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The welcome mat is pulled off the front porch

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Staff

By Judith Blau
Two main factors accounted for the high rates of migration from Latin America from around 1994 to 2008. First, the provisions of NAFTA (effective Jan. 1, 1994) were disastrous for many Mexicans, especially agriculturalists who were pushed off their lands by American-owned agribusinesses. They fled under duress to the United States. This was the “push,” similar to the push that Irish and Italians experienced in around 1900. Second, there was the “pull” of demand.

American consumers, the U.S. government (quietly), the North Carolina government (quietly) and U.S. employers (loudly) all wanted Latinos to come to the U.S. The message was clear: “We want your cheap labor.”

Come they did, driven by these “push” and “pull” factors. The reality is that they work hard, value family life and aspire to a good education for their children. They long for a pathway to citizenship. There is no pathway. Nada. We American citizens and governments have betrayed them. The welcome mat is pulled off the front porch. We have forgotten the lessons of inclusion we learned with the earlier waves of Irish and Italian migration (and many other waves).

According to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families (an international treaty), migrants and their families are entitled to health care, access to housing, a decent standard of living and education for their children. Both country of origin and country of destination are responsible for their safe passage. The Convention recognizes that migration accompanies globalization – and is fueled by it.

It is important to recognize that migrant workers are protected by the same Fair Labor Standards as all other workers (visit dol.gov/whd/flsa and nclabor.com/wh/wh.htm). The Human Rights Center of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, along with our partners, is ready to assist any migrant worker whose labor rights have been violated.

Judith Blau is the director of the Human Rights Center of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and a professor of sociology at UNC.

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