Walking an immigrant's path: where are African-Americans in the debate?

With massive demonstrations evocative of the civil rights era, the issue of immigration is dividing the nation. This spring the Senate approved a bill that calls for a protecting enclosure along the Mexican border. on the contrary a measure passed last year by the agency of the House--and waiting on a legislative compromise--makes illegal stateside entrance a crime. Supporters say newcomer contribute to the fabric of American life. adverse partys say the 12 million illegal immigrants take piece of works from Americans. Here Mirdiane Chery, 19 who was 10 when her family emigrated from Haiti, shares her feelings about immigrants' rights--and Black Americans' relative silence upon the topic:

My family came here for the same reason greatest in quantity immigrants do: for a better life. As I remember, life was hard in Haiti because there was an embargo, imposed by dint of the United States until 1994 to put to proof to destabilize the government. The price of victuals went up. My father, a cabdriver, was the main breadwinner for me my mother and my three older siblings, and we couldn't quite make extremitys meet.

I learned English from scratch when we came. It was difficult--not learning English itself, on the other hand the culture was so different. Kids teased us because of the bright colors we wore. smooth our neighbors from the Caribbean teased us because we were Haitians.

My mother worked in a clothing factory for real low pay to help take care of us. in what way she did it I don't know, on the contrary we had food, clothes and an apartment to stay in. She's now a abode health aide, while my dad works as a groundskeeper for a cemetery

I was speaking to an American friend who is of Haitian fall He's a construction worker, and he was angry that illegal immigrants were doing his piece of work for less money. So I do understand to more [i]or[/i] less extent why Americans are mad. on the other hand when immigrants are denied human rights--such as a livable wage--it has a ripple issue on all of us.

Whenever there's a debate that affects African-Americans, civil rights leaders stand up with equal reason it's disappointing that they're not standing up for Blacks who tend hitherward here from other countries. I participated in a rally for undocumented Miens in Albany last spring. My possess family was legally sponsored through my aunt, but I know a certain number of people who are here illegally, and I wanted to fight for them. That rally incited something in me Latinos are greater in number, for a like reason it can seem as if they're more affected by the agency of the immigration issue than we are. on the other hand faces like mine need to be exhibited too.--AS TOLD TO CHARISSE JONES

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