Speaker. for several years we have viewed a continuing controversy over the status of certain aliens who have entered the United States illegally and who have been subsequently exploited and threatened by unscrupulous employers. landlords. and creditors and have been unduly and unnecessarily harrassed and degraded by agencies of the Federal Government. As yet. however. no meaningful consideration has been given to the plight of these hapless men. women. and children---either to the misery they are forced to endure while living in a constant state of fear while in this country or the conditions in their native lands which have precipi:tated their departure. An especially distasteful aspect of this situation is the fact that the term "illegal alien" has become a code word for Spanishspeaking and our community has been forced to bear the brunt of the Governments illconceived policies designed to purge the land of illegals. As a consequence. numerous dragnets have been conducted in the Northeast and the Southwest in which anyone who may speak with a Spanish accent. who may appear to be of Latin background to some immigration inspector or who may otherwise present a "foreign" or Latin appearance is apprehended and is forced to prove he is an American citizen. Basic civil liberties. rights guaranteed by the Constitution and simple human dignity have been violated time and time again by these reprehensible practices. In the Februray issue of the Progressive. Father Mark Day. a parish priest in Los Angeles. has written a timely and quite perceptive article on the plight of the illegal immigrants and the efforts which some have made to deal with the situation on a more humane. legal. and affirmative basis. The article not only attempts to look at the situation from the Spanishspeaking communitys viewpoint but also focuses on certain repressive State and Federal legislation which only exacerbate the problem. I present Father Days article herewith for inclusion in the RECORD and urge that our colleagues give it full and careful consideration.
Identified stereotypes
Associating 'illegal alien' as a code word for Spanish-speaking people.