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HERALD NEWS
Other groups' presence in movement minimal
Saturday, April 15, 2006
By SAMANTHA HENRY
HERALD NEWS
The groundswell of protest over immigration reform in recent weeks has been
called the birth of the immigrant civil rights movement.
But the vanguard of the movement to date has been distinctly Hispanic, leaving
many to wonder where other immigrant groups stand on the issue, and why they
aren't taking to the streets.
Sheer mathematics is one reason. Hispanic immigrants make up more than 50
percent of all foreign-born people living in the United States. The protests
have also been heavily promoted by Spanish-language media and advertised through
word-of-mouth community networks and church organizations.
And there are several non-Hispanic groups trying to get their communities more
involved in the debate. The South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow, a
nationwide consortium of South Asian organizations, have been working to get
people from their communities more engaged in the protests and in discussions on
immigration reform through education initiatives.
But other immigrant groups have preferred to stay out of the streets and away
from the debate.
Among Muslim immigrants -- from the Middle East to South Asia -- there is no
reticence to protest. That was proven recently by large-scale protests over
editorial cartoons that depicted the Prophet Muhammad in a negative light.
The reasons Arab-Americans and South Asians -- of all religions -- are not
protesting over immigration reform run deeper, according to James Zogby,
president of the Washington, D.C.-based Arab American Institute. Zogby said
legislation passed by the House of Representatives proposing to criminalize
undocumented status -- a bill that has become a flashpoint for protests among
Latinos -- is not provoking the same response from other groups.
"Our undocumented have already been criminalized," he said. "There's a concern
that the rights of our undocumented have already been determined by Homeland
Security in a way that already selectively took this group out of the field."
Zogby said the impact of post-Sept. 11 programs like NSEERS -- the National
Security Entry-Exit Registration System, by which immigrants from certain
countries, mostly Muslim and Middle Eastern, had to register with local
immigration authorities -- have led many to keep their opinions on immigration
reform to themselves.
But fear of reprisal is not the only reason that there is not a more visible
presence of Arab-Americans in the debate, according to Zogby. He said many don't
see the issues that are most important to them, like the lingering impact of
special registration programs, reflected either in the legislation before
Congress or in the issues that protesters are focusing on.
"It's not as big an issue for our community as the denial of civil rights for
Americans of Arab backgrounds," said Aref Assaf, president of the Paterson-based
American Arab Forum. "Our fight is on a different war front for us."
Several Indian immigrants living in New Jersey said they come from communities
with a high percentage of legal immigrants, and as such, felt less compelled to
join protests they perceived to be largely about the future status of the
undocumented.
Some Turkish immigrants cited a cultural reason for avoiding the marches.
"'Protest' itself, as a word, is not a very welcome word in our culture," said
Akin Karagulle, secretary general of the Hudson Turkish American Cultural
Association.
"As Turks, we always have an invisible respect for authority, for whatever
control we're living under."
Karagulle said while many in the Turkish community were discussing the
immigration reform issue, few would take it outside to the streets as protest,
he said.
Marek Wojtach, a Polish immigrant from Clifton, said the United States has
become a less desirable place to which to emigrate since Poland joined the
European Union in 2004, allowing Polish immigrants to work legally in a number
of European countries.
"It might be a big issue for some groups, but not for Polish people," he said.
"That's why you don't see many Polish people protesting."
Reach Samantha Henry at (973) 569-7172 or henrys@northjersey.com.
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