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    Episode 185: Nativism in Media (Part II) - The Artificial Cold War Distinction Between 'Migrants' and 'Refugees'

    Wed Jul 19 2023
    US immigration policiesracial biasCold War politicsmilitarization of immigrationimmigrant rights movementsclimate-induced migration

    Description

    US immigration policies have historically been influenced by racism, Cold War politics, and economic interests. This episode explores the categorization of immigrants based on arbitrary distinctions, the impact of the Johnson-Reed Act on immigration policies, the racial bias in media narratives, and the shift from Cold War refugees to deserving versus undeserving immigrants. It also delves into the historical racism embedded in immigration laws, the militarization of immigration, and the immigrant rights movements that have fought against deportation. The episode concludes with a discussion on false scarcity and climate-induced migration.

    Insights

    Historical Influence on Immigration Policies

    US immigration policies have been shaped by historical events such as the Johnson-Reed Act and Cold War politics, resulting in arbitrary categorizations and racial bias in media narratives.

    Racial Bias in Immigration Narratives

    Media coverage often perpetuates a hierarchy between migrants and refugees, reinforcing racial biases and creating a tiered system of belonging and deservingness for immigrants.

    Shift from Cold War Refugees to Deserving versus Undeserving Immigrants

    The distinction between Cold War refugees and economic migrants has shifted to a framework of deserving versus undeserving immigrants, reinforcing negative stereotypes based on economic status and nation of origin.

    Militarization and Security States in Immigration

    Immigration policies have become increasingly militarized, with the Department of Homeland Security focusing on the war on terror and the war on drugs. This has led to the demonization of asylum seekers and the creation of security states at borders.

    Immigrant Rights Movements and Cross-Racial Solidarity

    The immigrant rights movement has a long history of cross-racial solidarity, with organizations like the American Committee for the Protection of Foreign Born fighting against anti-radical deportations. However, anti-communism has erased this history and marginalized activists.

    False Scarcity and Climate-Induced Migration

    Making distinctions between deserving and undeserving people in need assumes false scarcity and contributes to the militarization of borders. Climate change will lead to increased migration, and the response should focus on addressing the root causes rather than creating more walls and guns.

    Chapters

    1. Historical Context of Immigration Narratives
    2. Cold War Influence on Immigration Policies
    3. Racial Bias and Media Influence on Immigration Narratives
    4. Historical Racism and Immigration Policies
    5. Militarization and Security States in Immigration
    6. Immigrant Rights Movements and Cross-Racial Solidarity
    7. False Scarcity and Climate-Induced Migration
    Summary
    Transcript

    Historical Context of Immigration Narratives

    00:00 - 14:02

    • US policymakers and media have historically distinguished between different types of immigrants based on arbitrary categories.
    • These distinctions are informed by racism, gendered notions of labor, and ideological differences.
    • The Johnson Reed Act of 1924 aimed to maintain the percentages of northern European Protestants in America.
    • The US government's categorization of displaced people turns them into geopolitical pawns.
    • Refugees are people fleeing persecution or serious harm, while migrants choose to move for various reasons.
    • Asylum seekers seek protection from persecution but haven't been legally recognized as refugees yet.
    • The distinction between migrant and refugee is racially loaded and upholds existing hierarchies.
    • Political speeches and media narratives create a tiered system of belonging and deservingness for immigrants.

    Cold War Influence on Immigration Policies

    06:48 - 21:15

    • The Johnson-Read Act of 1924 introduced a national origins quota to restrict immigration into the United States.
    • The law aimed to limit immigration from southern and eastern European countries and favor immigration from northern and western Europe.
    • The Johnson-Reed Act established the U.S. border patrol for the first time.
    • The law was enacted in part to stop the flow of left-wing political currents in the United States.
    • After World War II, the United States used ideological frameworks created by the Johnson-Reed Act to further codify hierarchical immigration policies for its Cold War agenda.
    • The Displaced Persons Act of 1948 granted US visas to certain Europeans fleeing communist states but denied entry to most displaced European Jews who had survived the Holocaust.
    • The introduction of refugee category in US immigration law created a distinction between deserving and undeserving asylum seekers.
    • US laws passed throughout the 1950s reflected negative rights focus and permitted exclusion and deportation of immigrants suspected of being communist or undesirable.
    • The Refugee Relief Act of 1953 specifically targeted USSR by creating another class called escapees who fled from communist-dominated areas due to fear of persecution based on race, religion or political opinion.
    • Immigrants from communist countries were deliberately kept out before the Cold War, but during the beginning of the Cold War, they were seen as fleeing and eligible for refugee status.
    • The Refugee Relief Act of 1953 broadened the definition of 'refugee' to include almost anyone from a communist country who can prove they were not a communist.

    Racial Bias and Media Influence on Immigration Narratives

    13:47 - 34:58

    • The Reagan administration labeled those displaced by US-funded violence in Central America and the Caribbean as 'economic migrants' instead of refugees, making them ineligible for asylum in the US.
    • US asylum policy reflected geopolitical propaganda value, with different acceptance rates based on nationality.
    • Economic migration is viewed through a capitalist lens that assumes poverty is natural and not a violation of people's rights.
    • Moving from one country to another due to poverty or hunger is considered a form of violence and persecution by some, while others view it as an economic choice.
    • The US media largely adopts an ideological framework that perpetuates this dichotomy between economic migrants and refugees without questioning its origins or validity.
    • The UN recognizes the problem of abusive asylum applications and economic migrants using asylum claims to circumvent immigration regulations.
    • The distinction between Cold War refugees and economic migrants has shifted to a deserving versus undeserving immigrant framework.
    • The Dream Act and DACA were introduced to grant special protections to undocumented immigrants who arrived as children.
    • DACA had eligibility requirements, but the phrase 'no fault of their own' implies blame on parents or guardians for bringing them illegally.
    • The framing of entering the US as the fault of parents was used by the Obama administration to justify building detention centers in Texas.
    • Obama emphasized deporting criminals over families, using a selective approach to immigration enforcement.
    • The no fault of their own framing washes young immigrants morally while avoiding questioning the need for migration from their homes.
    • Defenses of DACA during the Trump administration repeated the no fault of their own reframe.
    • Deserving versus undeserving economies reinforce the idea that most immigrants are undeserving based on factors like economic status and nation of origin.
    • Media coverage often distinguishes between migrants and refugees, perpetuating a hierarchy.
    • During the Trump presidency, headlines referred to the 'migrant caravan,' not the 'refugee caravan.'
    • Under the Biden administration, there is a distinction between migrants and refugees in media coverage.

    Historical Racism and Immigration Policies

    34:34 - 47:39

    • The original criteria for immigrants in the United States were based on racist beliefs and racial capitalism.
    • The Page Act of 1875 criminalized Chinese migration and excluded Chinese women from entering the country.
    • Chinese exclusion laws led to anti-Chinese nativism, driven by Irish American immigrants who saw the Chinese as driving down wages and bringing disease.
    • Asian exclusion laws expanded to include Japanese, South Asians, and Filipinos.
    • The Johnson Reed Act of 1924 aimed to maintain a predominantly Northern European and Protestant population in the US, excluding Southern Europeans, Catholics, Jews, and people from the Middle East.
    • Immigration laws were also influenced by concerns about foreign radicals and anti-colonialists.
    • Fear of communism became a prominent talking point after the Russian Revolution in 1917.
    • The right-wing still uses anti-communist rhetoric today without specifying which communists they are referring to or defining communism accurately.
    • The concept of deserving versus undeserving immigrants reinforces the idea that most immigrants are lawbreakers.

    Militarization and Security States in Immigration

    47:20 - 1:06:17

    • Immigration policy is always about race and politics.
    • Cold War distinctions between refugees and immigrants are starting to erode.
    • Trump's Title 42 and remain in Mexico policies have demonized asylum seekers.
    • The US has played a role in creating the conditions that lead to migration.
    • There has been no federal immigration law since 1996, only Homeland Security appropriations.
    • The immigration service became the Department of Homeland Security after 9/11, indicating a shift towards pursuing the war on terror and the war on drugs.
    • Technology and resources used in low-intensity conflicts were redirected to the border for these wars.
    • The NCRS program was implemented after 9/11, requiring Arab and Muslim men to register, resulting in detentions without any incidence of terror found.
    • Deportations were primarily for immigration infractions, which are now seen as a form of terrorism due to racial profiling.
    • Kamala Harris's visit to Guatemala resulted in funding for arming police and creating militarized borders in Central America.
    • The militarization of immigration has roots before 9/11, with proposals to bring INS into a national security agency emerging in February 2001.
    • Biden is not necessarily better than Trump on immigration, despite sounding better. Money flow into immigrant rights organizations has decreased under Biden's administration.
    • Fox News contributes to xenophobic narratives about drug-toting terrorists crossing the border, perpetuating stereotypes about Mexicans.
    • Timorous Democrats lack party discipline and fearmongering influences their perception of cleaning up the border.
    • Operation Wetback under Eisenhower's administration branded Mexican-Americans as a problem that needed cleaning up at the border and beyond.

    Immigrant Rights Movements and Cross-Racial Solidarity

    59:42 - 1:15:44

    • Operation Wetback was a cleanup operation at the border and in Mexican-American communities, branding Mexican illegals as a threat to democracy.
    • Democrats lack political will to resist anti-immigration rhetoric despite relying on black, brown, and immigrant organizations for electoral support.
    • Biden has kept the worst parts of Trump's immigration agenda in place without explicitly stating it.
    • Rhetoric incites violence but policy is more substantive; children are still detained and often trafficked into child labor.
    • The American Committee for the Protection of Foreign Born was founded in 1934 by the ACLU and American Labor Defense Organization to fight against anti-radical deportations.
    • The committee grew with chapters across the country, defending various ethnic groups against deportation.
    • They survived the Red Scare due to support from immigrant communities and lasted until the '70s and '80s when they started representing new waves of immigrants.
    • The American Committee from the 1930s to the 80s played a role in the contemporary immigrant rights movement by working with various ethnic organizations.
    • Anti-communism erased the history of fighting deportation and deportation technology, making it difficult for people to know about its existence before.
    • The narrative of racial progress often overlooks cross-racial solidarity and radicalism from the bottom.
    • There is a lack of stories about normal people who are activists in immigrant rights.
    • The novel being worked on aims to tell stories of people fighting deportation terror in unlikely places and highlight connections between different communities.
    • A collection of stories is also being developed to shed light on lost stories from the Cold War era, including individuals like Rose Churnin.

    False Scarcity and Climate-Induced Migration

    1:12:13 - 1:15:44

    • Making distinctions between deserving and undeserving people in need assumes false scarcity and picks your wallet.
    • The arbitrary federalist distinctions between local, state, and federal governments contribute to this false scarcity.
    • Climate change will lead to more migration, with the wealthiest nations causing the most damage but those who have done the least being hit hardest.
    • Militarization, surveillance capitalism, and security states will increase as a response to climate-induced migration.
    • Media and political discourse often categorize migrants as deserving or undeserving, leading to more walls and guns.
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