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42 Days? Try 18 Months
This European targeting of illegal immigrants is hypocritical, draconian and undiplomatic
Until the end of the second world war Europe was a continent of emigrants. Millions left for the Americas: some to colonise, others to escape hunger, financial crises, persecution, ethnic cleansing, war or totalitarian governments.
European citizens arrived in Latin and North America en masse, without visas or conditions imposed on them by the authorities. They were simply welcomed, and continue to be in Latin America. They came to exploit the natural wealth and to transfer it to Europe, with a high cost for the native population. Yet the people, property and rights of the migrants were always respected.
Contrast the European "return directive", to be voted on in the European parliament this week. It imposes harsh terms for detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants, regardless of the time they have spent in European countries, their work situation, their family ties or their achievements in integrating themselves into local society.
The EU is now the main destination for migrants around the world, because of its positive image of space, prosperity and public freedom. The great majority of migrants contribute to, rather than exploit, this prosperity.
They are employed in public works, construction, cleaning, hospitals and domestic work. They take the jobs the Europeans cannot or will not do. Maintaining the relationship between the employed and the retired by providing generous income to the social security system, the migrant offers a solution to demographic and financial problems in the EU.
For us, our emigrants represent help in development that Europeans do not give us (few countries reach the minimum objective of 0.7% of GDP in development assistance). Latin America received, in 2006, a total of $68bn sent back from abroad, more than the total foreign investment in our countries. My country, Bolivia, received more than 10% of its GDP in such remittances.
Unfortunately, the return directive is a huge infringement of the human rights of our Latin American friends. It proposes jailing undocumented immigrants for up to 18 months before their expulsion. Mothers with children could be arrested, without regard to family and school, and put in detention centres, where we know depression, hunger strikes and suicides happen. How can we accept it?
At the same time, the EU is trying to convince the Andean Community of Nations (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) to sign an "association agreement" that includes a free trade agreement of a similar nature to that imposed by the US. We are under intense pressure to accept demands for liberalisation of our trade, financial services, intellectual property rights and public works. Under so-called "judicial protection" we are being pressured to denationalise water, gas and telecommunications. Where is the "judicial protection" for our people seeking new horizons in Europe?
If the return directive becomes law, we will not be morally able to deepen negotiations with the EU, and we reserve the right to legislate so European citizens have the same obligations for visas that Europe imposes on the Bolivians, according to the diplomatic principle of reciprocity.
The social cohesion problems that Europe is suffering now are not the fault of migrants, but the result of the model of development imposed by the north, which destroys the planet and dismembers human societies. I appeal to European leaders to drop this directive and instead form a migration policy that respects human rights, and allows us to maintain the movement of people that helps both continents.
Evo Morales Ayma is the president of the Republic of Bolivia presidencia.gov.bo
© 2008 The Guardian
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18 Comments so far
Show AllWell said, sir.
The prevailing xenophobia we are constantly hounded with occurs because the counter-argument is incomplete. What about the influence of the developed world over the past six decades on the economy of developing nations? How many fewer citizens would need or want to emigrate from South America now if repressive regimes had not propped up in the past?
Our fear of socialism then has devolved to yet another msnic condition; fear of facts.
Ken Nuti
Medford, MA
Well said, sir.
The prevailing xenophobia we are constantly hounded with occurs because the counter-argument is incomplete. What about the influence of the developed world over the past six decades on the economy of developing nations? How many fewer citizens would need or want to emigrate from South America now if repressive regimes had not been propped up in the past?
Our fear of socialism then has devolved to yet another manic condition; fear of facts.
Ken Nuti
Medford, MA
to paraphrase an infamous court decision, "a corporate person has no rights that a white, black, brown, yellow or red person is bound to respect."
Morales is right. None of the problems Eurpopeans or North Americans face, big or small, is more than tangentially related to the presentce of immigrants in their respective continents. When their people complain or threaten to alter the neoliberal policies oppressing North and South, the rulers kick up the xenophobia and get returned for another 4 to 6 years of looting. How neoliberalism and neoconservativism played out in the Andes in the 90's is spelled out in The Mother Earth Inn at www.phillipbannowsky.com.
There is so much the people of the world could learn from the people of the Andes about humility, hospitality and happiness if only we would open our donkey ears.
Let's talk about immigration and reciprocity of laws regarding same. Let's talk specifically about Mexico and the United States. I know, the article addresses Europe and Bolivia, quite well I might add.
Let's examine the Mexican laws regarding immigration and alter the U.S. laws to match, and then, let's vigorously enforce those laws. Oh, you ask, what about these Mexican laws, and how are they different from those of the US? GOOGLE IT AND FIND OUT.
I'm all for parity regarding the immigration laws of Mexico and the U.S. By all means let's use Mexican law as the standard. It only makes sense.
Good article President Morales. Thanks for sharing your perspective. Globalization must also apply to the free movement of human capital, as well.
"By all means let use their Mexican law as the yardstick to measure our own."
You do have a point. Heck lets compare ourselves to Somalia or even good old Chad. Lets go down to the 'lowest common denominator' and cherry-pick our 'laws' so that the only people who benefit is our very own society. Fuck the world.
riddimboy
Do you have a point?
Are you saying something to the effect of:
Hey the European has spread around the globe , monopolized its resources and killed everyone that attempted to defend their HOME so stay the fuck out of our planet.
It appears as though Mr. Morales is simply stating that we are all humans and maybe it's about time to get our minds around that and come up with some humane solutions to our problems.
If you do some research you will find that many of the Earths people are ready to move the species to a higher level that is not formed around the greed of the few, but formed around a cooperative system like the one that got our species to the present point in time .I'm not referring to the last 5000 years rather the first 80,000 to 180,000 years of Homosapiens.
It was during the last 5000 years that we became "enlightened".You know we invented a bunch of superstitions so an elite bunch could rule over the rest using their own fears against them.
Now we see clearer the path that has gotten us to this present point in time.If only we could all stop depending on a bunch of criminal thugs to exploit both the planet and it's inhabitants just maybe there will be a future generation that will look back and say -Look how close they came to ending it all.
WE DON'T OWN THE PLANET. WE ARE JUST PARTS OF IT LIKE EACH BLADE OF GRASS IS A PART OF IT.
does tongue-in-cheek mean anything to you ... i give up.
don't you get it? you're dealing with absolutely depraved madmen, who have not the slightest idea of what is fair or rational.
Now, where'd I put that scapegoat? I know I had one around here somewhere. Always keep one around for when I get pissed off. Sometimes I just kick it or beat it with a baseball bat. Sometimes though, when I REALLY get pissed off, I shoot the fucker. It feels sooo good to watch the blood splatter on the wall. Almost worth the trouble of washing down the walls. Truly though, I hate to lose one that way, but there's always another to hand if you really need one. Gives comfort. Everybody needs comfort right? After all, boss is sending more jobs to slave pits on the Pacific Rim, "a business decision", and the house value just dropped another 10%. Now where'd I put that damned scapegoat?
The fact of the matter is Free Trade is evil, it was under the British Empire, and it is under the American Empire (actually just controled by the Brits as they outsourced their imperialism). If it were not for the economic and military interference of Anglo-American imperialism, these people would not need to emigrate to countries which are in turn moving jobs to Asia.
Illegal immigration is a tool of globalization. Both Europe and American would both have stable populations over the last 35 years without immigration as fertility rates are at or below replacement levels. Instead, the increasing immigration taxes infrastucture and social spending, resulting in declining living standards, and increased consumption of oil and food in the developed world. Legal immigration to handle labour shortages for certain jobs, if they exist, is fine. Illegal immigration is not.
End Free Trade and Globalization, and illegal immigration becomes a thing of the past. Change the economic system and allow governments to take over the nations credit, and not allow the international financial elites to control the money and finance endless wars, and each nation would prosper to the extent that their resources and their peoples talents permit.
Evo
It seems as though those at this blog missed the importance of what you have stated here.
That to me is very depressing ,but you sir are an excellent example of what we should aspire to.
And for that I thank you.
President Evo Morales, a statesman who actually raises the issue of human rights! What a stunning contrast to the self-righteous 'Christian' goons who run the YooSA.
This is such an interesting article, I had never considered the matter of immigration into the countries we stereotypically view as being the sources of our immigration woes.
Senor Presidente, Mucho Gracias por su palabras! Mr. President, thank you for your words! Great articule and one all of us in the world should think about.
Mr. Morales - great article. I wish the world would practice graciousness and welcoming to all honest people who travel around looking for work and a better life. Basic decency would guarantee immigrants legal rights and keep families together. The whole idea of an "illegal" immigrant is peculiar, like an "illegitimate" child. All humans are legitimate and should be allowed to walk the earth, which belongs to no-one and everyone, as equals with all other humans.
The recent rightward shift in the EU as exemplified by Sarkozy seems to be related to fear of immigration and fear of losing national identity. Most of immigrants have traditionally come from ex-colonies in Africa and nearby Asia. As you say regarding South America, these immigrants are fleeing countries that have provided colonial wealth to Europe at the expense of their own national development and often at the cost of many lives. Today's immigrants have been subject to lingering colonial attitudes, loaded with unexamined assumptions of European cultural superiority. That is part of what has blocked integration into economic and social life.
Latin American people are the latest victims of this. We should get off our high horses and make amends for the colonial past (and present, in the case of the US) by making legal immigration reasonable and available. Then immigrants would not be subject to such abuse.
I teach immigrants, and the stories I hear about abusive conditions of domestic employment, longing and separation from children are a hidden shame. But they keep it quiet and put up with it because they need to send money home.