I am assuming this is a picture of the Coral Gables, Florida resident by the name of Juan Carlos Serrano (click here). It took some looking to find this and come to understand 'an example' of the immigration of illegals in the USA. Unfortunately, Mr. Serrano's family is considered illegal even though he is a citizen. A legal citizen that evidently went through the process correctly.It is stated in the Miami Herald that this gentlemen is 34 years old now and has been residing in the USA as a citizen for 3 years. It would be a reasonable assumption to believe this is he. The picture was taken at a Venezuela Workshop for professionals by Linux (click here). Probably not an everyday occurrence in Venezuela either, so it is easy to assume to qualify as someone who should attend this workship, such as Mr. Serrano, he was an accomplished professional in Venezuela. The workship took place in 2003 (click here - if one opens up the PDF the date 2003 is seen), which was five years ago, and would also be in line with Mr. Serrano's story line.But, to prevent victimization, let's just say all this is fictious while keeping with these values. A 34 year old professional, trained in Venezuela after escaping Cuba comes to the USA and now wants to bring his family to the USA. I think that is an interesting set of circumstances, so I want to just 'go with it' and 'tease out' a reality rarely visited by Americans about their immigration policies.The immigration polices of the USA are, in my opinion, fairly liberal especially where it brings high level talent to the American workforce. To say Mr. Serrano's family should be in the USA with him is a given. For any naturalized citizen that has come to the USA while enhancing the 'brain trust' and providing skills where needed to an employers needs is a valuable citizen to this country and should have their families processed to their citizenship in a way perscribed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. To first realize the Miami Herald article (click at title to entry) states the policies 'at the border' need to be applied equitably to all those that cross it, is correct. There should be no favoritism or adverse discrimination. In a case like this, while the Immigration Laws are investigated to the best applied to the situation, whether humanitarian or Habeous corpus issues that require 'sanctuary' or 'political asylum', there was no reason for a family to be detained when the person involved is a naturalized citizen with a job, history of paying taxes and good citizenship. All that is a given and I agree with the article's author in regard to that. However, these circumstances provide a different opportunity and why the USA runs into problems with struggling Latin American countries such as Venezula and Cuba.References to this entry:Amnesty International ReviewsCurrent Reviews of Venezuela (click here)Venezuela Human Rights under Threat (2004) PDF (click here). This is a description of the 'danger' that existed to the populous of Venezula during the elections of 2004. Mind you, Venezuela while having its own military still has 'militias' which sometimes agree with the government and sometimes don't. So, when 'outbreaks' like this occur it is not entirely the fault of the government even though the government gets blamed for it. Venezuela's militias are also a reason why President Hugo knows intimately about that infrastruture throughout the region. These militias are fluid in structure and activity and do not have borders. The militias are also known to protect at times cultures within the country side that would not necessarily exist without them and they are also known to act inappropriately against authority. It is why they exist 'among the people' that might not otherwise have representation or survival. I have no doubt there are militia members within the Venezuelan military as well.
..............US Department of State ReviewCountry Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 (click here)Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and LaborMarch 8, 2006
Venezuela is a constitutional democracy with a population of approximately 25 million. In 2000 voters elected President Hugo Chavez of the Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) in generally free and fair elections. While civilian authorities generally maintained control of the security forces, there were instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently of government authority.
Politicization of the judiciary, restrictions on the media, and harassment of the political opposition continued to characterize the human rights situation during the year. The government used the justice system selectively against the political opposition and implementation of a 2004 media law threatened to limit press freedom....
To return to my argument.When people immigrate to the USA it is usually to enhance the need for their talents by the USA, the most common profession impacted by immigration is nursing. There is a shortage of American nurses in the USA and there is an opportunity for immigration that is continuous. The policies serve the purpose they need when hospitals recuit foreign nurses. Let's just say the same is true of computer specialists that come to the USA as Mr. Serrano has.What did that do to Venezuela and the polices of that country?Here a young professional that immigrated to Venezuela from Cuba, was trained outside the USA with the monies of a 'socialized' system of government and wealth. He left Venezuela and with no cost to the USA he is now a citizen here. That means he came as a qualified individual, trained by monies outside the USA, to work a job vacancy in a country, namely the USA, whose educational loans and grants have been cut to the bone by Neocons. That is not depriving in a real way the American workers unable to achieve financial loans and grants to move into that profession? That is not depriving Venezuela of it's brain trust? You betcha.
The current policies of the Immigration and Naturalization Service allows and almost encourages people to immigrate here that are professionals with substantial incomes, before and after arriving, to 'fill in' gaps in the USA workforce while depriving citizens of THE OPPORTUNITY to improve their lives. Not only that, but, the No Child Left Behind changes to the American educational system is an abject failure, placing more American citizens 'at risk' for failure in school, leading to far higher 'drop out' rates, increasing 'teen pregnancy,' increasing 'substance abuse,' increasing 'crime rates,' diminishing 'university enrollment' and basically impoverishing the USA of 'naturally-born citizens' to continue to supply 'talent' to the country's brain trust and work force.The really 'funny' thing about it is this. Even Mr. Serrano's employment here, while bringing his family here, is not going to get him what he came for. As he might, in his own personal capacity, be able to 'do well' in the USA, but, he is now exposing his family and children to an educational system already 'broken.' In other words, the very 'lack of financial opportunity' Mr. Serrano left behind in Cuba and Venezuela; he is now exposing the 'next' generation that he is raising as children, to the same, if not worse lack of oppourtunity afforded HIM by the socialized system and government he obtained his abilities. I don't buy the argument that 'any education' in the USA is better than elsewhere. That is a hideous argument that propagates failure domestically and abroad.Now, about Venezuela.Venezuela's socialized government made an investment. They educated people like Mr. Serrano to 'compliment' the brain trust of Venezuela. There is not the financial opportunity for his talents in Venezuela because it is not a First World country. When professionals like this receive training/education from Multi-national companies that are supposed to be acting in humanitarian capacity by 'sharing the wealth' in places like Venezuela to 'bring them up to speed' and encourage upward movement of that society toward First World status, but then also provide emmigration issues, then what has Venezuela achieved and why do the governments like Venezuela have adverse policies toward the USA? If Hugo Chavez cannot achieve in a generation or so movement in his country a better economic status for his people, the country of Venezuela is put on a 'perverbial WAIT LIST' while people that immigrate to the USA economy are 'cherry picked' to benefit American economic structure. How many generations of Venezuelans have to suffer through these type of hideous fluctuations in their socieites before there is improvement in THEIR economic status while supplying the USA with their oil? Even with their brain trust? What does that do to the militias and their belief systems that the Venezuelian government will never be able to address the needs and survival of the people?
Basically.
When will the policies of the USA government STOP treating the rest of the world as it's oyster and start benefiting its own citizens while ACTUALLY improving the conditions of the people of Venezuela by improving the quality of life of professionals within that society and expanding THEIR universities and training centers without degradation of THEIR work force?
Chavez threatens to stop oil exports over new EU immigration laws (click here)
Jun 19, 2008
CARACAS (AFP) — President Hugo Chavez threatened Thursday to shut off oil exports to European countries that enforce tough new EU rules on illegal immigrants.
"Our petroleum should not go to these European countries" that apply the new laws, Chavez said at a press conference here.
Just as European nations could return undocumented immigrants to their country of origin, Latin American countries could also decide "the return of European investments," Chavez said.
"At least in Venezuela," he said. "We don't need them here."
Chavez said that his government would "review the investments that they (the Europeans) have here to see if we can also apply a 'return directive'."
The European Union adopted tough new rules Wednesday on illegal immigrants, allowing detention for up to 18 months prior to expulsion, and angering human rights groups....
Chavez is stating he opposes the 'detention' for the sake of humanitarian efforts. The EU is stating 'we don't need them either.' Yet, due to lack of fiscal growth in Venezuela there is no place for these people, AT ALL. To literally dump the impoverished illegals on other countries relieves the issues of Venezuela of dependancy of people unable to 'produce' for their societies.
The same exact relationship has existed between Mexico and the USA for centuries and now with a diminished and out sourced economy, rising costs of government to handle illegal immigration issues, the problem in the USA has to be solved. I have stated on many an occassion, the issue is NOT illegal immigration, it is the ILLEGAL EMMIGRATION that is allowed by these fiscally poor countries as a 'state approved' welfare system that is the issue.
It is true of Mexico and it is true of countries like Venezuela. There are dynamics at work that undermine the American workforce while improving corporate profits AT THE COST of people on both sides of immigration. When Venezuela can become attractive enough for professionals to stay in their native countries, the USA will be forced to 'invest' in its work force again providing student loans and grants returning 'The American Dream' to all.
There is a reason the 'recession' in the USA is still growing and it isn't completely about housing either. It is about the cost of 'the loss' of American expertise throughout the nation and quiet possibly the world.
