Readers Write: Meet the Nativists

By Jan Frel, AlterNet. Posted March 11, 2006.

An article reprinted from the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Report about leaders of the burgeoning "nativist" movement in the U.S. prompted some smart discussion that revealed -- to me, at least -- that AlterNet's audience extends well beyond the traditional confines of the liberal worldview.

The reader comments revealed that the concerns about immigration are not so much about the immigrants themselves as the larger economic and political processes that brought them there -- namely, that corporations have manipulated governments, American workers and foreign immigrants to sustain a cheap supply of labor, consequences be damned. I thought this description of what happened in reader zooeyhall's hometown in Norfolk, Neb., is a perfect example of how complicated the issue really is:

"I live in Nebraska in a rural area. In the '60s and '70s, work at the local packing plants paid a VERY good middle-class wage -- almost $22 per hour in today's money -- and they had a strong union. Sure, it was hard, dirty work, but that didn't bother farm kids used to such work and who were anxious for a job over the summer to earn some money. It also provided a good full-time job for those who wanted to work hard and move up. I had many farmer-neighbors who got a good income working there.

"Well, in the 1980s companies like Tyson cut the wages by 50 percent, boosted the line from 60 to 200 animals per hour -- and then started bringing in Mexican workers (even setting up employment recruiting offices along the border). They busted the local union when it went on strike, and then claimed they "couldn't find enough local workers" to justify their importing of illegals.

"So now little towns around here that used to be local farming centers are 60 percent Mexican. Local Andy Griffith sheriffs have to deal with Mexican drug gangs that make the Bloods and the Crips look like Boy Scouts. We had a bank robbery last year in Norfolk, Neb. (pop. 25,000), where a Mexican bank robber killed five people in cold blood."

Commenter dlf responded to zooeyhall with important points:

"Look, the problem lies in both our corporate-business class and the government who works with them. This link shows there is actually something to protect American jobs, but Americans have been trained to repeat the 'Jobs Americans Won't Do' line. We play into the hands of both industry and government by remaining ignorant of our rights and not exercising them. When was the last time the gentleman in Nebraska saw an ad for employment at that meat packing plant? These employers are in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act because they now only rely on their immigrant help to supply them with labor. That means they are effectively cutting Americans out of the process, which is discrimination. Every time one of these stories comes out, Americans should be asking the reporters how many Americans have applied for these jobs, how many were interviewed, and how many hired. If they don't know the answer to those questions, they are simply spreading more propaganda and inciting people by calling anyone who disagrees with their pronouncements xenophobic.

As a black person I found it very interesting that they would try to make me angry about this issue by invoking George Wallace and other racists. Personally, I know that this issue will attract people of different stripes for different reasons, that has no bearing on whether it is a valid issue or not."

Reader marcinde's reaction to the article displayed how the issue cuts right to fundamental questions about nation-states, labor rights and economic power:

"On the issue of immigration, it seemed so cut and dried when I lived in New England. Liberal = pro-immigration, right? Then I moved to San Diego, and the same job I made $14 an hour for in Massachusetts paid $7an hour. Hmm. Then I lived in Phoenix for six years. I still see the human side; I have good friends who came here illegally. All I'm saying is that if you think you're either pro-open borders or you're an a**hole, go spend some time in a border state. I'm still figuring out the answer myself. How do we balance doing what's right for the world with what's right for the nation? Like many others here, I tend to think in absolutes. I'm just pointing out that this is a much muddier issue than you realize once you're in the thick of it."

Jan Frel is an AlterNet staff writer.