March 02, 2010 02:41 PM UTC

Thoughts on the Cold War, labor, and immigration

• 1 Comments
• by: Ray Springfield

United States foreign policy regarding immigration has a long history. The government began limiting immigration from Eastern Europe long before the cold war. With the Bolshevik revolution succeeding in 1917 and the International Workers of the World , or IWW promotiing syndacalist policies, the

US government began classifying quotas for legal immigration and reducing the amount of Eastern European immigration. This coincided with the massive deportation of immigrants involved with he IWW known as the Wobblies. It was also known as “The Red Scare.”

The Wobblies represented unskilled labor. At the time Samuel Gompers represented the American Federation of Labor. Skilled workers enjoyed a period of less formal suprression while unksilled labor would not have a strong organization until the rise of the the CIO, or Congress of Industrial Workers.

With the merger of the AFL and CIO, unskilled labor again took a back seat to skilled workers involved with true heavy industrial skills.This immigration policy remained inforce until basically the end of WWII.

After the the war ended, the Cold War with the Soviet Union began. Thus, immigration from

communist societies was seen as providing poltical protection for immigrants that sufferred under communist regimes. Immigration from countries under Soviet control now enjoyed greater quotas. Immigrants that falled into the unskilled labor category (primarily from Latin America) were classiified as economic immigratns rather than poltical immigrants. Economic immigrants were granted no poltical rights whatsoever.

Many in this category fled right wing violence just as repressive as that in the Soviet Union. Countries such as Guatenmala, El Salvador,Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and even Mexico saw undocumented refugees that fled violence perpetrated often times with the tacit approval of the US government. They had, and have, no political recourse to apply for poltical asylum as they fled governments which were seen to be anti-communist.

I recall in Denver, that immigration flowed from Soviet Union in particularly inthe 1970’s. I have been a rated US Chess Master dating back to the 1980’s and played at expert strength since the 1970’s. I met many immigrants from the Soviet Union at this time. Dmitry Agrachov, Yury Oshmyansky,International Master Michael Mulyar, interantional Grandmaster Alex Fishbein and his father (also a strong National Master), Mikhail and Phillip Ponomarov come to mind. These were friends who escaped Soviet repression. I’m glad that they escaped the USSR. State Sen. Morgan Carroll and her mother should be congatulated for their efforts in civil rights immigration which assisted this effort not only in Denver, but nationally. Famed attorney Walter Gerash financially assisted these folks as well.

I also have travelled by bus extensively through Mexico. My exposure to the campesinos and “undocumented workers” has been more extensive than most. I learned to speak Spanish by living amongst campesinos in the Baker District of Denver. Most came to feed their families. Nevertheless, during the cold war, right wing violence in El Salvador and Gautemala resulted in the summary exectuion of labor organizers, and anyone suspected of collobaration with labor organizers were targeted heavily for execution in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Oddly enough, the creation of MS13 was a negative consequence of the US governments support of the right wing violence in El Salvador. Thus, refugess that fled for poltical reasons were still classfied as economic immigrants. The fact that these people fled right wing vioence instead of Soviet repression caused them to be viewed as not worthy of US support in immigration status.They were not permitted green cards. If a Cuban, however, managed to reach US soil then they were given immediate rights to a green card because they fled a communist society.

The failed war on drugs has created a siutation in Mexico and other parts of central America in recent years which has caused an increase in violence and poltical chaos. Mexico,for instance, has had the armed forces replace local police duties in at least 5 states since 2005. The military patrols the streets. Violence rages today throughout the region, and governments border on becoming failed states. This is driven primarily for US demand for illegal narcotics.

I find from a humaitarian point of view that little difference exists between people fleeing communist or fascist regimes. Representation of unskilled labor in the USA has not truly recovered since the merger of the AFl-CIO. The United Farm Workers have made a dent. Still, the current immigration system provides cheap labor for large companies while giving the people that fill those jobs no legal rights whatsoever.

Focussing on humanitarian issues in the third world has merit. One doesn’t have to look that far to find a need for true humanitarian needs in reforming US immigration and drug laws. These people live among us in Denver. The only way in my view to break the cartels and stop the violence that rages at our border, and has caused an increase in the flight of hard working people seeking nothing more than an opportunity to live and work in peace, is to move towards an end to prohibition. Attention must be paid to drug rehabiltation rather than incarceration as the primary method of dealing with the failed war on drugs.

Some politicians understand this situation and are working towards solutions. Others’ actions have made the life of many of these people harder.