Local coverage of the twentieth anniversary of the Golden Venture grounding shows that the story still resonates. Newsday (subscription required!) has run a couple of stories and the York (PA) Daily Record also published a number of retrospectives. Patrick Keefe, author of the book about Sister Ping and the Golden Venture, Snakehead, blogs in the New Yorker.
Photojournalist Katja Heinemann has done a particularly excellent job marking the date with a photo essay and also a Storify page that will take you to all of the Golden Venture stories mentioned above and more.
June 7 update: StoryCorp, the superb oral history project that also airs on NPR, did a conversation between a former York prison detainee and the local York man who was his translator.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Approaching the Golden Venture 20th Anniversary
June 6 will mark the 20th anniversary of the grounding of the Golden Venture. I've been in touch with supporters of the Golden Venture former detainees over the past several months, in anticipation of the upcoming landmark date. Although there has been some talk about a commemorative event or an organized effort at political lobbying on behalf of the former detainees who still do not have legal status, as of today I don't know if anything has really been planned.
According to Bev Church, there are still 20 men from the ship who were released from federal detention in the York County Jail in 1997 who have not been able to obtain legal status. Bev is still active on their behalf: her main focus has been to stay in touch with members of Congress about the issue, and to make sure that the "private bill" that would award status to the 20 is reintroduced in each Congressional session.
Bev is tireless in her work, and is now talking about the hope of getting support from Marco Rubio.
It's gratifying that this anniversary comes at a time when America seems to be coming to its senses on the immigration issue. There's now a decent chance that comprehensive immigration reform can make it through Congress (thanks to the Latino vote and the scare it's giving to the Republican Party).
I've been hearing from the press. At least one major New York daily is working on a story. The World Journal visited me and my wife Zhihong up here in Yonkers, and just ran a nice story: bit.ly/118687n. Zhihong was my translator when we made the documentary "Golden Venture" in 2006!
June 6 will mark the 20th anniversary of the grounding of the Golden Venture. I've been in touch with supporters of the Golden Venture former detainees over the past several months, in anticipation of the upcoming landmark date. Although there has been some talk about a commemorative event or an organized effort at political lobbying on behalf of the former detainees who still do not have legal status, as of today I don't know if anything has really been planned.
According to Bev Church, there are still 20 men from the ship who were released from federal detention in the York County Jail in 1997 who have not been able to obtain legal status. Bev is still active on their behalf: her main focus has been to stay in touch with members of Congress about the issue, and to make sure that the "private bill" that would award status to the 20 is reintroduced in each Congressional session.
Bev is tireless in her work, and is now talking about the hope of getting support from Marco Rubio.
It's gratifying that this anniversary comes at a time when America seems to be coming to its senses on the immigration issue. There's now a decent chance that comprehensive immigration reform can make it through Congress (thanks to the Latino vote and the scare it's giving to the Republican Party).
I've been hearing from the press. At least one major New York daily is working on a story. The World Journal visited me and my wife Zhihong up here in Yonkers, and just ran a nice story: bit.ly/118687n. Zhihong was my translator when we made the documentary "Golden Venture" in 2006!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Golden Vision to Reunite For June 9 Vigil
On Sunday, June
9 at 4 p.m., across from the York County
Prison, the grassroots inter-faith
group, The People of the Golden Vision, will once again gather to remember the
struggle for freedom and justice. The
vigil is open to everyone. There will
be a recreation of the vigils held each Sunday.
Facilitators of the service include attorney Jeff Lobach, then President
of the York County Bar Assoc., who will give a brief history of the Golden
Venture passengers; Joan Maruskin,
United Methodist minister, who will lead the vigil, Byron Borger, Hearts and
Minds Bookstore owner, who will preach; Mary Weaver, Pennsylvania Immigration
Resource Center Executive Director, who will give an update on the asylum
seekers, and Rod Merrill, Golden Venture troubadour, who wrote a new song every
week for 3.5 years to tell the plight of the asylum seekers.
The public is invited to join the People for the Golden Vision for the 20th anniversary vigil. For more information, please contact Joan M. Maruskin at jmmaruskin@gmail.com or 202 203-0676
The public is invited to join the People for the Golden Vision for the 20th anniversary vigil. For more information, please contact Joan M. Maruskin at jmmaruskin@gmail.com or 202 203-0676
Monday, April 1, 2013
Golden Venture: At Your Local (Chinatown) Pay Phone
I was happy to be a part of the New Museum's exhibit, Recalling 1993. They called me and asked me if I could record a one minute recollection about the Golden Venture. They put the soundbyte into an audio databank -- and anyone who calls 1-855-FOR-1993 from a pay phone in the Chinatown area gets to hear my recording!
Had no idea there were any payphone left. Very cool.
Had no idea there were any payphone left. Very cool.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Exhibiting at Museum of Chinese in America
Thrilled to report that "Golden Venture" will be playing at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), 211 Centre St. in downtown Manhattan. Excerpts from the film will run continuously as part of an exhibit that opens in time for the Independence Day. The exhibit will be there for several months.
MOCA has been involved in the Golden Venture story from the beginning -- their early exhibit of the artwork made by the GV detainees in prison played an important role in obtaining release for many of the individuals who were held for four years.
Of course this new exhibit comes against the backdrop of the recent heating up of the immigration issue, sparked in large part by Arizona's xenophobic new anti-immigrant legislation. And with health care reform and financial reform now off the front burner in Washington, there's talk that immigration reform may come next. Hard to believe any progress can be made in the poisonous political environment that exists before the midterm elections.
MOCA has been involved in the Golden Venture story from the beginning -- their early exhibit of the artwork made by the GV detainees in prison played an important role in obtaining release for many of the individuals who were held for four years.
Of course this new exhibit comes against the backdrop of the recent heating up of the immigration issue, sparked in large part by Arizona's xenophobic new anti-immigrant legislation. And with health care reform and financial reform now off the front burner in Washington, there's talk that immigration reform may come next. Hard to believe any progress can be made in the poisonous political environment that exists before the midterm elections.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Back to York: A New Call for Action
About two dozen Golden Venture passengers returned to York yesterday, making their presence quietly known at a book event hosted by the York Historical Society. Michael Chen, long the chief spokesman for the passengers, made an emotional plea for support in the former-detainees' quest for permanent legal residence. He was followed at the podium by Lin Man Ying, the detainee who narrowly avoided deportation in 2004.
It's been more than 16 years since the Golden Venture ran aground and 12 years since the final group of detainees (about 50 men) was released from jail on "parole." Advocate Beverly Church has found a way to protect the detainees from deportation -- a "private bill" that has been pending in Congress for years.
The political wheel in Washington has finally turned. The Democrats are now back in power -- just as they were when the ship ran aground in June, 1993. And it is now incumbent on the new Democratic administration to make up for the mistakes made in the early Clinton era. It can be done quietly, with little political downside, but it is the administration's moral duty to grant permanent legal residence to the detainees.
The book event was designed to promote the publication of Patrick Keefe's "The Snakehead" -- Keefe spoke passionately on the Golden Venture issue and read from his excellent book, which generated brisk sales after the event as buyers -- including many of the Golden Venture passengers -- signed up for autographed copies. Byron Borger, host of the event and owner of a York book store, manned the cash register.
Keefe had pointed out during the presentation that even William Slattery, the beefy, gung ho, xenophobic INS official who proudly claimed that he was the moving force behind the detention of the immgirants has come out on the record in favor of getting the Golden Venture passengers their green cards.
It's been more than 16 years since the Golden Venture ran aground and 12 years since the final group of detainees (about 50 men) was released from jail on "parole." Advocate Beverly Church has found a way to protect the detainees from deportation -- a "private bill" that has been pending in Congress for years.
The political wheel in Washington has finally turned. The Democrats are now back in power -- just as they were when the ship ran aground in June, 1993. And it is now incumbent on the new Democratic administration to make up for the mistakes made in the early Clinton era. It can be done quietly, with little political downside, but it is the administration's moral duty to grant permanent legal residence to the detainees.
The book event was designed to promote the publication of Patrick Keefe's "The Snakehead" -- Keefe spoke passionately on the Golden Venture issue and read from his excellent book, which generated brisk sales after the event as buyers -- including many of the Golden Venture passengers -- signed up for autographed copies. Byron Borger, host of the event and owner of a York book store, manned the cash register.
Keefe had pointed out during the presentation that even William Slattery, the beefy, gung ho, xenophobic INS official who proudly claimed that he was the moving force behind the detention of the immgirants has come out on the record in favor of getting the Golden Venture passengers their green cards.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Patrick Keefe's "The Snakehead"
Reading Patrick Keefe's superb Sister Ping book, "The Snakehead," reminded me of how artful prose can tell a story with a descriptive depth and level of complexity that a mere film can never acheive.
It was a once in a lifetime experience to read a book that recounted a story that I thought I already knew everything about. After all, I spent 10 years making "Golden Venture," a documentary on much the same subject. Turns out there was a lot I didn't know that amazed me, and much of what I already knew, in the retelling, took on new power.
"The Snakehead" chronicles the rise and demise of Sister Ping, the Susan Boyle of international crime. Cheng Chui Ping appeared to be a frumpy grandma behind the counter of a discount store on E. Broadway, but was in fact the Godmother of Chinatown, the mastermind of a multi, multi million dollar business that profited from the transport of undocumented immigrants from China's Fujian Province.
Ping was actually a side player in the story of the Golden Venture, the freighter that ran aground off New York City in 1993 with 285 undocumented Chinese immigrants aboard. Only two of her clients were on the boat. Ping did, however, provide a loan to Ah Kay, the Fuk Ching gang leader who ran a profitable co-venture with Ping involving the off shore pick up off immigrants for delivery on shore. This loan was used to buy a decrepit tramp steamer in Singapore, the ship the eventually was renamed Golden Venture.
But for the New York media in particular, Sister Ping was the Dragon Lady behind the Golden Venture disaster. The Hong Kong police finally apprehended her in 2000, she was extradited to the US and put on trial in a NY federal court five years later, and sent to federal prison for 35 years. The great irony of the New York media muck fest during the Sister Ping trial is that the community she was accused of exploiting -- the new wave of Fujianese immigrants in Chinatown -- largely viewed her as a folk hero.
"The Snakehead" intertwines the tale of the Golden Venture with the story Sister Ping. The Golden Venture strand begins with the night of the grounding, then drops back to where it began, in Fujian Province and the immigrants who paid $35,000 each for passage to America. Sister Ping's story begins as news of the grounding reaches Ping, and then backtracks to the Sister Ping's early career and advances through Golden Venture and into the criminal investigation that led to her arrest.
Keefe's previous book, "Chatter," penetrated the world of electronic intelligence gathering, and Patrick writes particularly well when his characters are INS agents, cops and figures in the Asian underworld. The pulp in the book -- and I mean that as a compliment -- maintains high entertainment value, providing enough chuckles to make for a straight-through good read.
I first met Patrick when I was at the end of making "Golden Venture" and he was at the beginning of researching the New Yorker article that turned into the book. It was quite thrilling to encounter another human being who showed an interest in a topic I'd lived with for so long. I remember when he came to my old office on W. 72nd St. I felt like an obsessed stamp collector, who had spent years steaming envelopes with stamps from Andorra, suddenly given an opportunity to share my philatelic minutiae with another interested party.
"Golden Venture" the documentary told only the most abbreviated version of the Snakeheads behind the voyage. Sister Ping's trial and conviction took place just as we were completing post production. Tim Robbins, who was kind enough to do our narration, came into the studio for a few minutes to record the Sister Ping voice over we needed before we could lock picture.
I had always been ambivalent about the criminal aspect of the Golden Venture story. Beverly Church -- Golden Venture advocate and dear friend -- was always protective of her "Golden Venture boys" and was highly defensive about any media types who wanted to come in, interview Golden Venture passengers, and then focus on Snakeheads torturing immigrants with hot forks.
I agreed with Bev. What's more, most of the stories about teenage gangsters extorting monthly payments from immigrants working as indentured laborers in Chinatown sweat shops distorted the true nature of Fujianese immigration. In reality, Fujianese raise the money to pay the Snakeheads (the cost of passage more recently has been reported at about $70,000) by taking loans from extended family members. Most slip into America, find jobs in Chinese restaurants, work tirelessly for four or five years to pay off their loans, and then go into business for themselves.
But it's pretty hard to resist a story that has figures in it with names like "The Fat Man" and narrative strands like the Goldfish Case, which involved heroin stuffed into the bellies of dead ornamental goldfish
More on Keefe's terrific book in next week's "Open Border Central!"
It was a once in a lifetime experience to read a book that recounted a story that I thought I already knew everything about. After all, I spent 10 years making "Golden Venture," a documentary on much the same subject. Turns out there was a lot I didn't know that amazed me, and much of what I already knew, in the retelling, took on new power.
"The Snakehead" chronicles the rise and demise of Sister Ping, the Susan Boyle of international crime. Cheng Chui Ping appeared to be a frumpy grandma behind the counter of a discount store on E. Broadway, but was in fact the Godmother of Chinatown, the mastermind of a multi, multi million dollar business that profited from the transport of undocumented immigrants from China's Fujian Province.
Ping was actually a side player in the story of the Golden Venture, the freighter that ran aground off New York City in 1993 with 285 undocumented Chinese immigrants aboard. Only two of her clients were on the boat. Ping did, however, provide a loan to Ah Kay, the Fuk Ching gang leader who ran a profitable co-venture with Ping involving the off shore pick up off immigrants for delivery on shore. This loan was used to buy a decrepit tramp steamer in Singapore, the ship the eventually was renamed Golden Venture.
But for the New York media in particular, Sister Ping was the Dragon Lady behind the Golden Venture disaster. The Hong Kong police finally apprehended her in 2000, she was extradited to the US and put on trial in a NY federal court five years later, and sent to federal prison for 35 years. The great irony of the New York media muck fest during the Sister Ping trial is that the community she was accused of exploiting -- the new wave of Fujianese immigrants in Chinatown -- largely viewed her as a folk hero.
"The Snakehead" intertwines the tale of the Golden Venture with the story Sister Ping. The Golden Venture strand begins with the night of the grounding, then drops back to where it began, in Fujian Province and the immigrants who paid $35,000 each for passage to America. Sister Ping's story begins as news of the grounding reaches Ping, and then backtracks to the Sister Ping's early career and advances through Golden Venture and into the criminal investigation that led to her arrest.
Keefe's previous book, "Chatter," penetrated the world of electronic intelligence gathering, and Patrick writes particularly well when his characters are INS agents, cops and figures in the Asian underworld. The pulp in the book -- and I mean that as a compliment -- maintains high entertainment value, providing enough chuckles to make for a straight-through good read.
I first met Patrick when I was at the end of making "Golden Venture" and he was at the beginning of researching the New Yorker article that turned into the book. It was quite thrilling to encounter another human being who showed an interest in a topic I'd lived with for so long. I remember when he came to my old office on W. 72nd St. I felt like an obsessed stamp collector, who had spent years steaming envelopes with stamps from Andorra, suddenly given an opportunity to share my philatelic minutiae with another interested party.
"Golden Venture" the documentary told only the most abbreviated version of the Snakeheads behind the voyage. Sister Ping's trial and conviction took place just as we were completing post production. Tim Robbins, who was kind enough to do our narration, came into the studio for a few minutes to record the Sister Ping voice over we needed before we could lock picture.
I had always been ambivalent about the criminal aspect of the Golden Venture story. Beverly Church -- Golden Venture advocate and dear friend -- was always protective of her "Golden Venture boys" and was highly defensive about any media types who wanted to come in, interview Golden Venture passengers, and then focus on Snakeheads torturing immigrants with hot forks.
I agreed with Bev. What's more, most of the stories about teenage gangsters extorting monthly payments from immigrants working as indentured laborers in Chinatown sweat shops distorted the true nature of Fujianese immigration. In reality, Fujianese raise the money to pay the Snakeheads (the cost of passage more recently has been reported at about $70,000) by taking loans from extended family members. Most slip into America, find jobs in Chinese restaurants, work tirelessly for four or five years to pay off their loans, and then go into business for themselves.
But it's pretty hard to resist a story that has figures in it with names like "The Fat Man" and narrative strands like the Goldfish Case, which involved heroin stuffed into the bellies of dead ornamental goldfish
More on Keefe's terrific book in next week's "Open Border Central!"
Monday, April 6, 2009
Golden Venture's Legacy: The Pro Bono Net
Jim Luce blogs on Huffington about Pro Bono Net, a national network of lawyers working on pro bono cases that was a direct outgrowth of the Golden Venture. Luce reports:
With great foresight into emerging technologies, thought leader Mark O'Brien and co-founder Michael Hertz, who met while working on Golden Venture asylum cases at their law firms, saw a way ten years ago to prepare for this moment in time. Recognizing the potential for technology to transform access to justice, just as platforms such as match.com, monster.com, or even TurboTax were transforming other business processes, they launched Pro Bono Net.
With even more insight, the Soros (Open Society Institute) Foundation funded it. Today Pro Bono Net's reach extends into states covering a staggering 70% of the U.S. poverty population and their websites have a membership of over 51,000 lawyers.
Pro Bono Net is at the forefront of emerging technologies, and plans to stay on top. Public libraries are already gateways for the Internet-less to their platforms, and cell phones may be next.
The programs of Pro Bono Net are as diverse as its clients: in addition to its main platform probono.net, which exists for the legal community, it has LawHelp.org where those in need can find referrals to local legal aid and pro bono programs, information about their rights and tools for self help.
Monday, March 30, 2009
The crash and reverse migration
Seeing an article in the Houston Chronicle about undocumented Mexican immigrants returning home as US jobs have faded gets me to thinking -- as I have done often recently -- about the implications of the economic crisis for immigration. The NY Times also recently looked at this issue, as part of their excellent series about immigrants in America, focusing on Mexican immigrants struggling to hang on in a small Tennessee town.
It's a tough issue to come to terms with. It's tempting to point to the return of immigrants when the economy goes down as an example of how foreign workers benefit the economy. They come here when their labor is needed, and go home when it's not. This is the model of the "guest worker," better known in some European countries than it is here -- although there are examples of officially regulated US guest worker programs for immigrant farm workers. It would seem that even a vehement anti-immigration advocate could see the benefit of this supply-meets-demand phenomenon.
In the hot days of the immigration debates before the economic meltdown, those of us at Open Border Central were not arguing in favor of immigrants as guest workers. The guest worker concept entered the debate as Congress was seeking compromise legislation -- the temporary worker provision seemed like a callous, gutless political concept. But that was before sub-prime.
In those days before it became so popular to condemn capitalism and trample on the sacred memory of Milton Friedman, we Open Border bloggers would in fact have totally disparaged the guest worker notion. Let these people seeking economic freedom come here and work and join the fabric of our society. The cost of providing public service (education, health care, infrastructure) would be small compared to the increase in economic activity stimulated by hard working, low wage immigrants. And that is still true.
So let's be consistent. Let's not say: "see, they go back when there's a depression" as a new twist on our pro-immigrant position. Let's not be happy that immigrants are going home, saving money for hard pressed state budgets. Let's be consister, and say, it's a shame they're going home. If there were to stay, the recovery will come all the sooner, and will be all the more vigious and long-lived.
It's a tough issue to come to terms with. It's tempting to point to the return of immigrants when the economy goes down as an example of how foreign workers benefit the economy. They come here when their labor is needed, and go home when it's not. This is the model of the "guest worker," better known in some European countries than it is here -- although there are examples of officially regulated US guest worker programs for immigrant farm workers. It would seem that even a vehement anti-immigration advocate could see the benefit of this supply-meets-demand phenomenon.
In the hot days of the immigration debates before the economic meltdown, those of us at Open Border Central were not arguing in favor of immigrants as guest workers. The guest worker concept entered the debate as Congress was seeking compromise legislation -- the temporary worker provision seemed like a callous, gutless political concept. But that was before sub-prime.
In those days before it became so popular to condemn capitalism and trample on the sacred memory of Milton Friedman, we Open Border bloggers would in fact have totally disparaged the guest worker notion. Let these people seeking economic freedom come here and work and join the fabric of our society. The cost of providing public service (education, health care, infrastructure) would be small compared to the increase in economic activity stimulated by hard working, low wage immigrants. And that is still true.
So let's be consistent. Let's not say: "see, they go back when there's a depression" as a new twist on our pro-immigrant position. Let's not be happy that immigrants are going home, saving money for hard pressed state budgets. Let's be consister, and say, it's a shame they're going home. If there were to stay, the recovery will come all the sooner, and will be all the more vigious and long-lived.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Marking an Anniversary
Last night I enjoyed screening "Golden Venture" for a group of high school-age kids at CityKids in Tribeca. The group is actually studying the politics of food -- an interesting, focused topic! And of course, "Golden Venture" is all about food. An epic political story, filled with suffering, stoicism and bravery, all centered around a group of 256 people who traveled across the world to make, sell or deliver food.
I've been busy working on my new film, a documentary about domestic violence, and haven't had a chance to update this blog recently. Watching sections of the movie again and talking with the students reminded me that we recently passed the 12th anniversary of the release of Golden Venture detainees from the York, PA County Jail and some other immigrant detention facilities around the country.
The York Daily Record carried an excellent piece about it, including a number of transcribed audio reminiscences from some of the York residents who were involved in helping and advocating for the Golden Venture detainees. .
I've been busy working on my new film, a documentary about domestic violence, and haven't had a chance to update this blog recently. Watching sections of the movie again and talking with the students reminded me that we recently passed the 12th anniversary of the release of Golden Venture detainees from the York, PA County Jail and some other immigrant detention facilities around the country.
The York Daily Record carried an excellent piece about it, including a number of transcribed audio reminiscences from some of the York residents who were involved in helping and advocating for the Golden Venture detainees. .
Monday, February 9, 2009
Thavi Up for An Oscar
Thavisouk Phrasavath, who labored for many months on "Golden Venture," now stands on the verge of fame and glory with his Oscar nomination for Best Documentary. Thavi
co-directed, edited, wrote, narrated and stars in "Nerakhoon (Betrayal)," which is one of five films nominated in the category. "Nerakhoon" has been a huge hit critically and on the festival circuit. It's an artistic masterpiece, shot over 25 years. Basically, Thavi's story, the story of his family, and the story of the US relationship with Laos during and after the Vietnam War.
Thavi deserves the Oscar. I've seen most of the other films nominated -- including the two front runnerz, "Man on Wire" and the Herzog South Pole movie. While both of those two films are well done films, they don't compare to "Nerakhoon."
I don't mean to disparage another film maker's work, but I would be appalled if "Man on Wire" were to win. It's a nice film, but ultimately, it's a movie about a narcissistic publicity junkie and his small band of ass kissing sycophants, told with no irony or perspective. As you can see, I'm completely objective!
I'm proud to report that Thavi and I are working together again on a new film, "Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America." We've just launched a new web site: www.powerandcontrolfilm.com, which features a trailer and some short videos cut by Thavi.
co-directed, edited, wrote, narrated and stars in "Nerakhoon (Betrayal)," which is one of five films nominated in the category. "Nerakhoon" has been a huge hit critically and on the festival circuit. It's an artistic masterpiece, shot over 25 years. Basically, Thavi's story, the story of his family, and the story of the US relationship with Laos during and after the Vietnam War.
Thavi deserves the Oscar. I've seen most of the other films nominated -- including the two front runnerz, "Man on Wire" and the Herzog South Pole movie. While both of those two films are well done films, they don't compare to "Nerakhoon."
I don't mean to disparage another film maker's work, but I would be appalled if "Man on Wire" were to win. It's a nice film, but ultimately, it's a movie about a narcissistic publicity junkie and his small band of ass kissing sycophants, told with no irony or perspective. As you can see, I'm completely objective!
I'm proud to report that Thavi and I are working together again on a new film, "Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America." We've just launched a new web site: www.powerandcontrolfilm.com, which features a trailer and some short videos cut by Thavi.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Fortune Cooke Chronicles
Jennifer 8. Lee's new book on Chinese food is generating a lot of buzz and getting great reviews. I met Jennifer when "Golden Venture" (www.goldenventuremovie.com) premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006. She covered the press conference given by the Golden Venture passengers who are still seeking permanent legal residence in the US and came along for a photo shoot with the passengers at a studio on the Lower East Side.
"Fortune Cookie Chronicles" is winning particularly high praise for weaving the story of the new wave of immigrants from Fujian Province together with a more light-hearted account of the role of Chinese food in American culinary culture.
Jennifer has a wonderful blog that links to excerpts from the book and the ever-growing pile of critical raves. The site links to Jennifer's New York Times story about a Fujianese family that ended up running a Chinese restaurant in Georgia (here) and to her Times story about the missing deliveryman case in the Bronx from a few years back (here).
The book is a powerful reminder of one of the tragic irony's of the Golden Venture story, and of immigrants bashing in general. The GoldenVenture passengers came here to make and deliver Chinese food. And for that many were put in jail for almost four years!
"Fortune Cookie Chronicles" is winning particularly high praise for weaving the story of the new wave of immigrants from Fujian Province together with a more light-hearted account of the role of Chinese food in American culinary culture.
Jennifer has a wonderful blog that links to excerpts from the book and the ever-growing pile of critical raves. The site links to Jennifer's New York Times story about a Fujianese family that ended up running a Chinese restaurant in Georgia (here) and to her Times story about the missing deliveryman case in the Bronx from a few years back (here).
The book is a powerful reminder of one of the tragic irony's of the Golden Venture story, and of immigrants bashing in general. The GoldenVenture passengers came here to make and deliver Chinese food. And for that many were put in jail for almost four years!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
McCain Retreat on Immigration?
Stepping into the pre-Super Tuesday time machine, going back to that Republican debate in the Reagan Library in Simi Valley Jan. 31...is John McCain tacking to the right on immigration?
As Nancy Reagan secretly played footsie with Arnold and a group of illegal aliens applied Turtle Wax to the Gipper's Air Force One, the topic turned to immigration. McCain was asked if he would now support his own immigration reform legislation of 2006.
Unbelievably, McCain backed off on supporting a bill he himself co-sponsored! He was asked point blank if he would vote for the bill today, and his response was to evade the question by simply stating that the bill won't come up for a vote again because the idea is dead. He evaded the question several times with the same tactic.
Like the other candidates, his pre-programmed response was to focus on "border security." Said McCain: "We will secure the borders first when I am president of the United States. I know how to do that. I come from a border state, where we know about building walls, and vehicle barriers, and sensors, and all of the things necessary." He scored additional points with the Minuteman crowd with a specific, very sci fi reference to "tamper-proof biometric documents" that will solve everything.
I like McCain. One main reason is that he has taken a principled stand on immigration (and on waving the Confederate flag in South Carolina and -- even though I disagreed -- on The Surge).
Can you really blame him for being politically expedient on the immigration issue? He's still far more reasonable than either Romney or Huckabee (and Ron Paul ain't no Libertarian -- he's an extreme xenophobe on immigration). But what's going to happen if he's running against Hillary or Obama? Will he resist the temptation to go demagogic?
As I wrote here a couple of days ago, the Dems are showing signs of hope -- what with Obama's explicit endorsement of drivers licenses for illegals. Let's hope McCain doesn't turn into the next Tom Tancredo.
Oh, and by the way, about his cheek. Had been too lazy to Google it. It's not a war wound. It's not chewing tobacco. He isn't a genetically modified creature with a splice of chipmunk DNA. The cheek is the byproduct of a melanoma removal operation a few years back.
Full text of immigration portion of Jan. 31 "Temple of Reagan, Cleanest Air Force One
You Ever Saw" Republican Debate.
As Nancy Reagan secretly played footsie with Arnold and a group of illegal aliens applied Turtle Wax to the Gipper's Air Force One, the topic turned to immigration. McCain was asked if he would now support his own immigration reform legislation of 2006.
Unbelievably, McCain backed off on supporting a bill he himself co-sponsored! He was asked point blank if he would vote for the bill today, and his response was to evade the question by simply stating that the bill won't come up for a vote again because the idea is dead. He evaded the question several times with the same tactic.
Like the other candidates, his pre-programmed response was to focus on "border security." Said McCain: "We will secure the borders first when I am president of the United States. I know how to do that. I come from a border state, where we know about building walls, and vehicle barriers, and sensors, and all of the things necessary." He scored additional points with the Minuteman crowd with a specific, very sci fi reference to "tamper-proof biometric documents" that will solve everything.
I like McCain. One main reason is that he has taken a principled stand on immigration (and on waving the Confederate flag in South Carolina and -- even though I disagreed -- on The Surge).
Can you really blame him for being politically expedient on the immigration issue? He's still far more reasonable than either Romney or Huckabee (and Ron Paul ain't no Libertarian -- he's an extreme xenophobe on immigration). But what's going to happen if he's running against Hillary or Obama? Will he resist the temptation to go demagogic?
As I wrote here a couple of days ago, the Dems are showing signs of hope -- what with Obama's explicit endorsement of drivers licenses for illegals. Let's hope McCain doesn't turn into the next Tom Tancredo.
Oh, and by the way, about his cheek. Had been too lazy to Google it. It's not a war wound. It's not chewing tobacco. He isn't a genetically modified creature with a splice of chipmunk DNA. The cheek is the byproduct of a melanoma removal operation a few years back.
Full text of immigration portion of Jan. 31 "Temple of Reagan, Cleanest Air Force One
You Ever Saw" Republican Debate.
VANDEHEI: Obviously, we're here in California, where one-third of the population is Hispanic, Latino. Immigration has been a huge issue in this campaign from the beginning.
Governor Huckabee, Brian Berry (ph) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, wants to know, "In order to curb illegal immigration, do you support making changes in the law that would give citizenship only to children who are born to parents who are legally in this country at the time the child is born?"
HUCKABEE: I think the Supreme Court has already ruled on that. The real issue is, that doesn't fix the problem.
HUCKABEE: What we've got to do is to have a secure border fence, something I have proposed that we do within 18 months of taking office.
If we don't have a secure fence and have just this open door that people can come in and out at will, we're never going to deal with this issue effectively and responsibly.
And today, many Americans are angry not that people want to come here -- and I've repeatedly said and I'm going to say it again -- people in this country I think are grateful to God they're in a land that people are trying to break into and not one they're trying to break out of.
So it's not that we're building a fence so we can keep our people in or keep people out, but that people who do come here would have to come legally.
And touching the issue of those born here is not the challenge. It's two things. It's first making sure that that fence is built, I think within 18 months. And the second thing is that we have a process where the people who are here would have to go to the back of the line and start over.
And it's not to be cruel. I want to make sure you understand. It's to make that everybody who is living in our boundaries has their head up and lives in the light, not the darkness, and doesn't run and hide every time they see a police car.
We owe it not just to the people who have waited in line a long time. We owe it to the people who do want to live here and work here, but create a system that is legal, that makes sense, and that actually protects our borders but protects the dignity and worth of every person.
VANDEHEI: Governor Romney, I interviewed you in New Hampshire a couple of weeks ago and we talked a little bit about illegal immigration. You've taken a very hard stance against illegal immigration. You said at the time that you felt that there's, for a lot of illegal immigrants who are here, under your plan, we could deport many of them within 90 days. How could that happen? How could we do it that quickly?
ROMNEY: I think you may be confusing me with somebody else, but perhaps not. Let me tell you what my plan is.
VANDEHEI: At the time -- I can just give you the quote if you like. You said that "many of those could be deported immediately," but that would allow slower deportation process for those with thought as quickly as 90 days.
ROMNEY: My plan is this, which is for those that have come here illegally and are here illegally today, no amnesty.
Now, how do people return home? Under the ideal setting, at least in my view, you say to those who have just come in recently, we're going to send you back home immediately, we're not going to let you stay here. You just go back home.
For those that have been here, let's say, five years, and have kids in school, you allow kids to complete the school year, you allow people to make their arrangements, and allow them to return back home.
Those that have been here a long time, with kids that have responsibilities here and so forth, you let stay enough time to organize their affairs and go home.
But the key is this: These individuals are free to get in line with everyone else that wants to become a permanent resident or citizen. But no special pathway, no special deal that says because you're here illegally, you get to stay here for the rest of your life.
And that's what I found to be so offensive with the Z visa, which was in the McCain-Kennedy bill. It said to all illegal aliens, unless you're a criminal, you're all allowed to stay here for $3,000 for the rest of your life. And that's a mistake.
In my view, let us have a fixed period of time -- 90 days for some, depending on their circumstances, others longer, to the end of the school year -- even longer potentially. Do it in a humane and compassionate way, but say to those who have come here legally, you must return home, you must get in line with everybody else that wants to come here.
There are millions throughout the world who want to come to this country legally. It's a wonderful privilege. But those that have come here illegally should not be given a better deal.
I was just at the swearing in of some 700 citizens just a day or two ago in Tampa, Florida, and it was a thrilling thing to see these folks coming out, shaking their hands. People who come here legally are a great source of vitality and strength for our country.
COOPER: Let's follow up...
ROMNEY: But illegal immigration, that's got to end.
COOPER: Janet Hook with the L.A. Times with a follow-up question.
(APPLAUSE)
HOOK: Senator McCain, let me just take the issue to you, because you obviously have been very involved in it. During this campaign, you, like your rivals, have been putting the first priority, heaviest emphasis on border security. But your original immigration proposal back in 2006 was much broader and included a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who were already here.
What I'm wondering is -- and you seem to be downplaying that part. At this point, if your original proposal came to a vote on the Senate floor, would you vote for it?
MCCAIN: It won't. It won't. That's why we went through the debate...
HOOK: But if it did?
MCCAIN: No, it would not, because we know what the situation is today. The people want the border secured first. And so to say that that would come to the floor of the Senate -- it won't. We went through various amendments which prevented that ever -- that proposal.
But, look, we're all in agreement as to what we need to do. Everybody knows it. We can fight some more about it, about who wanted this or who wanted that. But the fact is, we all know the American people want the border secured first.
MCCAIN: We will secure the borders first when I am president of the United States. I know how to do that. I come from a border state, where we know about building walls, and vehicle barriers, and sensors, and all of the things necessary.
I will have the border state governors certify the borders are secured. And then we will move onto the other aspects of this issue, probably as importantly as tamper-proof biometric documents, which then, unless an employer hires someone with those documents, that employer will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. And that will cause a lot of people to leave voluntarily.
There's 2 million people who are here who have committed crimes. They have to be rounded up and deported.
And we're all basically in agreement there are humanitarian situations. It varies with how long they've been here, et cetera, et cetera.
We are all committed to carrying out the mandate of the American people, which is a national security issue, which is securing the borders. That was part of the original proposal, but the American people didn't trust or have confidence in us that we would do it.
So we now know we have to secure the borders first, and that is what needs to be done. That's what I'll do as president of the United States.
COOPER: So I just want to confirm that you would not vote for your bill as it originally was?
MCCAIN: My bill will not be voted on; it will not be voted on. I will sit and work with Democrats and Republicans and with all people. And we will have the principals securing the borders first.
And then, if you want me to go through the description all over again, I would be glad to. We will secure the borders first. That's the responsibility and the priority of the American people.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Immigration Progress at Last
The outlook for immigration reform in this country has suddenly brightened. Now that the presidential field has narrowed, there's genuine cause for optimism that some kind of reform legislation will make its way through Washington sometime in 2009. Long overdue, but for the first time in a long time, there's hope.
The Republican candidates disgraced their party during the early campaigning, with Tom Tancredo setting the tone with his chilling nationalistic No-Nothingism. The other candidates, particularly Guiliani and Romney, scrambled to keep up with him. The emergence of McCain, co-sponsor of the last doomed effort to achieve immigration reform, is truly good news. McCain's strength of character, evidenced by his continuing willingness to take politically unpopular positions, may ultimately prove to be a winning electoral asset.
In the meantime, Romney is probably stuck with trying to exploit an edge by being the anti-immigrant candidate. Truly an asset in states where immigrants have a low presence, such as New York and California! Good riddance, Mitt.
Meanwhile, last night's Democratic debate saw Hillary and Obama uniting in favor of sane, reasonably enlightened immigration reform. In keeping with the conciliatory theme of the evening, they both advocated opening a path to legal residency for the 15 million people who are here without documents. They both had to bow down to the concept of "border security" -- but in a way that made sense, even to us extremists here at Open Border Central.
And surprisingly, it was Obama who McCain'ed Hillary when the topic turned to the issue of driver's licenses. Obama hasn't impressed me so far -- his rhetoric is almost Orwellian in its lack of meaning, what with his constant repetition of "change" and "hope" and "uniting" and other empty platitudes.
But on the issue of driver's licenses, the man is right on, completely outflanking Hillary. Hillary was asked about her position first, and she tried to evade the question by launching into a discourse on her version of balanced immigration reform. Then Obama tried to evade the question for a bit, and even made a chivalrous attempt to avoid trashing Hillary. But in the end, Obama actually repeated -- explicitly -- his support for licensing the undocumented. Said Obama: "I don't want a bunch of hit-and-run drivers, because they're worried about being deported so they don't report and accident."
Obama gently knocked Hillary for her flip flops on the issue. Hillary lamely defended herself, stating that she initially supported a licensing proposal out of loyalty to NY Gov. Elliott Spitzer. She backed the wrong horse.
But what we have here is a fortuitous series of political developments that auger well for finally addressing the problem of undocumented immigrants in this country. If McCain's momentum continues, we'll have a reasonable Republican Presidential candidate squaring off against a reasonable Democrat (be it either Hillary or Obama). The distance between the two parties on immigration is not that great. That is unless politics intrudes and the Republican candidate -- even McCain could do this -- tacks to the right as the general election approaches.
Transcript of immigration portion of Jan. 31 Democratic Presidential Debate (CNN)
The Republican candidates disgraced their party during the early campaigning, with Tom Tancredo setting the tone with his chilling nationalistic No-Nothingism. The other candidates, particularly Guiliani and Romney, scrambled to keep up with him. The emergence of McCain, co-sponsor of the last doomed effort to achieve immigration reform, is truly good news. McCain's strength of character, evidenced by his continuing willingness to take politically unpopular positions, may ultimately prove to be a winning electoral asset.
In the meantime, Romney is probably stuck with trying to exploit an edge by being the anti-immigrant candidate. Truly an asset in states where immigrants have a low presence, such as New York and California! Good riddance, Mitt.
Meanwhile, last night's Democratic debate saw Hillary and Obama uniting in favor of sane, reasonably enlightened immigration reform. In keeping with the conciliatory theme of the evening, they both advocated opening a path to legal residency for the 15 million people who are here without documents. They both had to bow down to the concept of "border security" -- but in a way that made sense, even to us extremists here at Open Border Central.
And surprisingly, it was Obama who McCain'ed Hillary when the topic turned to the issue of driver's licenses. Obama hasn't impressed me so far -- his rhetoric is almost Orwellian in its lack of meaning, what with his constant repetition of "change" and "hope" and "uniting" and other empty platitudes.
But on the issue of driver's licenses, the man is right on, completely outflanking Hillary. Hillary was asked about her position first, and she tried to evade the question by launching into a discourse on her version of balanced immigration reform. Then Obama tried to evade the question for a bit, and even made a chivalrous attempt to avoid trashing Hillary. But in the end, Obama actually repeated -- explicitly -- his support for licensing the undocumented. Said Obama: "I don't want a bunch of hit-and-run drivers, because they're worried about being deported so they don't report and accident."
Obama gently knocked Hillary for her flip flops on the issue. Hillary lamely defended herself, stating that she initially supported a licensing proposal out of loyalty to NY Gov. Elliott Spitzer. She backed the wrong horse.
But what we have here is a fortuitous series of political developments that auger well for finally addressing the problem of undocumented immigrants in this country. If McCain's momentum continues, we'll have a reasonable Republican Presidential candidate squaring off against a reasonable Democrat (be it either Hillary or Obama). The distance between the two parties on immigration is not that great. That is unless politics intrudes and the Republican candidate -- even McCain could do this -- tacks to the right as the general election approaches.
Transcript of immigration portion of Jan. 31 Democratic Presidential Debate (CNN)
BLITZER: All right, Jeanne?
CUMMINGS: On immigration. The Republicans have had a pretty fierce debate over immigration. And it's now pretty clear that that's going to be an issue for you all, as well, not just in the general, but it's bubbled up in some of the primaries. And it's a divisive issue for you all, as it is for the Republicans. And that was pretty evident when we got a question through Politico.
This is from Kim Millman (ph) from Burnsville, Minnesota. And she says, "there's been no acknowledgement by any of the presidential candidates of the negative economic impact of immigration on the African-American community. How do you propose to address the high unemployment rates and the declining wages in the African-American community that are related to the flood of immigrant labor?"
Senator Obama, you want to go first on that? And it's for both of you.
OBAMA: Well, let me first of all say that I have worked on the streets of Chicago as an organizer with people who have been laid off from steel plants, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, and, you know, all of them are feeling economically insecure right now, and they have been for many years. Before the latest round of immigrants showed up, you had huge unemployment rates among African-American youth.
And, so, I think to suggest somehow that the problem that we're seeing in inner-city unemployment, for example, is attributable to immigrants, I think, is a case of scapegoating that I do not believe in, I do not subscribe to.
(APPLAUSE)
And this is where we do have a very real difference with the other party.
OBAMA: I believe that we can be a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.
Now, there is no doubt that we have to get control of our borders. We can't have hundreds of thousands of people coming over to the United States without us having any idea who they are.
I also believe that we do have to crack down on those employers that are taking advantage of the situation, hiring folks who cannot complain about worker conditions, who aren't getting the minimum wage sometimes, or aren't getting overtime. We have to crack down on them. I also believe we have to give a pathway to citizenship after they have paid a fine and learned English, to those who are already here, because if we don't, they will continue to undermine U.S. wages.
But let's understand more broadly that the economic problems that African-Americans are experiencing, whites are experiences, blacks and Latinos are experiencing in this country are all rooted in the fact that we have had an economy out of balance. We've had tax cuts that went up instead of down. We have had a lack of investment in basic infrastructure in this country. Our education system is chronically underfunded.
(APPLAUSE)
And so, there are a whole host of reasons why we have not been generating the kinds of jobs that we are generating. We should not use immigration as a tactic to divide. Instead, we should pull the country together to get this economy back on track.
That's what I intend to do as president of the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
BLITZER: All right.
Senator Clinton, we're going to stay on this subject, but Doyle has a follow-up.
MCMANUS: Senator Clinton, Senator Obama has said that he favors allowing illegal immigrants to obtain drivers' licenses, and you oppose that idea.
Why?
CLINTON: Well, let me start with the original question from Kim, because I think it deserves an answer.
I believe that in many parts of our country, because of employers who exploit undocumented workers and drive down wages, there are job losses. And I think we should be honest about that.
(APPLAUSE)
There are people who have been pushed out of jobs and factories and meat processing plants, and all kinds of settings. And I meet them.
You know, I was in Atlanta last night, and an African-American man said to me, "I used to have a lot of construction jobs, and now it just seems like the only people who get them anymore are people who are here without documentation." So, I know that what we have to do is to bring our country together to have a comprehensive immigration reform solution.
(APPLAUSE)
That is the answer. And it is important that we make clear to Kim and people who are worried about this that that is actually in the best interests of those who are concerned about losing their jobs or already have.
Because if we can tighten our borders, if we can crack down on employer who exploit workers, both those who are undocumented and those who are here as citizens, or legal, if we can do more to help local communities cope with the cost that they often have to contend with, if we do more to help our friends to the south create more jobs for their own people, and if we take what we know to be the realities that we confront -- 12 to 14 million people here, what will we do with them?
Well, I hear the voices from the other side of the aisle. I hear voices on TV and radio. And they are living in some other universe, talking about deporting people, rounding them up.
I don't agree with that, and I don't think it's practical. And therefore, what we've got to do is to say, come out of the shadows. We will register everyone. We will check, because if you have committed a crime in this country or the country you came from, then you will not be able to stay, you will have to be deported.
But for the vast majority of people who are here, we will give you a path to legalization if you meet the following condition: pay a fine because you entered illegally, be willing to pay back taxes over time, try to learn English -- and we have to help you do that, because we've cut back on so many of those services -- and then you wait in line.
That not only is, I think, the best way to approach the problem of our 12 million to 14 million who are here, but that also says to Kim, Kim, this is the best answer, as well, because once we have those conditions met, and people agree, then, they will not be in a labor market that undercuts anybody else's wages.
BLITZER: Senator...
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And therefore, it's imperative we approach it this way, only after people have agreed to these conditions, Doyle, and that they have been willing to say, yes, they will meet those conditions, do I think we ought to talk about privileges like drives' licenses? Because otherwise, I think you will further undermine the labor market for people like the ones Kim is referring to.
CLINTON: We need to solve this problem, not exacerbate it. And that's what intend to do as president.
(APPLAUSE)
BLITZER: All right. All right, we have a follow-up.
Senator Obama, in an interview with CNN this week, you said this. You said, quote, "I stood up for a humane and intelligent immigration policy in a way that, frankly, none of my other opponents did." What did you mean by that?
OBAMA: Well, what I meant was that, when this issue came up -- not driver's licenses, but comprehensive immigration reform generally -- I worked with Ted Kennedy. I worked with Dick Durbin. I worked with John McCain, although he may not admit it now...
(LAUGHTER)
... to move this issue forward aggressively. And it's a hard political issue. Let's be honest. This is not an issue that polls well. But I think it is the right thing to do.
(APPLAUSE)
And I think we have to show leadership on the issue. And it is important for us, I believe, to recognize that the problems that workers are experiencing generally are not primarily caused by immigration. There is...
BLITZER: Are you suggesting that Senator Clinton's policy was not, in your words, "humane"?
OBAMA: That is -- what I said was that we have to stand up for these issues when it's tough, and that's what I've done.
I did it when I was in the state legislature, sponsoring the Illinois version of the DREAM Act, so that children who were brought here through no fault of their own are able to go to college, because we actually want well-educated kids in our country...
(APPLAUSE)
... who are able to -- who are able to succeed and become part of this economy and part of the American dream.
BLITZER: Was she lacking on that front?
OBAMA: Wolf, you keep on trying to push on this issue.
BLITZER: I'm just trying to find out what you mean.
OBAMA: There are those who were opposed to this issue, and there have been those who have flipped on the issue and have run away from the issue. This wasn't directed particularly at Senator Clinton. But the fact of the matter is I have stood up consistently on this issue.
On the driver's license issue, I don't actually want -- I don't believe that we're going to have to deal with this if we have comprehensive immigration reform, because, as I said before, people don't come here to drive. They come here to work.
(APPLAUSE)
And if we have signed up them -- if we have registered them, if they have paid a fine, if they are learning English, if they are going to the back of the line, if we fix our legal immigration system, then I believe we will not have this problem of undocumented workers in this country, because people will be able to actually go on a pathway to citizenship.
That, I think, is the right approach for African-Americans; I think it's the right approach for Latinos; I think it's a right approach for white workers here in the United States.
BLITZER: I want to let Senator Clinton respond. But were you missing in action when Senator Obama and Senator McCain and Senator Kennedy started formulating comprehensive immigration reform?
CLINTON: Well, actually, I co-sponsored comprehensive immigration reform in 2004 before Barack came to the Senate.
(APPLAUSE)
So I've been on record on behalf of this for quite some time.
And representing New York, the homeland with the Statue of Liberty, bringing all of our immigrants to our shores, has been not only an extraordinary privilege, but given me the opportunity to speak out on these issues.
When the House of Representatives passed the most mean-spirited provision that said, if you were to give any help whatsoever to someone here illegally, you would commit a crime, I stood up and said that would have criminalized the Good Samaritan and Jesus Christ himself.
I have been on record on this against this kind of demagoguery, this mean-spiritedness.
And, you know, it is something that I take very personally, because I have not only worked on behalf of immigrants; I have been working to make conditions better for many years.
(APPLAUSE)
I was so honored to get the farm workers endorsement last week, because for so many years I have stood with farm workers who do some of the hardest work there is anywhere in our country.
So we may be looking at the immigration reform issue as a political issue, and it certainly has been turned into one by those who I think are undermining the values of America.
It is a serious question. We have to fix this broken system. But let's do it in a practical, realistic approach. Let's bring people together. And I think, as president, I can.
You know, I've been going to town halls all over America, and I see the people out there, thousands of them who come to hear me, and they're nervous about immigration, and for the reasons that the economy isn't working for people.
The average American family has lost $1,000 in income. They're looking for some explanation as to why this is happening. And they edge or a real amount of anxiety in their voice.
And then I ask them, well, what would you do?
CLINTON: If you want to round up into four people, how many tens of thousands of federal law enforcement officials would that take?"
BLITZER: All right.
CLINTON: And how much authority would they have to be given to knock on every door of every business and every home? I don't think Americans would stand for that.
BLITZER: Senator, Senator...
CLINTON: So we have to get realistic and practical about this.
BLITZER: Very quickly, Senator, why not, then, if you're that passionate about it, let them get driver's licenses?
CLINTON: Well, we disagree on this. I do not think that it is either appropriate to give a driver's license to someone who is here undocumented, putting them, frankly, at risk, because that is clear evidence that they are not here legally, and I believe it is a diversion from what should be the focus at creating a political coalition with the courage to stand up and change the immigration system.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: The only point I would make is Senator Clinton gave a number of different answers over the course of six weeks on this issue, and that did appear political.
Now, at this point, she's got a clearer position, but it took a whole and...
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Well...
OBAMA: I'm just being -- just in fairness. Initially, in a debate, you said you were for it. Then you said you were against it. And the only reason I bring that up is to underscore the fact that this is a difficult political issue.
From my perspective, I agree with Bill Richardson that there is a public safety concern here and that we're better off, because I don't want a bunch of hit-and-run drivers, because they're worried about being deported and so they don't report an accident. That is a judgment all.
(APPLAUSE)
But I do think it is important to recognize that this can be tough and the question is who is going to tackle this problem and solve it.
Many of the solutions that Senator Clinton just talked about are solutions that I agree with, that I've been working on for many years, and my suspicion is whatever our differences, we're going to have big differences with the Republicans, but I think a practical, common sense solution to the problem is what the American people are looking for.
CLINTON: Well, I just have to correct the record for one second, because, obviously, we do agree about the need to have comprehensive immigration reform.
And if I recall, about a week after I said that I would try to support my governor, although I didn't agree with it personally, you
So this is a difficult issue and both of us have to recognize...
(APPLAUSE)
... that it is not something that we easily come to, because we share a lot of the same values.
OBAMA: I agree.
CLINTON: We want to -- we want to be fair to people. We want to respect the dignity of every human being, every person who is here. But we are trying to work our way through to get to where we need to be and that is to have a united Democratic Party, with fair-minded Republicans who will join us to fix this broken immigration system.
(APPLAUSE)
BLITZER: All right. We're going to talk a lot more about this. We're going to take a quick break. We have a lot more to talk about. You can follow all of the action, by the way, on cnnpolitics.com and there's a lively dialogue going on there right now, cnnpolitics.com.
We'll take a quick break. We'll pick up with two issues, experience and character, and then move on to a lot more right after.
BLITZER: All right, Jeanne?
CUMMINGS: On immigration. The Republicans have had a pretty fierce debate over immigration. And it's now pretty clear that that's going to be an issue for you all, as well, not just in the general, but it's bubbled up in some of the primaries. And it's a divisive issue for you all, as it is for the Republicans. And that was pretty evident when we got a question through Politico.
This is from Kim Millman (ph) from Burnsville, Minnesota. And she says, "there's been no acknowledgement by any of the presidential candidates of the negative economic impact of immigration on the African-American community. How do you propose to address the high unemployment rates and the declining wages in the African-American community that are related to the flood of immigrant labor?"
Senator Obama, you want to go first on that? And it's for both of you.
OBAMA: Well, let me first of all say that I have worked on the streets of Chicago as an organizer with people who have been laid off from steel plants, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, and, you know, all of them are feeling economically insecure right now, and they have been for many years. Before the latest round of immigrants showed up, you had huge unemployment rates among African-American youth.
And, so, I think to suggest somehow that the problem that we're seeing in inner-city unemployment, for example, is attributable to immigrants, I think, is a case of scapegoating that I do not believe in, I do not subscribe to.
(APPLAUSE)
And this is where we do have a very real difference with the other party.
OBAMA: I believe that we can be a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.
Now, there is no doubt that we have to get control of our borders. We can't have hundreds of thousands of people coming over to the United States without us having any idea who they are.
I also believe that we do have to crack down on those employers that are taking advantage of the situation, hiring folks who cannot complain about worker conditions, who aren't getting the minimum wage sometimes, or aren't getting overtime. We have to crack down on them. I also believe we have to give a pathway to citizenship after they have paid a fine and learned English, to those who are already here, because if we don't, they will continue to undermine U.S. wages.
But let's understand more broadly that the economic problems that African-Americans are experiencing, whites are experiences, blacks and Latinos are experiencing in this country are all rooted in the fact that we have had an economy out of balance. We've had tax cuts that went up instead of down. We have had a lack of investment in basic infrastructure in this country. Our education system is chronically underfunded.
(APPLAUSE)
And so, there are a whole host of reasons why we have not been generating the kinds of jobs that we are generating. We should not use immigration as a tactic to divide. Instead, we should pull the country together to get this economy back on track.
That's what I intend to do as president of the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
BLITZER: All right.
Senator Clinton, we're going to stay on this subject, but Doyle has a follow-up.
MCMANUS: Senator Clinton, Senator Obama has said that he favors allowing illegal immigrants to obtain drivers' licenses, and you oppose that idea.
Why?
CLINTON: Well, let me start with the original question from Kim, because I think it deserves an answer.
I believe that in many parts of our country, because of employers who exploit undocumented workers and drive down wages, there are job losses. And I think we should be honest about that.
(APPLAUSE)
There are people who have been pushed out of jobs and factories and meat processing plants, and all kinds of settings. And I meet them.
You know, I was in Atlanta last night, and an African-American man said to me, "I used to have a lot of construction jobs, and now it just seems like the only people who get them anymore are people who are here without documentation." So, I know that what we have to do is to bring our country together to have a comprehensive immigration reform solution.
(APPLAUSE)
That is the answer. And it is important that we make clear to Kim and people who are worried about this that that is actually in the best interests of those who are concerned about losing their jobs or already have.
Because if we can tighten our borders, if we can crack down on employer who exploit workers, both those who are undocumented and those who are here as citizens, or legal, if we can do more to help local communities cope with the cost that they often have to contend with, if we do more to help our friends to the south create more jobs for their own people, and if we take what we know to be the realities that we confront -- 12 to 14 million people here, what will we do with them?
Well, I hear the voices from the other side of the aisle. I hear voices on TV and radio. And they are living in some other universe, talking about deporting people, rounding them up.
I don't agree with that, and I don't think it's practical. And therefore, what we've got to do is to say, come out of the shadows. We will register everyone. We will check, because if you have committed a crime in this country or the country you came from, then you will not be able to stay, you will have to be deported.
But for the vast majority of people who are here, we will give you a path to legalization if you meet the following condition: pay a fine because you entered illegally, be willing to pay back taxes over time, try to learn English -- and we have to help you do that, because we've cut back on so many of those services -- and then you wait in line.
That not only is, I think, the best way to approach the problem of our 12 million to 14 million who are here, but that also says to Kim, Kim, this is the best answer, as well, because once we have those conditions met, and people agree, then, they will not be in a labor market that undercuts anybody else's wages.
BLITZER: Senator...
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And therefore, it's imperative we approach it this way, only after people have agreed to these conditions, Doyle, and that they have been willing to say, yes, they will meet those conditions, do I think we ought to talk about privileges like drives' licenses? Because otherwise, I think you will further undermine the labor market for people like the ones Kim is referring to.
CLINTON: We need to solve this problem, not exacerbate it. And that's what intend to do as president.
(APPLAUSE)
BLITZER: All right. All right, we have a follow-up.
Senator Obama, in an interview with CNN this week, you said this. You said, quote, "I stood up for a humane and intelligent immigration policy in a way that, frankly, none of my other opponents did." What did you mean by that?
OBAMA: Well, what I meant was that, when this issue came up -- not driver's licenses, but comprehensive immigration reform generally -- I worked with Ted Kennedy. I worked with Dick Durbin. I worked with John McCain, although he may not admit it now...
(LAUGHTER)
... to move this issue forward aggressively. And it's a hard political issue. Let's be honest. This is not an issue that polls well. But I think it is the right thing to do.
(APPLAUSE)
And I think we have to show leadership on the issue. And it is important for us, I believe, to recognize that the problems that workers are experiencing generally are not primarily caused by immigration. There is...
BLITZER: Are you suggesting that Senator Clinton's policy was not, in your words, "humane"?
OBAMA: That is -- what I said was that we have to stand up for these issues when it's tough, and that's what I've done.
I did it when I was in the state legislature, sponsoring the Illinois version of the DREAM Act, so that children who were brought here through no fault of their own are able to go to college, because we actually want well-educated kids in our country...
(APPLAUSE)
... who are able to -- who are able to succeed and become part of this economy and part of the American dream.
BLITZER: Was she lacking on that front?
OBAMA: Wolf, you keep on trying to push on this issue.
BLITZER: I'm just trying to find out what you mean.
OBAMA: There are those who were opposed to this issue, and there have been those who have flipped on the issue and have run away from the issue. This wasn't directed particularly at Senator Clinton. But the fact of the matter is I have stood up consistently on this issue.
On the driver's license issue, I don't actually want -- I don't believe that we're going to have to deal with this if we have comprehensive immigration reform, because, as I said before, people don't come here to drive. They come here to work.
(APPLAUSE)
And if we have signed up them -- if we have registered them, if they have paid a fine, if they are learning English, if they are going to the back of the line, if we fix our legal immigration system, then I believe we will not have this problem of undocumented workers in this country, because people will be able to actually go on a pathway to citizenship.
That, I think, is the right approach for African-Americans; I think it's the right approach for Latinos; I think it's a right approach for white workers here in the United States.
BLITZER: I want to let Senator Clinton respond. But were you missing in action when Senator Obama and Senator McCain and Senator Kennedy started formulating comprehensive immigration reform?
CLINTON: Well, actually, I co-sponsored comprehensive immigration reform in 2004 before Barack came to the Senate.
(APPLAUSE)
So I've been on record on behalf of this for quite some time.
And representing New York, the homeland with the Statue of Liberty, bringing all of our immigrants to our shores, has been not only an extraordinary privilege, but given me the opportunity to speak out on these issues.
When the House of Representatives passed the most mean-spirited provision that said, if you were to give any help whatsoever to someone here illegally, you would commit a crime, I stood up and said that would have criminalized the Good Samaritan and Jesus Christ himself.
I have been on record on this against this kind of demagoguery, this mean-spiritedness.
And, you know, it is something that I take very personally, because I have not only worked on behalf of immigrants; I have been working to make conditions better for many years.
(APPLAUSE)
I was so honored to get the farm workers endorsement last week, because for so many years I have stood with farm workers who do some of the hardest work there is anywhere in our country.
So we may be looking at the immigration reform issue as a political issue, and it certainly has been turned into one by those who I think are undermining the values of America.
It is a serious question. We have to fix this broken system. But let's do it in a practical, realistic approach. Let's bring people together. And I think, as president, I can.
You know, I've been going to town halls all over America, and I see the people out there, thousands of them who come to hear me, and they're nervous about immigration, and for the reasons that the economy isn't working for people.
The average American family has lost $1,000 in income. They're looking for some explanation as to why this is happening. And they edge or a real amount of anxiety in their voice.
And then I ask them, well, what would you do?
CLINTON: If you want to round up into four people, how many tens of thousands of federal law enforcement officials would that take?"
BLITZER: All right.
CLINTON: And how much authority would they have to be given to knock on every door of every business and every home? I don't think Americans would stand for that.
BLITZER: Senator, Senator...
CLINTON: So we have to get realistic and practical about this.
BLITZER: Very quickly, Senator, why not, then, if you're that passionate about it, let them get driver's licenses?
CLINTON: Well, we disagree on this. I do not think that it is either appropriate to give a driver's license to someone who is here undocumented, putting them, frankly, at risk, because that is clear evidence that they are not here legally, and I believe it is a diversion from what should be the focus at creating a political coalition with the courage to stand up and change the immigration system.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: The only point I would make is Senator Clinton gave a number of different answers over the course of six weeks on this issue, and that did appear political.
Now, at this point, she's got a clearer position, but it took a whole and...
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Well...
OBAMA: I'm just being -- just in fairness. Initially, in a debate, you said you were for it. Then you said you were against it. And the only reason I bring that up is to underscore the fact that this is a difficult political issue.
From my perspective, I agree with Bill Richardson that there is a public safety concern here and that we're better off, because I don't want a bunch of hit-and-run drivers, because they're worried about being deported and so they don't report an accident. That is a judgment all.
(APPLAUSE)
But I do think it is important to recognize that this can be tough and the question is who is going to tackle this problem and solve it.
Many of the solutions that Senator Clinton just talked about are solutions that I agree with, that I've been working on for many years, and my suspicion is whatever our differences, we're going to have big differences with the Republicans, but I think a practical, common sense solution to the problem is what the American people are looking for.
CLINTON: Well, I just have to correct the record for one second, because, obviously, we do agree about the need to have comprehensive immigration reform.
And if I recall, about a week after I said that I would try to support my governor, although I didn't agree with it personally, you
So this is a difficult issue and both of us have to recognize...
(APPLAUSE)
... that it is not something that we easily come to, because we share a lot of the same values.
OBAMA: I agree.
CLINTON: We want to -- we want to be fair to people. We want to respect the dignity of every human being, every person who is here. But we are trying to work our way through to get to where we need to be and that is to have a united Democratic Party, with fair-minded Republicans who will join us to fix this broken immigration system.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Belated Kudos for Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer has put himself in the running for the first annual "Immigration Heroes" end-of-year superstar list, coming soon from Open Border Central. NY Governor Spitzer made the mistake of proposing a constructive change in New York's driver licensing policy -- a change that would have
made undocumented immigrants eligible to get a license.
The good sense behind Spitzer's proposal was that it's better to have people driving with a license rather than without one or with a fake one. For one thing, they're able to get insurance.
A colossal outcry poured forth, led by Lou Dobbs. Now, I've never actually watched Lou, but I've heard an awful lot about him. Apparently, he's the know nothing who preaches against immigration from CNN, the TV news equivalent of Tom Tancredo.
Spitzer struggled, flirting with a compromise proposal that would have altered the licenses for the undocumented, making it impossible for them to board planes. Still the plan failed.
The highpoint in the furor for me came early on, when the dreaded New York state county clerks denounced the Spitzer plan. It's the clerks who in many counties process DMV applications.
The second peak moment -- more widely reported -- was when Hilary Clinton bobbled a question about the Spitzer proposal during one of the Presidential debates. Congratulations to Hilary for at least thinking about the issue, even if she ultimately didn't have the political courage to back Spitzer.
Spitzer's brave stand on the driver's license issue reminded me of another bold position taken by a New York governnor: Mario Cuomo's unwavering and politically inconvenient opposition to the death penalty.
made undocumented immigrants eligible to get a license.
The good sense behind Spitzer's proposal was that it's better to have people driving with a license rather than without one or with a fake one. For one thing, they're able to get insurance.
A colossal outcry poured forth, led by Lou Dobbs. Now, I've never actually watched Lou, but I've heard an awful lot about him. Apparently, he's the know nothing who preaches against immigration from CNN, the TV news equivalent of Tom Tancredo.
Spitzer struggled, flirting with a compromise proposal that would have altered the licenses for the undocumented, making it impossible for them to board planes. Still the plan failed.
The highpoint in the furor for me came early on, when the dreaded New York state county clerks denounced the Spitzer plan. It's the clerks who in many counties process DMV applications.
The second peak moment -- more widely reported -- was when Hilary Clinton bobbled a question about the Spitzer proposal during one of the Presidential debates. Congratulations to Hilary for at least thinking about the issue, even if she ultimately didn't have the political courage to back Spitzer.
Spitzer's brave stand on the driver's license issue reminded me of another bold position taken by a New York governnor: Mario Cuomo's unwavering and politically inconvenient opposition to the death penalty.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Congratulations to Craig Trebilcock
Golden Venture advocate Craig Trebilcock has scored another victory for sanity. Craig was part of the legal team in a civil suit against a Kansas church group that showed up at the funeral of a marine killed in Iraq with placards stating "Thank God for IEDs" and "Fag Troops" (see the coverage in The Baltimore Sun). The small Kansas church has targeted military funerals around the country for its protests, forums to express its view that US losses in Iraq are God's way of punishing us for allowing gays in the military. A federal judge awarded $11 million in damages to the soldier's family.
I'm not quick to advocate anything that restricts freedom of speech -- but crashing a funeral is such an egregious infringement on the rights of the grieving family that a punitive aware seems justified.
The news coverage didn't mention it, but Craig must have been particularly effective in making the case because he himself is an Iraq vet.
I'm not quick to advocate anything that restricts freedom of speech -- but crashing a funeral is such an egregious infringement on the rights of the grieving family that a punitive aware seems justified.
The news coverage didn't mention it, but Craig must have been particularly effective in making the case because he himself is an Iraq vet.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Sister Hillary?
At last, the Fujianese in New York's Chinatown have a new woman to revere and admire. Ever since the "notorious snakehead" Sister Ping was convicted and sent up river last year, there's been a void that Hillary can now fill: the most popular woman on East Broadway.
The La Times reports today that Hillary's machine has successfully raised hundreds of thousands in contributions from hard working Fujianese, including many who have not registered to vote and others, according to the various records tracked by two LAT investigative reporters, don't officially exist.
This development is a bit ironic given Bill Clinton's actions during the Golden Venture years. When the freighter ran aground in June, 1993, Clinton's political advisers were telling him that he was facing political trouble, particularly in California, where a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment was sweeping the electorate. It was this advice that led him to make an example out of the Golden Venture passengers -- to establish a new, get-tough image for himself on the immigration issue.
Fourteen years later, Hillary has a thick "red envelope" bulging with checks from the same people her husband put in jail.
The La Times reports today that Hillary's machine has successfully raised hundreds of thousands in contributions from hard working Fujianese, including many who have not registered to vote and others, according to the various records tracked by two LAT investigative reporters, don't officially exist.
This development is a bit ironic given Bill Clinton's actions during the Golden Venture years. When the freighter ran aground in June, 1993, Clinton's political advisers were telling him that he was facing political trouble, particularly in California, where a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment was sweeping the electorate. It was this advice that led him to make an example out of the Golden Venture passengers -- to establish a new, get-tough image for himself on the immigration issue.
Fourteen years later, Hillary has a thick "red envelope" bulging with checks from the same people her husband put in jail.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Mukasey, Abortion, and the Golden Venture
A surprising and fascinating development: Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey has run into opposition from anti-abortion advocates because of a judicial decision he made in a case involving a Golden Venture passenger.
As a federal judge, Mukasey denied asylum to a Golden Venture passenger who claimed he was fleeing China because of its coercive birth control policies. As the media has reported, the asylum seeker claimed that, in violation of a government mandate, his wife became pregnant with a third child, and that to avoid severe punishment, he put her into hiding and fled the country. He claimed that we would face severe punishment if he were sent back to China.
Mukasey ruled that asylum should not be granted because the case did not fall within the law's definition of a legitimate asylum claim.
Sadly, the asylum applicant's fear that he would face severe punishment in China was very real. In fact, at least one Golden Venture passenger who was sent back to China was forcibly sterilized. Others were fined and severely beaten.
The Mukasey connection to the Golden Venture started surfacing over the weekend, before the Bush's nomination was officially announced.
The first inkling came out in the Times in a Sunday piece, which mentioned Mukasey's abortion decision, without indicating that it involved a Golden Venture passenger. A day before, an anti abortion, Catholic advocacy group, Fidelis, came out with a statement opposing Mukasey, citing his decision in the Chinese coercive birth control case.
Just today, the New York Sun weighed in with an editorial endorsing Mukasey. Apparently the Sun did a bit of reporting and found out that the asylum case involved a Golden Venture case.
Mukasey's Golden Venture connection goes beyond this one case. He was also the judge in the Sister Ping trial -- the proceeding that ended with Mukasey handing Ping a maximum sentence of 35 years.
I wonder how Mukasey's thinking was influenced by what he learned while sitting on the Ping case? He heard all the gory details of that horrible voyage -- the suffering in the hold of ship that the passengers endured for three months.
And I wonder what Mukasey would say now if asked about his decision to send a Golden Venture passenger back to China -- and what his reaction would be if he were told that the same man was forcibly sterilized?
As a federal judge, Mukasey denied asylum to a Golden Venture passenger who claimed he was fleeing China because of its coercive birth control policies. As the media has reported, the asylum seeker claimed that, in violation of a government mandate, his wife became pregnant with a third child, and that to avoid severe punishment, he put her into hiding and fled the country. He claimed that we would face severe punishment if he were sent back to China.
Mukasey ruled that asylum should not be granted because the case did not fall within the law's definition of a legitimate asylum claim.
Sadly, the asylum applicant's fear that he would face severe punishment in China was very real. In fact, at least one Golden Venture passenger who was sent back to China was forcibly sterilized. Others were fined and severely beaten.
The Mukasey connection to the Golden Venture started surfacing over the weekend, before the Bush's nomination was officially announced.
The first inkling came out in the Times in a Sunday piece, which mentioned Mukasey's abortion decision, without indicating that it involved a Golden Venture passenger. A day before, an anti abortion, Catholic advocacy group, Fidelis, came out with a statement opposing Mukasey, citing his decision in the Chinese coercive birth control case.
Just today, the New York Sun weighed in with an editorial endorsing Mukasey. Apparently the Sun did a bit of reporting and found out that the asylum case involved a Golden Venture case.
Mukasey's Golden Venture connection goes beyond this one case. He was also the judge in the Sister Ping trial -- the proceeding that ended with Mukasey handing Ping a maximum sentence of 35 years.
I wonder how Mukasey's thinking was influenced by what he learned while sitting on the Ping case? He heard all the gory details of that horrible voyage -- the suffering in the hold of ship that the passengers endured for three months.
And I wonder what Mukasey would say now if asked about his decision to send a Golden Venture passenger back to China -- and what his reaction would be if he were told that the same man was forcibly sterilized?
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Golden Venture Trailer, Wausau Project
Just posted the Golden Venture trailer on YouTube, after long procrastination. You can see the same trailer below.
Also started a YouTube "community": Open Border Central.
Also started a YouTube "community": Open Border Central.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Spanish Language Debate: Political Overkill Obscures Historic Importance
The Spanish language presidential debate snuck up with little advance fanfare, and receded quickly from the headlines. While newspapers and TV dutifully reported that it was "historic" and the first Spanish-language presidential debate, the story was not (at least in the New York Times) front page news. The media struck out here: this debate was truly a milestone, a crucial marker of the nation's demographic and political evolution.
I missed the debate and was annoyed and surprised when I couldn't find a transcript in the paper or anywhere on the web. Reading the coverage, a few things struck me as quite amusing.
Bill Richardson definitely scored with his quip about building a 12-foot "security" fence along the Mexican border -- the obvious consequence will be "A lot of 13 foot ladders."
Dennis Kucinich hit home with his statement that "There are no illegal human beings."
Hillary scored with her direct jibe at Lou Dobbs.
Obama wiffed again, sticking to platitudes and generic references to Martin Luther King. His statement that a president needs to "make sure that all workers are being tended to" is a fabulous Bushism.
And what about that shockingly idiotic decision by Univision (or whoever makes the rules) to forbid Bill Richardson and Chris Dodd to speak in Spanish? And the equally-shocking-idiotic rush by the candidates to make it clear that they did not support Spanish as the "second national language."
While of course the debate was characterized by political wishy washyism, the Democractic consensus evident there puts us on track for some kind of meaningful immigration reform in 2009.
I missed the debate and was annoyed and surprised when I couldn't find a transcript in the paper or anywhere on the web. Reading the coverage, a few things struck me as quite amusing.
Bill Richardson definitely scored with his quip about building a 12-foot "security" fence along the Mexican border -- the obvious consequence will be "A lot of 13 foot ladders."
Dennis Kucinich hit home with his statement that "There are no illegal human beings."
Hillary scored with her direct jibe at Lou Dobbs.
Obama wiffed again, sticking to platitudes and generic references to Martin Luther King. His statement that a president needs to "make sure that all workers are being tended to" is a fabulous Bushism.
And what about that shockingly idiotic decision by Univision (or whoever makes the rules) to forbid Bill Richardson and Chris Dodd to speak in Spanish? And the equally-shocking-idiotic rush by the candidates to make it clear that they did not support Spanish as the "second national language."
While of course the debate was characterized by political wishy washyism, the Democractic consensus evident there puts us on track for some kind of meaningful immigration reform in 2009.
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