Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
''Path to Citizenship'' into What ? - An Anarchist take on the Politics of Nativo Lopez.
An anarchist criticism of the politics of Nativo Lopez and the positions taken by the U.S. ''far left'' vis a vis the ongoing ''immigrant rights revolution''.
The aim of the so-called ''immigrant rights revolution'' currently sweeping the United States is NOT to ''liberate'' the immigrants but to integrate them into the political economy of American capitalism. This is the ethos behing the ''path to citizenship'' rethoric emanating from the wing of the immigrant movement led by Nativo Lopez. Curiously enough, the International Socialists are backing this position, while the ''Anarchist'' NEFAC remains mute. The erstwhile ''far left'' once more capitulates principle in order to accomodate itself to the fashionable currents of social democratic movementism.
The ''immigrant rights revolution'', should push for the creation of COOPERATIVE SPACES outside the private sector economy and the State; so that the immigrants can then be free to engage in autonomic associations in the social experience of EMANCIPATION. In this way, the immigrants who are ''undocumented'' would not need to depend on the private sector for ''jobs'' (exploitation) and/or on the State for recognition. The movement should not look for legitimation outside of itself, it should legitimise itself by creating counter-institutions. IT SHOULD BE A MOVEMENT OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE. Breaking with the ''democrat'' party is an essential task. Reliance on the Law is a mistake. The law is not and can never be Justice. The language of ''legalization'' must be transcended.
The aim should be to ABOLISH the Migration Control System and The ''Homeland Security'' Gestapo. The immigrant movement in this sense could then merge with anti-war currents and movements seeking to defend Civil Liberties and Human Rights against the Patriot Act. The aim should be to break an unjust system and not seek to assimilate people into it. The Migration Control System and the Laws that institutionalize it must be broken. To legitimize migration control is to legitimize injustice.
I do not want a ''residence permit''. I want absolute freedom to come and go as I please whenever I please as I feel like it. To settle and unsettle myself wherever I please. In fact, I already HAVE that freedom - it is only that the State acts to restrict it arbitrarely. The solution for Undocumented Immigrants in The United States, Western Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan is NOT ''integration'' into the spectacle of Western neo-liberal capitalism and racism, but rather CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE.
Semper Indomitus !
See also:
Manifesto of a Migration Control Outlaw - by Semper Indomitus !
http://redsquare2.blogspot.com/2006/03/manifesto-of-migration-control-outlaw.html
The ''immigrant rights revolution'', should push for the creation of COOPERATIVE SPACES outside the private sector economy and the State; so that the immigrants can then be free to engage in autonomic associations in the social experience of EMANCIPATION. In this way, the immigrants who are ''undocumented'' would not need to depend on the private sector for ''jobs'' (exploitation) and/or on the State for recognition. The movement should not look for legitimation outside of itself, it should legitimise itself by creating counter-institutions. IT SHOULD BE A MOVEMENT OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE. Breaking with the ''democrat'' party is an essential task. Reliance on the Law is a mistake. The law is not and can never be Justice. The language of ''legalization'' must be transcended.
The aim should be to ABOLISH the Migration Control System and The ''Homeland Security'' Gestapo. The immigrant movement in this sense could then merge with anti-war currents and movements seeking to defend Civil Liberties and Human Rights against the Patriot Act. The aim should be to break an unjust system and not seek to assimilate people into it. The Migration Control System and the Laws that institutionalize it must be broken. To legitimize migration control is to legitimize injustice.
I do not want a ''residence permit''. I want absolute freedom to come and go as I please whenever I please as I feel like it. To settle and unsettle myself wherever I please. In fact, I already HAVE that freedom - it is only that the State acts to restrict it arbitrarely. The solution for Undocumented Immigrants in The United States, Western Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan is NOT ''integration'' into the spectacle of Western neo-liberal capitalism and racism, but rather CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE.
Semper Indomitus !
See also:
Manifesto of a Migration Control Outlaw - by Semper Indomitus !
http://redsquare2.blogspot.com/2006/03/manifesto-of-migration-control-outlaw.html
For more information:
http://www.redsquare2.blogspot.com
Add Your Comments
Comments
(Hide Comments)
I agree with much of this. There are problems with the political arguments of granting citizenship papers as a charitable or valued-based reward for 1. "we will do the jobs that current paper holders won't" and 2. "much of the southwest was previously classified with different state boundaries when initially conquered by spain and controlled by this european group instead of england or France during the missionary period ending in 1842". The second argument really only works for someone claiming indigenous national land rights to an area.
The economic argument really only seems to serve as a defeatist utilitarian plea that hope of reforming the economic system in either central american/mexico or the U.S. is so out of reach that appealing to citizenship holders to welcome them as a second class is the optimum way of achieving any materials gains.
But this can't truly be the only solution or the easiest solution because it either requires that the new green card holders will stay in the crappy jobs for decades, or that new generations of desperate poor must be created in other nations to fill the "jobs citizens refuse to do" in 20 years. Secondly, spending activist political energy just on a green card solution for a few 'lucky' immigrants who were able to survive crossing a dangerous desert and working so hard doesn't solve the problem of millions more poor who were too elderly or unable, or situated across a difficult body of water (descriptive summary of worldwide slums is available in the recent Mike Davis book). If we were able to consider the political activist costs of stopping a first world countries of inducing and encouraging third world poverty versus the gains of the billions of people who would be benefitted, but aren't in the group able or desiring to cross into a wealthy country, it seems like stopping the WTO/IMF type institutions and thoroughly reforming trade policy and the CIA/military interventions meets the cost benefit test. We will have to work out human migrations as a result of climate change soon enough.
The economic argument really only seems to serve as a defeatist utilitarian plea that hope of reforming the economic system in either central american/mexico or the U.S. is so out of reach that appealing to citizenship holders to welcome them as a second class is the optimum way of achieving any materials gains.
But this can't truly be the only solution or the easiest solution because it either requires that the new green card holders will stay in the crappy jobs for decades, or that new generations of desperate poor must be created in other nations to fill the "jobs citizens refuse to do" in 20 years. Secondly, spending activist political energy just on a green card solution for a few 'lucky' immigrants who were able to survive crossing a dangerous desert and working so hard doesn't solve the problem of millions more poor who were too elderly or unable, or situated across a difficult body of water (descriptive summary of worldwide slums is available in the recent Mike Davis book). If we were able to consider the political activist costs of stopping a first world countries of inducing and encouraging third world poverty versus the gains of the billions of people who would be benefitted, but aren't in the group able or desiring to cross into a wealthy country, it seems like stopping the WTO/IMF type institutions and thoroughly reforming trade policy and the CIA/military interventions meets the cost benefit test. We will have to work out human migrations as a result of climate change soon enough.
Much of the left is to some degree supportive of the demands by the immigrant movement as their demands are progressive; their integration into US life would most likely only serve to unite a very divided proletariat in the States.
Much more important is the belief by socialists that such a mass movement of self-organized workers gives them confidence for future struggles and prepares them to take power. That in itself is much more important than what specific demands they throw up which will change demanding on objective conditions.
Much more important is the belief by socialists that such a mass movement of self-organized workers gives them confidence for future struggles and prepares them to take power. That in itself is much more important than what specific demands they throw up which will change demanding on objective conditions.
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$75.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network