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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 28, 2010)
Page 6 '{Jortlanb (Observer luly 28. 2010 Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views o f the Portland Observer We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. New Prices Effective May 1 ,2 0 1 0 Martin Cleaning Service T a ? T a ? tT V Tip Ï: /S' 5 » Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $45.00 7. A sm all distance/travel charge m ay be applied Biz CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: I sm all H allway) To K eep our frof T s GQÏXG "THRU"THE ROOF 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 £ -To Keep the help m T heir proper pvace Includes Pre-Spray’ Traffic Area (Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services): $25.00 yVWvs Y /c tò iX . Area/Oriental Rugs: $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool): $40.00 Minimum Heavily Soiled Area: Additional $10.00 each area (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) U PH O LSTERY C LEAN IN G Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $ 109 - $ 139 Chair or Recliner: $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Other Services): $5.00 AD D ITIO NAL SE R V IC E S • A rea & O riental Rug C leaning • A uto/B oat/R V C leaning • D eodorizing & Pet O d o r T reatm ent • Spot & Stain R em oval Service • S cotchguard P rotection • M in o r W ater D am age S erv ices SE E C U R R E N T F L Y E R F O R A D D IT IO N A L P R IC E S & SE R V IC E S C all for A p p oin tm en t (503) 281-3949 1 „-s ' AS? '/ / / Get Sensible about Immigration Ill-fated economic policies deserve some blame by C olette C osner O n M o t h e r 's D a y , t h r e e m o n th s b e f o r e A rizo n a 's d ra c o n ia n new im m ig ra tio n law w as to go into e ffe c t, a m o th e r o f tw o a d d re sse d a v ig il o u tsid e o f an Im m ig ra tio n a n d C u sto m s E n- , f o r c e m e n t ( I C E ) d e te n tio n c e n te r. T he w om an had been inter cepted, w ithout papers, on h er w ay to w ork. U nable to fight back tears, she told the cro w d o f the m onths she spent in this priva tized detention center, w o n d er ing i f she w ould ever see her children again. A rizona's new law, w hich goes into effect Sunday, w ill legalize racial p rofiling by requiring of- ficers to pull over, q uestion, and detain any o n e they have a "rea sonable suspicion" o f being u n docum ented. T he law has c ata lyzed the grassroots im m igrant rights m ovem ent, driving h u n dreds o f th ousands o f activists into the streets d e m a n d in g c o m p re h en siv e im m ig ratio n reform . H o w e v e r, g iv e n P r e s id e n t B a ra c k O bam a's recent com m ents, the chances o f a national overhaul in im m igration policy is unlikely to happen this year. A nd w ith the failure o f reform at the federal level, states are taking m atters into their ow n hands, drafting and passing cruel anti-im m igrant laws that m irror A rizona's legislation. States are also em b racin g a co n tro v ersial fed eral p ro g ram that essentially lets local au th o ri ties co n v ert police officers into de facto IC E agents. (IC E is the agen cy that used to be called the Im m igration and N atu ralizatio n I I I I I I I Service, o r IN S.) T he O b am a a d m in istratio n should scrap en forcem ent-only policies that separate fam ilies and en co u rag e raids, d ep o rta tions, b o rd er m ilitarization, and racial profiling. T o achieve su s tain ab le im m igration p o licies, w e'll need to co n sid er the roots o f m ig ratio n . W hat's p u sh in g people to leave L atin A m erica in the first place? O n a recen t W itness for Peace S p e a k e r 's to u r , B a ld e m a r M endoza Jim enez, a farm er and agriculture expert from the M exi can state o f O axaca, described ho w the N orth A m erica F ree T ra d e A g re e m e n t (N A F T A ) u n d erm in ed traditional ag ricu l ture. U nable to com pete w ith subsidized grains im ported from the States, m illio n s o f farm ers w ere forced o u t o f w ork. "M an y [farm ers] co u ld not m ake ends m eet. T hey a b an d oned th eir lands, left to w o rk in factories and em ig rated to the U nited States." Jim enez's story isn't unique, but this p ersp ectiv e is largely u n acco u n ted for in the im m ig ra tion debate. In g eneral, u n d o cu m en ted im m ig ran ts and th e ir co m m u n ities get b lam ed fo r the situation, rath er than the ill-fated econom ic policies that displaced those im m igrants. N ot one o f the 4,130 w ords in O bam a's m ost recent speech on im m ig ra tio n a d d re s s e d w h y people m igrate. H e didn't a d dress u n fair trade, m ention d is placed farm ers, o r ack n o w led g e that the im m igration rate doubled after N A F T A tran sfo rm ed U .S.- M exican trade. T he situation in A rizo n a d em o n strates th at w e need to o v e r haul o u r im m ig ratio n policies. I f w e w an t to stem o r slow the flow o f u n d o cu m en ted w orkers into the U n ited States, h ow ever, w e'll also n eed to revam p o u r foreign eco n o m ic policies. Colette Cosner is a regional organizer with Witness fo r Peace.
