A threat to all workers

Scan page 1

Vol.2, No.7 The economy July 1984 impson-Mazzoli bill:

"Give me your tired, your poor;

Your huddled masses yearning to Breathe free." -from the inscription on the Statue of Liberty, N.Y. Harbor The U.S. Congress has passed a piece of legislation-the Simpson-Mazzoli Immigration Bill-that represents a major attack on immigrants, refugees, and U.S. workers.

With bipartisan support from 125 Democrats and 91 Republicans, the bill carried by a narrow margin of 216 to 211. "This is the worst, most nativist, most racist piece of legislation since the 1798 Alien and Sedition Act," said Bert Corona, a leader in the Latino rights movement in Los Angeles.

The legislation is headed now for a conference committee of Senate and House members who will iron out the few remaining differences in the versions of the bill passed by the two houses of Congress. Bill Tamayo, of the Bay Area Committee Against the Simpson-Mazzoli Bill, called the bill "part of the general assault on the civil rights of minorities and immigrants by Reagan, with the help of the Democratic Party."

What are the stakes?

What is the Simpson-Mazzoli Bill and what are the stakes in the fight against it? The Simpson-Mazzoli Bill is the first major piece of comprehensive immigration legislation passed by the U.S. Congress in over 30 years. It represents the reaction of the ruling class to a situation that they themselves have created. The economic policies of the rul ing rich in the United States have meant economic ruin for millions of people who face starvation, malnutrition, and cer Undocumented workers being rounded up by INS.

repression in countries throughout Latin America and elsewhere.

In Mexico, for example, over 45 percent of the people are unemployed or underemployed. Inflation is increasing at a tremendous rate. A social austerity program has been imposed on the Mexican government by U.S. banks, who demand that the government carry out cutbacks to pay the interest on International Monetary Fund loans financed by the banks.

Is it a surprise that impoverished Mexicans and others risk everything to come to the United States to find work and a chance for survival. The SimpsonMazzoli Bill, in typical U.S. government fashion, seeks to blame the victims of its own policies.

Thus, the provisions of the bill include sanctions against employers for hiring undocumented workers; sanctions against unions who refer undocuChile Interview. 9 Labor Notes. ..10 mented workers to employers through a union hiring hall; stiff penalties for use of falsified documents to prove legal residency status; limits on the number of immigrants accepted into the United States, including elimination of any visa preference for certain blood relatives.

The bill will eliminate due process for apprehended immigrants and refugees, allowing the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to expel them without granting a hearing. The House version of the bill creates a new program for importing "temporary foreign workers" for the harvesting of perishable crops.

Employer sanctions

While being presented as a punishment for employers who hire "illegals," this measure is actually a prohibition against the right of undocumented workers to have a job. The sanctions (continued on page 3, in “Cannery workers fight frame-up”) of the contras. Second, the visit, which was arranged by the Mexican government, was part of a deal made during Miguel de la Madrid's visit to Washington, in which the Mexican government agreed to reestablish full diplomatic relations with the Salvadoran government.

Up until now, the Mexican government has allowed the organizations of the FDR/FMLN to maintain offices in Mexico City and hold frequent press conferences. However, it has recently (continued on page 8, in “[...Nicaragua (continued from page 1) been showing signs…]”)

----- pull-quotes -----

AL E RAGE

TI See Center Section Inside Toledo rally • Brazil upsurge . • • .6