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Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Volume 2, Number 4 March 3 - 9, 2002 Quezon City, Philippines |
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Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Volume 2, Number 4 March 3 - 9, 2002 Quezon City, Philippines |
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Effects
of U.S. Counter-terrorism Campaign: "Paranoia, fear and distrust among immigrants, people of color and citizens is being fomented. In this light, the systemic violation of the rights of immigrants and migrants continues unabated. This is what President Macapagal-Arroyo supports when she fully embraces President Bush’s so-called War on Terrorism,"according to Migrante International. BY BULATLAT.COM Thousands of Filipino baggage screeners in the United States will soon be out of work because of President Bush’s so-called “War on Terrorism,” Migrante International said this week citing its sources. “Immigrant baggage screeners are not to blame for 9/11 (September 11),” said Pablo Romero, Philip Vera Cruz Justice Project spokesperson. “Yet thousands of them stand to lose their jobs because of a post 9/11 federal law that requires all screeners to be U.S. citizens.”
In a statement sent to Migrante International, Romero announced that simultaneous press conferences and protest rallies were held at three California airports - San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland - on Feb. 19, the day the federal government took over airport security. “In the San Francisco area, 1,200 mostly Filipino workers face termination,” the statement said. “(We must) protest this racist law and draw the line on the attacks on all immigrants and our civil rights and liberties.” Migrante International agrees the law unjustly targets immigrants. “This illustrates why we say the war on terrorism is increasingly a war on migrants and immigrants,” Poe M. Gratela, Migrante secretary general said. “This law unfairly discriminates and scapegoats immigrant workers.” “While we don’t argue that airport security is of utmost importance and that the safety of passengers and employees should be safeguarded, it doesn’t mean that immigrants are less trustworthy than U.S. citizens,” he said. Gratela said that the person responsible for the Oklahoma terrorist bombing in the U.S. was Timothy McVeigh, an American citizen. “Paranoia, fear and distrust among immigrants, people of color and citizens is being fomented. In this light, the systemic violation of the rights of immigrants and migrants continues unabated. This is what President Macapagal-Arroyo supports when she fully embraces President Bush’s so-called ‘War on Terrorism’,” said Gratela. For Migrante International, the President Macapagal-Arroyo and the Philippine government is also to blame for the human rights violations and racist attacks committed against overseas Filipinos under the guise of counter-terrorism. “As President Bush’s mouthpiece in Asia for its War on Terrorism campaign, President Macapagal-Arroyo is contributing to the very campaign that threatens the human rights and livelihood of Filipinos at home and abroad,” he said. Migrante International is also part of OUT NOW!, a broad multi-sectoral alliance opposed to the intervention of U.S. troops in the Philippines. Bulatlat.com We want to know what you think of this article.
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Passed
on Nov. 19 last year, the U.S. Aviation Security Law prohibits immigrants from
working as airport screeners. Such work, contracted out to private agencies, had
been held by many immigrants because of the low pay.