Los inmigrantes negros ausentes del debate nacional

Por Charles D. Ellison para la Philadelphia Tribune

De repente, presionado por imperativo político y cambiando rápidamente postelectorales vientos demográficos, la U.S. Senado "Banda de los Ocho" acurrucado intensamente sobre el intento más audaz de reforma integral de la inmigración desde 2010. Fue un esfuerzo agresivo, cuyo alcance hizo temblar a muchos observadores Colina de toda la vida. Al final de la semana, los pesimistas más fervientes se vieron obligados a reconocer que un gran avance potencial podría estar en el horizonte.

Mientras los demócratas y los republicanos discutían sobre los detalles de las sesiones a puerta cerrada, un cálculo estaba claro: era todo acerca de quién podría ganar los corazones y las mentes de los votantes latinos primero. Democrats need that vote to continue dominating the presidential election landscape while hoping to retake the House during Congressional midterms in 2014. Republicanos, sin embargo, are in a more desperate war for the demographic, recognizing they will need Latino voters if they plan on surviving as a viable national political party.

Pero, conspicuously absent from the immigration reform debate are Black immigrants, who account for nearly 10 percent of foreign born individuals in the United States. It’s an omission that’s prompted many in the Black immigrant community to cry foul, with others — including African Americans — pointing to willful Washington ignorance of Black migrants as nothing more than run-of-the-mill institutional racism.

“They’re already dealing with enough Black people as it is,” joked a Black congressional aide speaking off record to give a candid assessment. “Do you think they want more coming in to the country?” gesturing towards a phalanx of approaching white congressmen walking down a Capitol Hill hallway.

There is a general feeling among many in the U.S. African Diaspora that Black immigrants are at the bottom of the immigration policy totem pole, due to nothing more than the darker shade of their skin. Latino immigrants, while many are illegal, get the better press coverage, say some. Others point to the disparity in treatment between politically-backed Cuban immigrants and powerless Haitian immigrants, each attempting dangerous trips to Florida shores.

Sin embargo,, Black immigrants are the most educated compared to their Latino, Asian and European counterparts. Casi 50 percent of African immigrants from places such as Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone have obtained a college degree. Sólo 43 percent of Asian immigrants have obtained a degree, and a smaller 30 percent of immigrants from Europe, Russia and Canada have done the same.

Pero, while Black immigrants maintain some of the highest higher education rates in the world, they remain invisible in the larger immigration reform debate. Lawmakers in Washington and state legislatures tend to focus on the vexing Latino problem – a natural reflex given the fact that Latinos, particularly from Mexico and Central America, make up the lion’s share of the immigrant population.

"Obviamente, el tamaño de la población inmigrante africano es más pequeña, y ellos no tienen el poder político coordinado o agregado en comparación con los latinos,Abogado de inmigración con sede en Minneapolis ", observa y experto Pascual Nwokocha. Portero, Nacido en Nigeria, pero ahora un U.S. ciudadano, expresa su profunda preocupación por que la perspectiva de Negro se queda fuera. A medida que el ex presidente de la Asociación Americana de Abogados de Inmigración Minnesota / Dakota del Capítulo, que ha trabajado estrechamente con los legisladores como Caucus Negro del Congreso progresiva Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) en el tema.

"Este es un tema frustrante,"Sostiene Porter. "Creo que muchos de nosotros se quedan fuera. Y entonces usted tiene otros que no quieren ser identificados con la lucha de la inmigración, pero quieren aprovechar sus beneficios ".

Jene Ghats, a Washington Times commentator and herself an immigrant from Sierra Leone, agrees. “You best believe there are millions of Africans and Caribbeans waiting in the wings, watching and anxious to see comprehensive immigration reform moved because more likely they will benefit.”

“The last time we heard Congress talking about Africans was when the House tried to nix the diversity lottery visa program.”

As the debate rages on, African immigrants seem much more open to an exchange on the mechanics of the reform debate while Caribbean immigrants seem noticeably tight-lipped. When attempts were made to discuss the issue with Rep. Donna Christensen of the U.S. Virgin Islands — a major entry point for many West Indians — the office seemed reticent, with one staffer only commenting that the Congresswoman “was currently working on a legislative proposal.”

Sources on and off Capitol Hill also note that Black members of Congress are simply not focused on immigration as a priority, despite the fact many of them represent large pockets of Black immigrants.

While African immigrants seemed eager to discuss the issue, calls to other major Caribbean community leaders and organizations went unanswered. An active member of the West Indian community in Washington, D.C.. anonymously attributed the silence to “pride.”

“Caribbean people are very proud,” explained the source, clearly perturbed by the question. "Ellos sienten que hablar públicamente sobre el tema es un tanto insultante o que les agrupa en la misma categoría que los inmigrantes ilegales cuando todos trabajaron muy duro y sacrificado mucho para llegar a ser ciudadanos legales."

Garry Pierre-Pierre, Editor Senior de la Haitian Times y un defensor activo dentro de los EE.UU.. Diáspora Haitiana, observa que la comunidad caribeña es simplemente satisfecho con dejar que la comunidad latina manejarlo. "Otros grupos de defensa de inmigrantes han estado trabajando en el fondo con las organizaciones latinas,"Dijo Pierre-Pierre. "Los otros grupos no les importa acerca de ser mencionado, que se preocupan por los resultados que son buenos para todos los inmigrantes que buscan un camino a la ciudadanía y mejores condiciones de trabajo ".

Fuente: http://politic365.com/2013/02/04/black-immigrants-absent-from-national-debate/