing slightly. In order to win the right to full citizenship for such a large sector of the working class, it will be neccessary for all workers, unionized as well as the the most exploited, to fight arm-in-arm, independent of the Democratic party and its associated organizations. A victory of this magnitude will strenghten enormously not only immigrant workers, but the whole of the working class.

  • TAGS
Notas relacionadas

No hay comentarios a esta nota

Periodicos

  • PTS (Argentina)

  • Actualidad Nacional

    MTS (México)

  • EDITORIAL

    LTS (Venezuela)

  • DOSSIER : Leur démocratie et la nôtre

    CCR NPA (Francia)

  • ContraCorriente Nro42 Suplemento Especial

    Clase contra Clase (Estado Español)

  • Movimento Operário

    MRT (Brasil)

  • LOR-CI (Bolivia) Bolivia Liga Obrera Revolucionaria - Cuarta Internacional Palabra Obrera Abril-Mayo Año 2014 

Ante la entrega de nuestros sindicatos al gobierno

1° de Mayo

Reagrupar y defender la independencia política de los trabajadores Abril-Mayo de 2014 Por derecha y por izquierda

La proimperialista Ley Minera del MAS en la picota

    LOR-CI (Bolivia)

  • PTR (Chile) chile Partido de Trabajadores Revolucionarios Clase contra Clase 

En las recientes elecciones presidenciales, Bachelet alcanzó el 47% de los votos, y Matthei el 25%: deberán pasar a segunda vuelta. La participación electoral fue de solo el 50%. La votación de Bachelet, representa apenas el 22% del total de votantes. 

¿Pero se podrá avanzar en las reformas (cosméticas) anunciadas en su programa? Y en caso de poder hacerlo, ¿serán tales como se esperan en “la calle”? Editorial El Gobierno, el Parlamento y la calle

    PTR (Chile)

  • RIO (Alemania) RIO (Alemania) Revolutionäre Internationalistische Organisation Klasse gegen Klasse 

Nieder mit der EU des Kapitals!

Die Europäische Union präsentiert sich als Vereinigung Europas. Doch diese imperialistische Allianz hilft dem deutschen Kapital, andere Teile Europas und der Welt zu unterwerfen. MarxistInnen kämpfen für die Vereinigten Sozialistischen Staaten von Europa! 

Widerstand im Spanischen Staat 

Am 15. Mai 2011 begannen Jugendliche im Spanischen Staat, öffentliche Plätze zu besetzen. Drei Jahre später, am 22. März 2014, demonstrierten Hunderttausende in Madrid. Was hat sich in diesen drei Jahren verändert? Editorial Nieder mit der EU des Kapitals!

    RIO (Alemania)

  • Liga de la Revolución Socialista (LRS - Costa Rica) Costa Rica LRS En Clave Revolucionaria Noviembre Año 2013 N° 25 

Los cuatro años de gobierno de Laura Chinchilla han estado marcados por la retórica “nacionalista” en relación a Nicaragua: en la primera parte de su mandato prácticamente todo su “plan de gobierno” se centró en la “defensa” de la llamada Isla Calero, para posteriormente, en la etapa final de su administración, centrar su discurso en la “defensa” del conjunto de la provincia de Guanacaste que reclama el gobierno de Daniel Ortega como propia. Solo los abundantes escándalos de corrupción, relacionados con la Autopista San José-Caldera, los casos de ministros que no pagaban impuestos, así como el robo a mansalva durante los trabajos de construcción de la Trocha Fronteriza 1856 le pusieron límite a la retórica del equipo de gobierno, que claramente apostó a rivalizar con el vecino país del norte para encubrir sus negocios al amparo del Estado. martes, 19 de noviembre de 2013 Chovinismo y militarismo en Costa Rica bajo el paraguas del conflicto fronterizo con Nicaragua

    Liga de la Revolución Socialista (LRS - Costa Rica)

  • Grupo de la FT-CI (Uruguay) Uruguay Grupo de la FT-CI Estrategia Revolucionaria 

El año que termina estuvo signado por la mayor conflictividad laboral en más de 15 años. Si bien finalmente la mayoría de los grupos en la negociación salarial parecen llegar a un acuerdo (aún falta cerrar metalúrgicos y otros menos importantes), los mismos son un buen final para el gobierno, ya que, gracias a sus maniobras (y las de la burocracia sindical) pudieron encausar la discusión dentro de los marcos del tope salarial estipulado por el Poder Ejecutivo, utilizando la movilización controlada en los marcos salariales como factor de presión ante las patronales más duras que pujaban por el “0%” de aumento. Entre la lucha de clases, la represión, y las discusiones de los de arriba Construyamos una alternativa revolucionaria para los trabajadores y la juventud

    Grupo de la FT-CI (Uruguay)