Life and Times of Alex Esguerra — Immigration

A Beginner's Guide to America's Culture Belief's on Race, Immigration, Equality and Views Nowadays

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Alex Esguerra) on March 14, 2021

A Beginner's Guide to America: For the Immigrant and the Curious

Bestselling author, Roya Hakakian upcoming book describes the book as A stirring, witty, and poignant glimpse into the bewildering American immigrant experience from someone who has lived it. Also, a mirror held up to America.

Myself being middle age living half of my life in the USA, I can totally agree with her. I till this day still ask questions on inclusion. A good example was on a Friday afternoon in a downtown San Francisco's retail location men's restroom which was open for the public. Right after using it passed walking pass the stalls, a middle age heavy set Caucasian man assumed I was headed to the walk out the door and yelled to me "washed your hands". I politely showed in my hands my sanitizers and uttered I had it. Most public restrooms in San Francisco's downtown area are not open due to the homeless problem and vandalism and also the lavatories are really extremely dirty and infected with bacteria. At any rate here's an example why I simply raise the statement of inclusion having live half of my life in America. For all you know the guy had good intentions of reminding me simply to wash my hands but here is where the culture's perspectives open up.

In the San Francisco area, home to the nation's largest and oldest Chinatown, there were at least 18 attacks against Asians in February alone, TODAY previously reported. An 84-year-old Thai American, Vicha Ratanapakdee, was pushed to the ground in January and died from his injuries a few days later, NBC News reported. In 2020, New York City police recorded 28 hate crimes against Asian Americans, up from three in 2019, quoted from https://www.today.com/news/anti-asian-violence-history-anti-asian-racism-us-t210645 Another issue that came up during this Covid-19 is when the term "China Virus" was downplayed by no other than the 45th President of the United States. This has enabled an anti-Asian hate and violence campaign.

Meanwhile, there's an influx of undocumented children on the southern border trying to enter after Biden rolled back a number of Trump-era immigration policies, including the “Remain in Mexico” policy that advocates say gutted the nation’s asylum system and the "zero tolerance" policy of separating families at the border. It is extremely hard for politicians based on my personal experiences having dealt with them of their desire for power and wealth to understand the true meaning of "Asylum". If you make from $170,000 to $300,00 and have net worth's of $2M to $10B or more and ambitions to even be the President of the USA you will never need to know the meaning of what it stands or what the word "Immigration" is about in a real democracy.

Hakakian grew up in a Jewish family living in a middle-class neighborhood in Tehran in the 70's in her book and I remember my father serving in the US Army at the same time at the base. She mentioned about her scarf as part of her dress code and when she arrived in New York's subway in 1985 after her asylum she tried to reach for her scarf realizing she had none physically. Here also shows as immigrants bring memories with us when we settle in the US.

Just like a few months ago when we had these marches on the boarded windows on the downtown streets in Portland, Or and San Francisco, CA it reminded me back in the Philippines when then Ferdinand Marcos was about to declare Martial Law, those were the same pictures, and then again during the EDSA revolution when he again tried to hang on to power before fleeing for asylum and to where, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA through the help of Republican President Ronald Reagan.

In the case of the Iran empire itself, the Shah of Iran eventually went into asylum also in the United Sates for health reasons. This is is how politicians interrelates with the two words mentioned. Hence for decades is also why this country has not enacted a real Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill.

The topic is huge for discussion but where does one begin?

Antidemocractic tactics of deceit, lies and confusion for media domination

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Alex Esguerra) on June 05, 2020

Famous authoritarian rulers historically can be remembered as the greatest manipulator of the media, the air waves on tv, newspaper print and now in this century, "the social media" It's surprising to note that common laymen like all of us have to go to so much verification and scrutiny to create a username, handle, page or even an ad on the this platforms if they think it has some kind of relation to politics or political views and opinions. Yet those, in the highest places of power are the exceptions to all of us that they can say or advertise anything they want. Of course this is a debate-table statement however this is based on my own personal views and experience.

I highlighted, "Antidemocracy in America" as a reference point. This book written in 2019 made a statement on how there could be a unsettling turn toward authoritarian rule. It warn from the social impact of tweets, the breaking news stories using political drama as a strategy. The /fake news/ statements has gotten so much dominance on psychological reverse mentality aiding with the daily shows for everyone to watch.

George Packer of the Atlantic wrote in April 2020, "But a simple intuition had propelled Trump throughout his life: Human beings are weak. They have their illusions, appetites, vanities, fears. They can be cowed, corrupted, or crushed. A government is composed of human beings. This was the flaw in the brilliant design of the Framers, and Trump learned how to exploit it. The wreckage began to pile up. He needed only a few years to warp his administration into a tool for his own benefit. If he’s given a few more years, the damage to American democracy will be irreversible.

In page 136 of this book "How We Got Here" it talks on the roots of our current criminal justice system in the 1960's. The debates and need for legislation already started then. Sad to say during the Nixon presidency the US Federal government withdrew resources from the cities where these debates started. It expanded support for law enforcement and design a more punitive criminal justice system. Hence, in the on-going street protest a big part of the battle cry is start the change way down from the local governments.

The calls for overall of the criminal justice system was fortified by the Black Lives Matter movement and books like The New Jim Crow. On the book's page 140, it writes, "President Trump's repeated calls for "law and order" represent a clear turn backward to the rhetoric used by Richard Nixon in 1968". The last few days we know what law and order means "Domination"

Certain TV networks that promoted Trump and is still is; the primary voters who elevated him; the party and politicians who eventually surrendered and glorified him, the so-called intellectuals who argued for him, and the donors who, however grudgingly, wrote checks to him—all of them knew, by the time they made their decisions, that Trump lied all the time, about everything. They knew that Trump was ignorant, and coarse, and boastful, and cruel.

After all it is a show and the higher the ratings are means, the road to re-election. There are so many ways we can act and fight for the cause of equality. One big part is to continue correcting the propaganda,

The Promise, The Goal, The Enactment to Close The Borders, Stop Immigration and Rule Forever

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Alex Esguerra) on October 30, 2018

The power the President has over “immigration” is limited to what is established by the Constitution. The President cannot establish new rules of Naturalization. He cannot issue waivers to overturn rules of Naturalization that are established in compliance with the Constitution.

From the issue of the ending DACA when this administration started by the Attorney General, building walls on the border of Mexico, the impending show of military might on a caravan fleeing persecution from a hostile country and now the ending of the constitutional birthright in the United States. It's kinda hard really to simply stay silent when all this adds to the divisions and the new way how people see America as a country.

The power over foreign immigration is delegated through Article 1 section 8 clause 4; “To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization.” Because it is delegated under Article 1, we know this power is specifically vested in Congress. Separation of powers dictates that since the power to establish this Rule is rests in Congress, it cannot be exercised by any other branch. We can see that the executive branch cannot ESTABLISH the Rule of Naturalization, but what authority does the President have over the naturalization process?, quoted from KrisAnne Hall, Presidential Power Over Immigration article.

Hence, President Obama during his 8 years also wanted Immigration reform tried several times through Congress but was not successful. Finally, he came up with an Executive Order which created the DACA which the Trump administration tried to stop. Thanks to the courts, DACA recipients are still protected. It is an expected bombshell that right after hours when this so called new Executive Order to end the birthright of people born in the United States will immediately start the legal battle of lawsuits to challenge and stop this said order. Whether the US Congress will react on this Executive Order depends the outcome of the mid term US elections in two weeks.

Presidential proclamations, by their nature, are solely within the prerogative of the president and do not have any pre-publication notice requirement, as (for example) regulations do. Therefore, the only way to challenge a presidential proclamation suspending entry of all or some foreign nationals based on their nationality, in the case of incoming Caravan would be a post-promulgation legal challenge. Such a legal challenge would pit two well-established legal doctrines against each other. On the one hand, Congress has been deemed in many cases to have “plenary power” to make immigration rules and to delegate unrestricted discretionary enforcement power to the executive. Courts have held that statutes or exercises of discretion that would otherwise violate the equal protection guarantee under the Constitution are allowed in the immigration sphere. This is why right after this so called new Executive Order in ending the birthright of people born in the US will have such a phenomenal legal battle.

Likewise, this will add to the spectrum of how this presidency has turn out in delivering it's promises while creating a lot of division and how it had affected the citizens of this country. This will lay the framework for 2020. With the approaches this administration has taken, the likes of autocrat leaders depicts in it. The bigger question is will the Constitution even allow it or perhaps the next step is changing the Constitution using Executive Powers.

Alex Esguerra

Immigration Overhaul or Closing the Borders for Immigrants in America

Posted by Alexander Esguerra on March 11, 2018

In the last few days Attorney General Jeff Sessions slams California's refusal to comply with federal immigration policies; journalist Jorge Ramos shares his perspective on 'Hannity.'

During Mr. Seesions recent visit in Sacramento, CA he also filed a lawsuit on the State of California as the 3 state laws geared toward California's being a Sanctuary city prevents cooperation of local enforcers with Federal authorities.

Jorge Ramos examines the latino immigrant in his new book, Stranger, The Challenge of A Latino Immigrant. The book's first chapter starts with "Get Out of My Country" quoted from Trump supporter during a past rally. It continues on the instance that the author was trying to ask then candidate Trump as a journalist. Ramos explains that his issues started in New York when the Trump campaign was launched in 2015 when there was a reference to Mexicans not sending their good people but those with problems. This first statements made the ball rolling for the author as a latino immigrant while remembering certain instances when his employer Univision cut ties with the Trump organization in 1984 on the Miss USA pageant.

The author explains on hatred and statistics over the years in terms of immigration and deportations. At some point he touched on the previous Obama administration also being extremely focus on deportation with the exception of the DACA or Dreams enactment that Mr. Obama signed as an Exceutive Order.

Immigrants living in the United States as mentioned in the book goes through a lot of lifestyle and cuture changes in order to integrate to society. The mere fact is that any person who was born outside the United States will have to culturally and socially adapt when they arrive in America. Even the so called dreamers at some point had some experience on a change although not much significant for them to recall especially if they came to the US as a child.

The author cited on an interview in August 2015 with NBC by candidate Trump on the 11 million undocumented immigrants to either leave the country or be deported. Although the candidate Trump mentioned the removal proceedings may take from 18 months to 24 months, a businessman turned politician is almost like starting pre-school in such complicated policies and rule of law. As seen in the recent actions of the Applelate courts, the DACA which should have stop by now by the Executive branch has been upheld. This just validates how complicated this issue is and thankfully we have the seperate branches of governance.

Although, I share the sentiment of the author in his words the latino immigrants in the Trump era can be labelled as "discriminated minorities", the other side of the reality is that we are on a democracy. As such regardless on our racial background as immigrants, we have rights and there is such thing called "due process".

The lawsuit filed by the Attorney General against California is expected to reach the United States Supreme Court. With the all the previous Commanders' in Chief including this one, immigration has always be on their agenda. The last time the INA was revised was in 1996 and it took so much effort and yet the system is still broken as such. Immigrants place a vast role in the American economy and workforce and as the author mentioned how many and how long will Boeing 747's have to transport back the 11 million undocumented to their native countries.

It's been a learning process for the President on his first year in office. It might not be possible to change his views and perception on the subject but for sure, it would take all the branches of the government to overhaul the immigration system. And just like any complicated case in the court system, it will be quite a while to realistically obtain the absolute results.

Alex Esguerra
Affordablebookdeals

Immigration,Religion and Faith on the Undocumented - "Migration Miracle"

Posted by Alexander Esguerra on March 18, 2017

Migration Miracle, Jacqueline Maria Hagan

" In her magnificent book, Migration Miracle, Jacqueline Hagan shows that religion has not consigned to the dustbin of history, but is vital and dynamic feature of contemporary social life. It constitutes essential reading for people interested in immigration and religion alike". - Douglas S. Massey, Princeton University.

Last night as I open my News App on my phone and saw some of the recent days topics, I thought that this bestseller published in time when Barack Obama took office in 2008 was a good reference book at this time when anti-immigrant feelings are once again on the rise among Americans. It is a book casting economics and humanities towards immigration, the undocumented while exploring the harsh realities of the migrants desperate journeys especially from Mexico and Central America.

The introduction pages starts with validating Central Americans and Mexicans comprising a sizeable proportion of the growing number of unauthorized entrants in the US borders each year. In 2000, the number rose to 850.000 a year from 500,000 in 1990. This book touches on while migrants do cross the border, some of their travels are very dangerous engaging with the desert heat and such. When in the US, the desperate journey continues in working at low wage jobs on manufacturing, construction and service industries. When the book was written it described on how these migrants earn about $21000 a little more than the poverty level. Today, as we know in a lot of states this income level is the poverty level.

The book also described underlying researches on whether migrants make use of and rely more strongly on religion when they feel little control over the situations they are confronted with and when there is high risks. It looks about how Theology differences and local cultural practices may also influence the nature and extent to how these migrants uses their religious practices and beliefs in regards to the migration process.

This book concludes on faith affirmation where at each stage of the migration process, many migrants practice familiar cultural and religious acts to cope with the "Traumas" of the "Undocumented Journey". If you haven't read this great book you should as the interrelation with religion indeed touches on being human regardless if he or she is undocumented.

I will end this chapter by quoting from the book, "Faith and the construction and reproduction of familiar cultural and religious practices help many migrant believers not only endure their journeys but also face challenges and overcome misfortunes as they struggle forward in the United States".

Alex Esguerra
www.usedbooksworld.com