Immigration Bill Fails Indigenous Peoples

CANASTOTA, NY While Congress debates a new immigration bill, the editors of Indian Country Today argue that the legislation ignores the plight of indigenous peoples and the social and economic injustices that fuel immigration. NAFTA promised to increase opportunities for the working poor of South America but instead deprived them of their land by opening their markets to cheap corn and beans produced by U.S. agribusiness and protected by government subsidies, editors write. Unable to sell their beans and corn, indigenous peoples had little recourse other than to try their luck in the United States, the editorial notes. The Senate's proposed bill includes a guest worker program, a priority-based admission system for immigrants, requirements for visa renewals and time-based applications for legal status for undocumented individuals. According to the editors, The bill lacks a sense of history, justice and global impact.