The Statue of Liberty: A gift from France to the United States
that stands in New York harbor, it seems that the French may
have things to learn about immigration from their U.S. allies.
U.S. Immigration Plans
Set Example French Politicians Should Follow (Le Monde, France)
"Even if France
has long played a comparable role in Europe as a place of refuge and hope for
migrants, the realistic change of heart on the part of U.S. Republicans should be
food for thought for French political leaders. ... Crisis and unemployment have
reinforced hostility toward immigrants, making people forget that a real
immigration policy should not only be seen as a political and social burden,
but as a requirement for the future and an asset to the dynamism of a country."
A week after his "inaugural" speech, which was a turn
to the left, Barack
Obama gave another address on Tuesday, making a statement reviving a
promise not delivered on in his first term: a reform of the immigration laws.
His ambition? To allow the regularization of undocumented workers, who
number an estimated 11 million.
But that is not the novelty: this lies in the spectacular
about-face of Republicans on an issue, among others, that cost their candidate victory
in November 2012, by alienating voting "Latinos." To attract the
right of his party, Mitt Romney refused to consider an amnesty and promised to
make life impossible for illegals.
Four Republican senators, including former presidential
hopeful John McCain, have signed on with four of their Democratic colleagues
outlining a path toward universal legalization of undocumented
workers, and even naturalization. This option would be subject to completely
securing the borders, implementing systematic control over entries and exits,
and even hiring. For students born to undocumented workers, whether
agricultural or highly skilled, the process would be accelerated.
The give-and-take - security versus regulation - is probably
unrealistic. Just as is the idea of completely sealing off 2,000 miles of desert
border. In his project, Barack Obama shouldn't adhere to these conditions. And
it is anything but certain that the president will have an easy time having
such a law passed in the House of Representatives: dominated by the most
radical of Republicans, the idea of large-scale regularization of undocumented migrants
is often used as a bogeyman.
Nevertheless, the new position of Republican senators is to
be applauded. On the merits, in the opinion of a moderate majority of Americans
on an issue so strongly tied to their identity, it is a pragmatic turn. On a
political level, it represents a challenge to the Tea Party. The compromise agreed
in December over the debt ceiling was another sign of a centering for the
Republican party.
France is not the United States. Even if the Hexagon
[France] has long played a comparable role in Europe as a place of refuge and
hope for migrants, the realistic change of heart on the part of U.S. Republicans
should be food for thought for French political leaders.
Posted By
Worldmeets.US
[Editor's Note: France is often referred to as a 'Hexagon'
- a six-sided polygon, due to the geometric shape of its territory].
"Everyone agrees that it's not beneficial for our
country to have these people here hidden in the shadows," said Senator John
McCain. "We have been too content for too long to allow individuals to mow
our lawns, grow our food, clean our homes, and even watch our children while
not affording them any of the benefits that make our country so great."
Such language is unlikely to be heard in France, where the
crisis and unemployment have reinforced hostility toward immigrants, making
people forget that a real immigration policy should not only be seen as a
political and social burden, but as a requirement for the future and an asset to
the dynamism of a country.
