Grant Swank
Ralph Nader on immigration
By Grant Swank
Here it from Ralph Nader himself:
Q. What is your stance on numeric caps for legal immigration and/or quotas for specific countries for immigration, and whether there should be amnesties for illegal immigrants?
A. The first stage for our immigration policy is stop supporting oligarchs, dictatorships, authoritarian regimes that drive people to leave their native lands out of economic desperation or political repression. Lots of people from Mexico and Central America would now be in those countries, not in this country, if they had a decent chance in a democratic society to have an adequate standard of living. We cannot have open borders. That's a totally absurd proposition. It would depress wages here enormously, and tens of millions of people from all levels, including scientists and workers, would be pouring into this country. One way is to provide work permits for people who come in and do work for short periods of time that Americans don't want to do instead of criminalizing the border.
Source: John Ellis, The Fresno (CA) Bee Oct 22, 2000
Q. Do you support a guest worker program?
A. Yes, under work permits, so everything is above board. So they are not exploited. Right now, employers have the best of both worlds. They exploit workers, they make huge profits, and they escape prosecution. Farm labor, whether American or unlawful immigrants, don't have the protection under labor laws that industrial workers have. The idea is to bring all farm labor under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Source: John Ellis, The Fresno (CA) Bee Oct 22, 2000
Q: Describe your immigration policy.
A: We need work permits for people who come in this country and do work, as in farm areas, instead of criminalizing the process. Second, a foreign policy that sides with workers and peasants for a change in democracy, instead of dictatorships and oligarchies, will reduce enormously the pressure of people under economic pressure and political repression from coming across the border. Most people don't want to leave their native land. But there's another immigration issue, which is the brain drain. Silicon Valley, trying to get more computer specialists, and others trying to get physicians from other countries in the Third World that desperately need them. We've got to stop being a hog for the skilled people abroad. There's an African-American group that just started protesting Silicon Valley's H-1B visa, pressure on Congress, saying there are African-Americans who are trained or could be trained to meet these jobs in the computer industry.
Source: Nader-Buchanan debate on 'Meet the Press' Oct 1, 2000
Immigrants don't come for welfare; restore safety net
So-called welfare reform at the federal level has changed national policy from a statutory mandate to the states for child sustenance to a mandate for its limitation. Most severely affected are children of legal immigrants. The evidence is overwhelming that immigrants do not come to California for welfare. In fact, few ever claim benefits in the first one, two or three years after arrival. But, those children whose parents do fall on hard times are often unprotected.
Source: Statement on Child Poverty Jun 26, 2000
Don't blame immigrants for social and economic problems
Nader supports the Green Party Platform, which states: Our nation was built with a rich tapestry of immigrants and we must continue to respect the potential contributions and RIGHTS of our new immigrants.
Preferential quotas based on race, class, and ideology should be abandoned for immigration policies that promote fairness, NON-DISCRIMINATION and family reunification.
We find particular attention should be given those minorities who are political exiles and refugees, including Russian Jews, mid-East Kurds, Tibetans and Haitians.
Our relationship with our neighbor to the south, Mexico, needs to be given added attention. Our border relations and reciprocal economic opportunities should be a central concern of government that is looking to improved economic, environmental and social conditions for both peoples.
We oppose those who seek to divide us for political gain by raising ethnic and racial hatreds, blaming immigrants for social and economic problems.
Read: Ralph Nader on Immigration at http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Ralph_Nader_Immigration.htm
© Grant Swank
Here it from Ralph Nader himself:
Q. What is your stance on numeric caps for legal immigration and/or quotas for specific countries for immigration, and whether there should be amnesties for illegal immigrants?
A. The first stage for our immigration policy is stop supporting oligarchs, dictatorships, authoritarian regimes that drive people to leave their native lands out of economic desperation or political repression. Lots of people from Mexico and Central America would now be in those countries, not in this country, if they had a decent chance in a democratic society to have an adequate standard of living. We cannot have open borders. That's a totally absurd proposition. It would depress wages here enormously, and tens of millions of people from all levels, including scientists and workers, would be pouring into this country. One way is to provide work permits for people who come in and do work for short periods of time that Americans don't want to do instead of criminalizing the border.
Source: John Ellis, The Fresno (CA) Bee Oct 22, 2000
Q. Do you support a guest worker program?
A. Yes, under work permits, so everything is above board. So they are not exploited. Right now, employers have the best of both worlds. They exploit workers, they make huge profits, and they escape prosecution. Farm labor, whether American or unlawful immigrants, don't have the protection under labor laws that industrial workers have. The idea is to bring all farm labor under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Source: John Ellis, The Fresno (CA) Bee Oct 22, 2000
Q: Describe your immigration policy.
A: We need work permits for people who come in this country and do work, as in farm areas, instead of criminalizing the process. Second, a foreign policy that sides with workers and peasants for a change in democracy, instead of dictatorships and oligarchies, will reduce enormously the pressure of people under economic pressure and political repression from coming across the border. Most people don't want to leave their native land. But there's another immigration issue, which is the brain drain. Silicon Valley, trying to get more computer specialists, and others trying to get physicians from other countries in the Third World that desperately need them. We've got to stop being a hog for the skilled people abroad. There's an African-American group that just started protesting Silicon Valley's H-1B visa, pressure on Congress, saying there are African-Americans who are trained or could be trained to meet these jobs in the computer industry.
Source: Nader-Buchanan debate on 'Meet the Press' Oct 1, 2000
Immigrants don't come for welfare; restore safety net
So-called welfare reform at the federal level has changed national policy from a statutory mandate to the states for child sustenance to a mandate for its limitation. Most severely affected are children of legal immigrants. The evidence is overwhelming that immigrants do not come to California for welfare. In fact, few ever claim benefits in the first one, two or three years after arrival. But, those children whose parents do fall on hard times are often unprotected.
Source: Statement on Child Poverty Jun 26, 2000
Don't blame immigrants for social and economic problems
Nader supports the Green Party Platform, which states: Our nation was built with a rich tapestry of immigrants and we must continue to respect the potential contributions and RIGHTS of our new immigrants.
Preferential quotas based on race, class, and ideology should be abandoned for immigration policies that promote fairness, NON-DISCRIMINATION and family reunification.
We find particular attention should be given those minorities who are political exiles and refugees, including Russian Jews, mid-East Kurds, Tibetans and Haitians.
Our relationship with our neighbor to the south, Mexico, needs to be given added attention. Our border relations and reciprocal economic opportunities should be a central concern of government that is looking to improved economic, environmental and social conditions for both peoples.
We oppose those who seek to divide us for political gain by raising ethnic and racial hatreds, blaming immigrants for social and economic problems.
Read: Ralph Nader on Immigration at http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Ralph_Nader_Immigration.htm
© Grant Swank
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