Vol. 71/No. 40      October 29, 2007

A good example of such actions is the ongoing mobilizations of working people in Virginia to protest anti-immigrant legislation. County officials there propose measures to give local cops the powers to question and arrest workers over their legal status and to deny basic social services to the undocumented.

Regardless of the immediate outcome of these legislative moves, the mobilizations of workers and their supporters can help educate and win over millions—U.S.- and foreign-born alike—about the need to oppose attacks on undocumented immigrants.

The U.S. capitalist rulers remain divided over immigration policy. They face a dilemma. They continually draw in immigrant labor from around the world—including millions without documents—because they need a permanent superexploited layer of the population. They are driven to boost their profit rates in face of competition with their economic rivals internationally. That is why agribusiness and industries such as garment, meatpacking, and construction rely heavily on immigrant labor.

To generate superprofits, this large pool of foreign-born labor must be kept intimidated and denied rights. That is the purpose of the immigration police and their terror raids, and of efforts to restrict the social rights of the undocumented. By criminalizing a section of the working class, the rulers can pit workers against each other and scapegoat some for unemployment, the housing crisis, and other problems caused by the capitalist system itself. In driving down their wages, they can push down the wages of all.

But the massive inflow from other countries has helped break down divisions among working people and increase the potential for solidarity. By mobilizing for legalization and joining in union and social struggles in the United States, immigrants have an impact on the consciousness of native-born workers, while shedding prejudices themselves.

As undocumented workers sometimes point out: “The bosses can’t live with us, and they can’t live without us.” Some employers fear the anti-immigrant crackdown is creating labor shortages for them. This contradiction is registered in a recent court order blocking the government from sending “no-match” letters that threaten employers who do not clear up mismatches in employees’ Social Security records.

In the continuing debates on immigration, back-and-forth legal moves, and calls to support one or another capitalist politician in the upcoming elections, working people cannot count on any Democratic or Republican politicians, all of whom serve the interests of the ruling rich. We can only rely on working-class action, from demonstrations to demand legalization to struggles to defend or organize unions.
 
 
Related articles:
Workers protest Virginia anti-immigrant laws
Judge bars ‘no-match’ letters against immigrants
N.Y. plan to allow driver’s licenses for undocumented fuels immigration debate  
 
 
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