Los Angeles, February 25 — At a Progressive Labor Party forum attended by about 30 workers and students, the stark statistics of deportation sparked discussion on the role of racism in immigration policy under capitalism. In the U.S., undocumented Latinos are more likely to be deported than undocumented Asian or European immigrants, by a factor of 8-16 to 1, depending on what countries are compared.
The absolute number of deportations jumped sharply in 1997, following a law signed by President Clinton appropriating more money to immigration enforcement. The next major increase in deportations came with the creation and funding of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) under the Homeland Security Dept. in 2002, under Bush. Under Obama, deportations have been pushed higher still. As of now, Obama has deported two million people — more than all previous presidents combined. “Removals” of long-time U.S. residents now outnumber those turned back at or near the border.
U.S. workers face unemployment, reduced wages and benefits, and police harassment and brutality. U.S. bosses are trying to direct workers’ rage away from themselves and against immigrant workers, claiming they’re “stealing our jobs.”
The bosses even try to divide undocumented immigrants against each other. Obama and some congressional Democrats promote the Dream Act, legislation that would provide a path to permanent residency for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children. They would have to be of “good moral character,” have lived in the U.S. for at least five years, have a high school diploma, and go to college or join the military for at least two years. To apply for permanent residency, they would have to obtain a bachelor’s degree or, in typical cases, serve an additional four to six years in the military, creating a large pool of war-ready soldiers. So far, no version of the federal Dream Act has passed.
A participant in the forum said that the Dream Act would improve the lives of some undocumented immigrants, and asked whether PLP supported it. A Party member responded that we don’t support plans of any section of the capitalist class, but we do participate in reform movements such as the “Dreamers.” Within those movements we fight alongside those who want the reform, at the same time trying to win them to fight for communist revolution.
It is PLP’s goal to win these students and workers to see their future as members of the working class, united to fight against the capitalist class’s racism and exploitation and to organize for a future where differences in skin color, national origin, language and culture are meaningless, where people are valued for their commitment to organizing a communist society.