May 8, 2008 11:35 AM
If you are a Latino who is the U.S. legally, you might wonder why you should get involved in fighting the anti-immigrant bill currently before the Suffolk County Legislature. After all, you might wonder, you have a green card or you are a citizen, how does this effect you?
It will effect you in three main ways.
First, the discrimination that will result from passage of this bill will not just impact on the undocumented. When similar laws have been passed in the past they resulted in massive discimination against Latinos who had documents! Employers, worried about being fined, just stopped hiring Latinos "to be safe".
Second, the loss of jobs by workers will create a hardship for the entire Latino community. You may not lose your job, but you are bound to know someone who will. Perhaps it will be a brother or a cousin who will then turn to you for support. In addition, if you work for a business that has mostly Latino customers, you may see the business cut back or close as customers lose their jobs.
Finally, if the anti-immigrant bill IR-1105 passes, it will send a message to those who hate immigrants that the time is right to go after all Latinos, to drive them out of the county. If you do not show solidarity now with those who are currently endanged, you and your families may be the next targets.