Professor Prabal De, CCNY 2014
Posts tagged immigration
A Bleak Venture
010 years
My primary reaction to the documentary Golden Venture was disgust and shame. This country was founded by immigrants, yet we treat some of our immigrants as though they’re scum. The story this film told absolutely horrified me. Immigrants so desperate to escape their home country that they spent $30,000 and suffered through a year-long boat ride in order to get here were treated like convicts. Half were deported immediately. The other half, after four years in prison, were given parole. Not amnesty, not citizenship – parole. 220 of the Golden Venture passengers live in the US. Most of them are trapped in limbo, technically “legal” but still subject to sudden deportation. These people live with the constant fear of deportation, and for what purpose?! Who are these laws protecting? Of the more than 110 passengers who were deported, about 60 have returned to the US illegally. Although they were beaten, jailed, and in some cases forcibly sterilized after they were sent back to China, they have no chance of asylum here in the US. This system is so flawed and outdated yet remains unchanged. I don’t know how we can fix things for undocumented immigrants, but we must do something. Regardless of what some members of congress claim, were all immigrants once.
The Tale of the Golden Venture
010 years
It’s shocking what some people will do to try to get to the United States, and the documentary Golden Venture is a testament to that. Sometimes, it’s not about getting a better life in terms of money; rather, it’s getting a better life in terms of “freedom.” The film features the story of a four immigrants who were illegally smuggled from China in 1993 by way of cargo ship filled with hundreds of other illegal immigrants. The individuals each paid grand sums of money on the lucky chance that they would arrive on the shores of America, with nothing but bare necessities to start anew. Yet, what made these people willingly endure the hardships of the arduous journey, knowing there were more hardships to come once they landed in America? It was freedom. Most of these individuals had political issues with their home country (China) and were willing to sacrifice much for a seemingly meaningless journey–to them, this journey meant escaping the cruel laws imposed upon them, whether it be the limit on children or some other form of persecution. They all certainly had enough money to actually pay the “snakeheads” to smuggle them, so they didn’t really have economic reasons for leaving China. And yet, like any other immigrant, they saw a lower opportunity cost of coming here than staying in their home country, and they saw that the long-term benefits would overcome any short-term struggles.
Of course, as is the case with most illegal activities, there’s a chance of getting caught, and the Golden Venture had some rotten luck. The passengers aboard the ship were taken into custody upon arrival just south of New York and were arrested. They stayed in jail for years, though some escaped and some wished to be deported. Some of them finally got paroled in 1997, and even then, the 53 individuals let out on parole remained “illegal” immigrants. This meant that the state didn’t recognize them as legitimate people living in the U.S., and they didn’t receive any of the benefits of the government. This brings up the vehement stance of the American government against illegal immigration–is all this really necessary? This is a legitimately controversial issue, because the method by which illegal immigrants come here is definitely unacceptable, and it’s unfair for those who get real documents and get by the embassy. However, illegal immigrants are still humans and shouldn’t be treated badly, since many of them seek refuge or aid. Now that the number of illegal immigrants in this country have become significant, we need to devise a plan to deal with them, because they are a part of this country as is anybody else.
A Flickering Light at the End of the Tunnel
010 years
A Crime: an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law.
Illegal Immigration: refers to the migration of people across national borders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destination country.
Hence, for all intents and purposes of this discussion, a person crossing the borders of the United States while in violation of the laws of immigration of the United States is termed an ‘illegal immigrant’ and is effectively, by definition, a criminal in the eyes of the law.
A trek made across the mainland of China. A voyage across the oceans crammed within an inch of another’s body. The chances of survival itself are in question and yet two hundred and eighty six people made the journey – and many counted these few hundred as lucky. Is life really that horrific in China? So unbearable that familial ties (a significant one among innumerable others) must be broken in order to reach out to grasp at a chance of a better life? Apparently so.
The search of a better life has been a revolving theme in the foundational incentive and drive for immigration. And here there is a diversion in the documentary where the inattentive audience member’s interest often peaks for the rest of the film – these women, children and men who were crammed within an inch of each other on a rusted vessel that had no business on an ocean all recognized something that could never have come across through a spreadsheet, a data table, a graph or perhaps even entire dissertations on the subject of illegal immigration and I might go as far to say, even a case study into the life of an illegal immigrant. They realized that in order to complete living a life that had a meaning that reached up to their standards they deserved better than what they had. And they were willing to go to extreme lengths to get what they wanted, in the face of death itself, they leaped into death’s jaws and pushed their limits of survival. A few failed but none of them can say they didn’t take the leap into an abyss not knowing whether there was a light at the end of the tunnel. When the mainstream media caught hold of political representatives there was a recurring theme in newscasts – reminding the people of the United States how many took the liberties and freedom afforded to them for granted while halfway across the world people would do quite literally anything to work their entire lives to achieve a quarter of what they had by virtue of birth.
However that was the lesson to be learnt for the individual, not an entity like political organizations. There was quite a significant message that pierced the heart of the organization and operation of the bureaucratic system here in the United States. The dangers of autonomy when knowledge on how to deal with dilemmas specific to departments was scarce in that very department. It’s quite amusing to say the least. We have a utilitarian view in getting things done when it comes to transparent political actions taken by government agencies and it’s clear from the documentary that this is the case. While one side can more than easily argue that the detainment of the survivors was the right thing to do to send the right message to potential illegal immigrants another can argue that it is simply not the right way for a superpower such as ourselves to treat other human beings in that manner and that they deserve to be freed and receive protection. What the latter puts aside is that this only encourages more illegal activities to take place and is an added incentive where none else is required. It is not until these proponents are aware of how they can be affected – and in some cases affected themselves – that they come to see that. However rarely do they get to see it which perhaps in itself is a good thing for them but it doesn’t take away from the fact that someone will most definitely be affected by the presence of illegal activities and in consequence, the whole.
Therefore while spending taxpayer money to imprison/ deport the passengers of the “Golden Venture” and spending lengthy court sessions lobbying back and forth may constitute the democratic process of dealing with this issue it can be agreed on by all conflicting sides that this is certainly not the most effective methodology to find a solution to the problem. Therefore it is clear that while the documentary delves deeply into the personal lives of the passengers of the “Golden Venture” the documentary itself most importantly showcases the flaws and confusions lying in the bureaucratic functioning of federal agencies and independent government organizations.
The “Not So Golden” Venture
010 years
The Golden Venture documentary was a riveting story due to the fact that it explored the controversial topic of immigration in a novel way. Although, we are given only brief glimpses into the actual sides of the savage, yet bloodless battles of immigration reform and lobbying, the topic was explored through the detailed recounting of the stories of the passengers on the Golden Venture. One cannot be emotionless when listening to the horrible atrocities that occurred relating to the Golden Venture—and this is where the documentary succeeds. The viewer, instead of being bombarded with the idea that one side in the matter is correct, is left with ability to make a choice on how they believe we should proceed in these very delicate and sensitive matters.
One of the most appalling discoveries that occurred to me, while watching this documentary, is the fickle manner in which the U.S. handles undocumented immigrants. When the U.S. Government found out about the passengers on the Golden Venture, they were sentenced to prison until their fate would be decided for them. It was here that they lived their lives in purgatory—a state of limbo—where they lived each waking moment in oblivion as to what their fate would be- they had no control over their fate and no idea when their fate was going to be decided. In so many respects, I find this treatment to be inhumane. Human beings desire a feeling of belonging, and when thrust into this type of situation it destroys a person’s a person’s moral and livelihood. Regardless of the government’s decision on granting legal status to these undocumented immigrants, the immigrants involved should not have to be placed in this unfortunate situation. If I was involved in this situation, as either a victim or as a representative of the government, I would wish for the quickest resolution as to the matter of being able to achieve immigration status. The Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reads as follows, “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation…” Given the aforementioned law, I would hope that as a nation, we would want to extend the same rationale and equality to all people, and abide by a principle foundation of the U.S. Constitution.
It is surprising to me that the same type of controversy still exists surrounding the treatment of immigrants in the U.S. As the passengers on the Golden Venture were subject to discrimination and criminal penalties, immigrants and the matter of immigration are presently still subject to increasing hostility and controversy in today’s culture. It seems to me that the U.S. should remember the principals on which it was founded and treat each human being with the same amount of decency and fairness, regardless of their immigration status, especially since we are truly a nation of immigrants.
