This isn’t likely to change the minds of the bigots, though. They live in a zero sum universe. If someone of slightly different appearance is driving a nice car, they assume it’s a nice car that should be their own but isn’t because the undeserving person of slightly disappearance got it through theft or government hand-out.

Here’s the story.

Here’s how WPost’s Ezra Klein summed it up:

So Texas, with its booming economy, may have more to benefit from with its large immigrant population, both illegal and illegal. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that all states would immediately benefit from a big influx of immigrant workers.

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Guest writer Joshu Joh-Jung in D.C.

Here is Josh’s “take” both on the march and on immigration issues. The noise around porous borders and fences, especially here in California and in the Southwest tend to frame immigration in terms of undocumented Hispanics because of the proximity to Mexico. Josh offers another take on it as a native born American of immigrant Korean parents.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that Arizona’s House passed one of the most extreme anti-immigration Bills that a generation has seen. Arizona is attempting to do what totally red-state Oklahoma failed to do. Strict anti-immigration laws are signs of what some Americans are feeling about immigrants and undocumented folks.

As a second-generation Asian American born in this country who speaks native English, I still get asked, “where are you from?” Stereotyped as a perpetual foreigner, I have always been interested in immigration and how immigrants have shaped this country. Anti-immigrant bills cropping up across the country are a sign that our federal government must act on immigration reform before more states pass bills that put this country to shame and that poison life for the immigrants who will stay and raise their children as Americans.

Read more at the jump…

I was drawn into the struggle of undocumented people while my family lived in Tulsa,OK. It was just another day at school. Same classes, same teachers, same students, same stuff, at least until I got to Chinese class. Marianna was missing. At first I thought, “she must be sick,” that is, until lunch. I overheard all the Mexicans at the table next to me talk in their machine-gun Spanish about the missing student. I could only pick up her name, deportation, Mexico…la migra. That was more than enough information. Immigration had caught her; she was now being sent back.

Many Americans believe that deportation only happens to Mexicans. Not so. Undocumented people come from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, from close and far away places. Among the undocumented, Asians are one of the fastest growing populations.

Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a city in the heart of America with a population of half a million residents that is increasing. I lived in East Tulsa, a place known for it’s large immigrant population, mostly from Mexico and Southeast Asia. A majority of my close friends and most of my acquaintances in East Tulsa are undocumented. They keep coming to Oklahoma, even though the state has some of the harshest anti-immigration laws in the country. They come for the same reason most immigrants have always come to North America: to have a better life.

After my sophomore year of high school, my family moved to Chicago, Illinois, which is heaven for immigrants, compared to Oklahoma. Chicago, a sanctuary city, has laws that support immigrants and offer paths toward citizenship. While I was reluctant to move away from my friends, I was glad to leave behind the rabid conservative, racist and xenophobic politics of Oklahoma. Still, it was hard to go on with my new life as if nothing significant was occurring to my friends in Oklahoma because I worried about my friends. I looked for ways to take action hoping whatever I did might help my friends down in Oklahoma.

I discovered an organization called F.Y.S.H. (Fighting Youth Shouting out for Humanity) that advocates Comprehensive Immigration Reform, especially the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act would provide my friends the opportunity to attend college with the aid of the government and to become citizens. I joined the cause. This spring, F.Y.S.H. was invited to attend the demonstration for Immigration Reform in Washington D.C. on March 21st. I jumped at the opportunity as soon as I heard it.

The march in Washington D.C. was huge, and it bustled with chants for immigration reform. Lots of “Si se puede! Si se Puede!” I beat my buk, a Korean drum, with intense enthusiasm, banging it harder and harder. But then I heard someone from the crowd yell “Orale! Chinitos!” I yelled back, “Nosotros somos Koreanos.” But I knew they didn’t care. As much as I hate to say it, I confess that for the rest of the day, I played my drum with less enthusiasm. I felt as if everyone thought that Immigration was only a Latino/a issue and not also one for Asian American Pacific Islanders. When I heard chinito, I felt hurt and ignored. I was reminded that our voices were still misunderstood, that we were seen as only their supporters and not people at the forefront just like them.

When we arrived at the National Mall, I was stunned; as far as the eye could see, people filled every possible space. They left almost no room to walk through. We were lucky to find a place to rest, take off our drums, and listen to the speakers. Everywhere I looked there were people of all races: Hispanic, African-American, Asian, and White. There were public speakers from all kinds of organizations and races speaking on why they support immigration reform; many told their own personal stories. Finally a video from President Obama appeared on the screens and a loud roar of applause engulfed the area. He told the people that we had his support and that immigration reform would soon come. Everyone at the demonstration was beyond happy that the president supported them, and this quickly changed my mood. The experience I gained at the march was unfathomable. It was more than exhilarating, it was also moving for me to see so many people come together demanding a solution.

However, the Immigration March on Washington largely ignored undocumented Asians in America. The assumption seemed to be that the only undocumented people were Latinos and only Latinos. While they may dominate in absolute numbers, there are more undocumented Asians compared to the overall Asian American population than there are undocumented Latinos in the Latino/a American community. And Asian Americans are now among the fastest growing minority populations in the U.S. Currently an estimated 1.5 million Asian Americans are undocumented. Within the Korean-American community 1 out of every 5 are undocumented.

Recently the Oklahoma state legislature defeated House Bill 3384, which would have required middle and secondary students to confirm their status at the time of enrollment. I was thrilled because now my friends wouldn’t have to fear being reported to the INS and could continue their education. While this defeat is good news for my friends and other undocumented people, the logic behind the defeat of the bill was based not on waning anti-immigrant sentiments but rather on the lack of funds to implement it.

Oklahoma may be an extreme case, but anti-immigrant sentiments exist across the United States. Asian Americans, whether or not the rest of the public notices us, must continue to fight anti-immigration laws and seek reform. This work is not only relevant to the Latino/a community but also to all ethnic communities who are trying to make a better life in the U.S. and have and continue to contribute as productive citizens-Americans.

Arizona may be more of an anomaly than a trend. Though the reasons are not clear, anti-immigration bills are failing in other states. These failures make me feel that the U.S. may eventually turn away from its narrow, anti-immigration views. People commonly say that United States is based on undocumented people coming to this land—that is what the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor stands for. Those here a little longer conveniently forget this history and falsely claim that some of us are “real Americans” while others are “not real Americans.”

The movement for immigration reform must build coalitions across different racial and ethnic communities so that our movement can fight anti-immigration bigotry and undermine the xenophobia that targets those easiest to racialize by look or language. The U.S. has always had to come to terms with who enters the country, regardless of where we come from. This open, hybrid nature is a source of continuing new talent, creativity, and strength that people elsewhere admire and that draws people with courage and imagination to our shores. Let’s find a way to welcome and help them so we can grow strong together. If Oklahomans can work together to defeat their House Bill 3384, surely Arizonans and others elsewhere can also defeat anti-immigration bills. Along with many folks who attended the Immigration Reform Rally in D.C., I demand that the federal government take action on immigration reform immediately!

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Life Magazine Photo of Migrant

No law, no government, no ocean, has ever stopped the
movement of people. Not even almost certain death or
disappearance.

We move.

We go where there is food and shelter. We go where
there is slavery, genocide, lawlessness.

We go to the newest trash heap on the outskirts of Quito, Peru
The gypsy camps of Romania
The slums of Bombay

We go to university in London
Nursing homes in San Diego
Hotel laundries in Berlin

All for the same reason- The survival of our people.

We have traveled over continents, trampled civilizations
Simply to draw a circle around a cabin and say,
-This is where we live.

Why else would white sharecroppers brave starvation
and dust to pick lettuce in the golden valleys of
California?

There’s no border, no fence, no language requirement
That can stop us.

Why else would a young Guatemalan man bribe a border
guard in Chiapas, cross the Sonoran desert, and die in
a truck in El Paso if he did not dream the same dreams
as white sharecroppers?

Why else would New Orleans high school students
protest in the halls of a Texas high school?

Drawing a circle around their lockers
between the lunch room and the gym,
-This is where we live. Until they throw us out.

People move. Whether they want to or not.

At the barrel end of a gun
At the bottom of an empty stomach
At the invitation of an imperialist power
At the unquenchable behest of rapists, pedophiles, popes, and kings

We move.

How else can you explain the women and children
bought, sold, stolen, and hoodwinked
-Into cargo ships bound for brothels on every shore?

How else can you explain the forced migration of
Africans 400 YEARS AGO or YESTERDAY
From Ghana
From Ethiopia
From the Sudan
-Bound for bondage or a refugee camp?

From Germany to Isreal
From Palestine to Egypt
From America to Liberia
From Tibet to India
From China to Taiwan
From Vietnam to America, Ireland to America, Haiti to
America, Mexico to America, Cuba to America, Italy to
America, Germany to America
From Georgia to Chicago
From New Orleans to Anywhere

And in the beginning, long before America was America…
Tribes of Human Beings believed that no one could own
the Earth we could only hope to live in harmony with her.

Why are we surprised when the waves come?
Be it slave ship or hurricane
Be it genocide or famine

There is no poverty, no violence, no humiliation we
are not willing to endure to survive.

We will never stop. We move.

To those coming, we welcome you.
To those forced to come, we welcome you.
To those that will eventually take us in
-We are tired. We’ve traveled a long way.

There is no law, no government, no ocean
Will ever stop the movement of people.

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You can read the formal letters of levee decertification (they are pdfs) at the Texas Progress Council, here and here. Notice their dates: November 1 & 2, 2006.

But it remains shocking that the Bush Administration, three years after the Katrina tragedy, continues to ignore the safety of millions of coastal residents while pandering to racist, right wing nationalists by building a border wall everyone knows won’t work in the end anyway.

So far, levees that officials at all levels agree are deficient and dangerous have not, thankfully, been challenged by the storm, which wobbled northeast of the river and may have produced less river flooding than expected. The danger remains, however, from this storm’s continued rainfall. Or from the next storm.

Two million or more people live in the region. So far, residents of Mexico fleeing floodwaters have been spared the physical pain of being turned back into harm’s way by U.S. border agents who threatened to refuse entry to evacuees from flooding areas. We have been spared the moral calumny, as well.

The fact that the storm is hitting near the US-Mexico border is raising another issue. The Border Patrol has vowed to check people evacuating from the Rio Grande Valley for documentation when they appear at the checkpoints between Brownsville and San Antonio, and although the agency has backed away from that threat, Congressman Ciro Rodriguez says evacuees should be ready.

“If they’re fleeing, they’d better flee with their passports, in all honesty,” Rodriguez said.

The dangers have been known for years. Some small steps have been taken. But they are very small, insignificant, really, when measured against the need. And this isn’t just a need of convenience. People will die if these levees are not secured.

Here’s how the Houston Chronicle’s Dudley Althaus described the terrifying prospects last year:

Though the state has been spared a major storm since 1990, government agencies and outside critics have warned that heavy rains from a hurricane, or even a tropical storm, near the mouth of the Rio Grande could well cause catastrophic flooding.

In such an event, the river’s levees could be topped or toppled, existing flood plains overwhelmed. Towns and cities in the Rio Grande Valley that house more than 2 million people could be inundated. Thousands of people could be displaced, unknown numbers killed or injured. Property worth billions of dollars could be destroyed.

“The levees are too low to sustain a 100-year flood on either side of the river,” said Tyrus Fain, whose Rio Grande Institute is taking part in a federally funded study of ways to mitigate the impact of floods and other hazards on the border. “It’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

The International Boundary and Water Commission – or IBWC, the joint U.S.-Mexico agency that oversees the Rio Grande where it serves as the border – has estimated that $125 million is needed to bolster the levees along the last 100-mile stretch of the river. But Congress has allocated less than $5 million annually for the task.

Late last year another $10 million was appropriated by Congress. And one county, Hidalgo, decided to fund its own repairs by passing a $100 million bond issue in 2006.

The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, promised the Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 $65.7 million to build the Wall between the U.S. and Mexico. The money isn’t here yet.

Local residents didn’t want the Wall. They wanted to be safe from floods. When they discovered they could make themselves a little safer and finally shake loose a little money from the Bush Administration, they figured they’d make the Wall a levee. Like magic, here comes the money.

County leaders had struggled for years to secure federal funding to repair the region’s ailing levee system. Their efforts took on new urgency last year when new Federal Emergency Management Agency maps threatened to declare most of the county a flood plain. So, when it became clear months ago that the border wall would go up despite their objections, county officials jumped on the opportunity to make the best of a losing battle.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called the Wall/Levee agreement a sign of how he was willing to compromise with local officials. But if I’m reading the small print right, he’s getting his Wall while the levees remain in dangerous disrepair. Some compromise.

It’s almost impossible to describe the callousness of the Bush Administration, which obviously learned nothing from Katrina. Or simply doesn’t care. Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry has put on a better shadow-show of concern. He’s quick to call out the Guard and likes to appear commanding on camera. But Perry has had a 700-page Rio Grande disaster remediation plan – “Cover the Border” – on his desk for more than a year. Without his approval, the 75 communities who put the plan together (along with Texas A&M International University, the Rio Grande Institute, and H20 Partners) cannot apply for grants to make the necessary improvements in border safety.

Among the more bone-headed moves by FEMA was solving the levee problem by broadening the area considered flood-prone in insurance maps. That’s like ordering passengers to buy flight insurance after their aircraft is in a nosedive.

So what is the federal government doing instead? The Federal Emergency Management Agency is considering re-mapping southern Hidalgo County in a flood zone where it would become mandatory for home and business owners to purchase flood insurance. So instead of being proactive and fixing the problem that currently exists, it seems now that feds are going to make us fork over more money for more insurance and let the insurance companies pay for the damages.

The Hidalgo County government site summarizes this horror story pretty well.

It details how U.S. Sen. John Cornyn finally came to the Valley and toured the levees after the Department of Homeland Security announced they would built their Wall on top of the unsafe levees.

Most local officials, hungry for federal and state money to solve their urgent problems, will be careful about biting the hand that might, maybe, feed them, however meager the meal. This will be especially so if the Valley escapes tragedy during Hurricane Dolly. Almost all of these local officials have been working hard to solve the problem. And they deserve credit.

But what are they to do when ignorant bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. and Austin, Texas delay and obstruct critical infrastructure investment while insisting upon the building of a Wall that would remind the world of Soviet-controlled East Berlin and their wall there, except this one won’t even work.

The cables and the networks don’t cover near-disasters. They may not have covered the Category 5 Katrina as they did had they not been standing in the streets when the water rose to their waists and the bodies floated by.

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