Scapegoating migrants

The nativist myth: When God created the world, in his wisdom he placed a fixed number of jobs in each country. He also dictated that people within a country should stay only in that country, regardless of famine, drought, war, or love. They should not migrate to other countries, as they would upset the balance and there would be too many people and too few jobs. Therefore it is the job of people in a country to protect the jobs they have, for they will never get more, and the ones they have might be stolen and carried away in a box to another country, along with their cars and other belongings

Assuming that people really believe the story above is the only way I can make sense out of recent anti-migration rhetoric in the US and EU. Indeed the news this week has been surreal. I have been listening to reports and call-in show hosts on BBC stoking the perception that migrants cost money, and encouraging discussion on their contribution to crime. Government officials are also stoking the rhetoric. "Gordon Brown has pledged more jobs for British workers." And when government policy fails (like housing in the UK) it is easy to blame foreigners as they may pay taxes but may not vote. In the Netherlands, there are serious proposals to throw Poles (apparently just Poles for some reason, perhaps because they work too hard) out after six months in Holland-- notwithstanding EU treaties. "Rita Verdonk..said she found the discussion on the integration of Poles unnecessary since Poles should not settle here permanently." Italy is planning to deport EU nationals (i.e. Romanians) for petty crime -- again in violation of EU treaties. ("Italy has begun rounding up thousands of Romanian immigrants for deportation after passing a new "public order and security" law...The move appeared to have the blessing of the European Union. Nello Rossi, the head of Italy's National Magistrates Association, said that "The new law does not appear to conform to our own constitution or to the European law which recognises the right of European citizens to circulate freely and stay within the territory of any member state.") And the Swiss have plans to deport entire families when a child falls short of the law. ("The SVP party has begun a campaign seeking the 100,000 signatures necessary to force a referendum ...(that) calls for the deportation of the entire family if the convicted criminal is a minor... The initiative is reminiscent of the Nazi practice of Sippenhaft, or kin liability.") The rhetoric across Europe is disturbingly racist and tribal. And in the US, the racist anti-migrant rhetoric (immigrant bashing has an anti-Hispanic tone in the US) is steeped in irony. Many (most?) "native" US citizens have Irish or German or Italian ancestors who were refused work because they were Irish or German or Italian. Indeed my own grandmother was an undocumented migrant from Ireland to the US. She was not a criminal. She was simply undocumented.

And then I read stories like this: Towns rethink laws against immigrants, New York Times, 26 September 2007. To quote: "A little more than a year ago, the Township Committee in this faded factory town became the first municipality in New Jersey to enact legislation penalizing anyone who employed or rented to an illegal immigrant.Within months, hundreds, if not thousands, of recent immigrants from Brazil and other Latin American countries had fled. The noise, crowding and traffic that had accompanied their arrival over the past decade abated. The law had worked. Perhaps, some said, too well. With the departure of so many people, the local economy suffered. Hair salons, restaurants and corner shops that catered to the immigrants saw business plummet; several closed. Once-boarded-up storefronts downtown were boarded up again...(the mayor) was voted out of office last Fall."

Yes, when an economy works properly, migrants create work, and pay taxes, and generate demand for goods and services. They can even build housing. When an economy fails to deliver jobs and services, it is not because of migrants. But they are an easy target, and Europe has a long history of stealing the lives and property of easy targets. By promoting deeper integration, the EU was meant to help Europe rise above this dark tendency from its past. Sadly, this week has been a serious step backwards.

Strangely, this week I find myself thinking the EU needs more money to allocate across Europe for its mix of crazy agricultural subsidies, paper-work heavy research subsidy schemes, and infrastructure subsidy schemes. This way, when the Dutch turn to the center for cash, the Poles can remind them of their hospitality as hosts, and the Romanians can similarly remind the Italians. And maybe the EU can serve as a more distant scapegoat, rather than our hard-working mixed-accent neighbors.