Ethics Newsline®

VARIOUS
The ethical dimensions of immigration were highlighted in a variety of unfolding stories last week. A snapshot of some of the key issues:

• Nationwide demonstrations planned for May 1 to support immigrants’ rights are causing some divisions among pro-immigration factions. Organizers have called on immigrants to skip jobs and school, but many immigrants fear losing their jobs or worry that not showing up for work or classes will simply send the wrong message. In San Jose, California, where the student population is 51 percent Latino, officials last week asked children not to skip school but urged teachers to discuss immigration in class, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
• With a flood of Mexicans entering the United States illegally, some Americans and U.S. lawmakers are countering claims that the United States takes advantage of immigrants by asking why Mexico shouldn’t be expected to treat its citizens better, thus stemming the exodus, according to an analysis from Voice of America. According to the report, many observers assert that Mexico keeps its economy centered in the hands of a few wealthy and powerful groups that have no interest in benefiting anyone in Mexico except the business elite. Researchers cited in the piece say that Mexico regards illegal immigration to the United States as an economic “safety valve” and relies on money sent back home by immigrants as a major source of revenue.
• The immigration issue is blinking brightly on the political radar in France, where a politician known for a get-tough stance is gaining traction in a country recently torn by demonstrations fueled partly by the frustrations of immigrants who say they face discrimination and limited opportunity. The Paris-based International Herald Tribune reported that Nicolas Sarkozy, characterized by the paper as a “media-savvy interior minister with presidential ambitions,” has raised emotions and eyebrows with a recent remark to the effect that if immigrants are bothered by conditions in France, they shouldn’t be afraid to leave. France’s National Assembly is slated to begin debate this week on an immigration reform bill sponsored by Sarkozy.