Latino Subculture & Immigration

Lets place on the table the two schools of thought.

The Latino workers:
(Coming from India, the word “Latin” immediately invokes a sense of reverence – like that of Sanskrit – however, here that term is looked down upon like a subculture! And yes, Spanish is a grammatically rich language)

Thanks to a various factors – the reasons can be taken up later – the Mexican poor finds some way to immigrate to the States and upon arrival they are promptly picked up. Furthermore, the extremely flexible labor and capital markets in the US (and especially in California) help them prosper.

Let me take a few line to explain what I mean “flexible labor and capital markets”. It is easy to get a job or get fired from a job as it is easy to get capital and open a business or close a business. Furthermore, the matricula consular issued by the Mexican Consulate is accepted as an ID in Banks and Financial institutions for mainstream financial services. The Banks feel that if they dont tap into the market the small private financiers would!! This is an interesting Free Market or neo-liberal solution that many are grasping about.

So lets come to the point – some (according to rough estimates) 12million “undocumented” economic participants are integrated to the US economic ecosystem – some even business owners – and contributing to the GDP and yet form the “untouchables”. So the question is, why cant they break the caste system and have a seat at the same table as us “upper castes”.
Personally, one thing really bothers me. I came to the States on an H1-B. Walked to the embassy in Chennai with my appointment letter & my H1-B petition and walked out with a visa. No interview and no nothing. The sad part is that I too am an economic immigrant. Yes, I walk in the top-of-the-line restaurants in the Bay Area as a client and I see them as servers (pun unintended).

In economic parlance, we are both migrant labor or economic actors. The fact that I make five times the earnings (if not more) than them is a matter of detail. From a pure economic prism, it is an import of labor plain & simple and the economist would not care if the work is on “C” or the toilet seat!

The underclass is now seem to be up in arms. With an connected Latino society, there are large demonstrations in major American cities. They are asserting themselves – they want their place under the Sun!!

The conservative viewpoint: At a fundamental level, a conservative wants a state of eternity in something. While, in this increasingly dynamic universe, they are finding it difficult to find something to hold on to, they usually find something and demands an element of stability.

One of them is their model of the United States. According to a immigrant family coming from Europe (actually the grandson) just before World War I, there are three major differences now and “last time”.

Firstly, the question of assimilation. During that time there were people from “southern extraction” outnumbering the “natives”. Yes they formed groups but they dissolved themselves in the greater “melting pot”. Today they say is that we have a “salad bowl” where each keeps their “identity”.

Secondly, the Latinos don't learn English and don't even want to learn English! [I have no clue why someone anywhere in this world doesn't want to learn English but I'll let that pass] This destroys nationalism. [Coming from a country with fourteen major languages, the last sentence is really funny!] In “those days” everyone was forced to learn English. There is an element of xenophobia here as many say that this wave of immigration is going to change the social landscape of the United States.

Thirdly, the question of the security of the border. Many, if not all prefer a “guest worker program” but that needs to be documented. Illegal immigrants are illegal and the fact that they have broken the law to come to this country underscores the fact that they cannot be, by the very fact, be law abiding citizens.

My (neoliberal) position: Lets be very frank about this. There is something called “natural law” and this postulates that any law to “succeed”, it must make sense as then then majority of the citizens would willingly obey it. Otherwise, the law would fail. In an increasingly globalized globe, where there is free flow of capital and goods why can't labor behave the same way? It is just natural.

Secondly, any immigration law or amnesty is like the “black money” pardon. For it to succeed, the undocumented workers must come of the woodwork and embrace the law. Else, the law would remain in the books for ever.

As of now the discussion is shelved. However, strange as it seems, its success is dependent not on the Senators but the workers themselves!