Peter                          Brimelow writes: Banu Suresh is "an English as a Second Language                          instructor at the College of Alameda," a telling example                          of the way in which immigration is creating                          self-reinforcing interest groups. What I find                          interesting about his response, given that its extreme                          emotionalism is typical if depressing: an intense                          disinclination, rationalized in various ways, to accept                          that "American" is a legitimate and meaningful term. So                          America is not merely being transformed, as I said in my                          original article - it is also being deconstructed.

[Note: The   original article spelled                          Brimelow as Brimielow throughout. This was corrected to                          avoid confusing the search engines.]

GUEST COMMENTARY

Times commentary all wrong about the ills of                          immigration

Published Sunday, December 12, 1999

PETER BRIMELOW'S article (Contra Costa Times,                          Dec. 4) titled "Immigration policy stupid, evil and                          hurting Americans," is itself stupid, evil and                          hurting immigrants. Not to mention inflammatory.

We need to stop being afraid. We need to keep                          reminding ourselves that skin color doesn't run.

The writer is sadly half-informed or blatantly                          envious of the apparent success of immigrants in this                          country. If anything, immigration should motivate "native-born Americans" to clean up their act and                          get a better education. Brimelow needs to encourage                          people to compete. A little competition is good for the                          soul.

If only he could see from the other side of the                          fence. I have lived in four ethnically diverse countries                         Australia,                         India,                         Singapore, and now the United States - and the story                          is always the same:                         xenophobia, or the fear of the unknown. Just get to                          know one "immigrant" and you will see what I mean. If                          you can even visualize what hardships many of these                          "immigrants" have gone through, the humiliation they                          have experienced, you just might begin to understand                          life from their point of view.

Some of us feel big by making others feel small. An                          "immigrant" on the bus with bright smiley earrings was                          confronted by an elderly woman who came right up to her                          face and said with a gentle smile "I love those                          earrings. They make up for your face."

Brimelow argues that "Americans as a whole are no                          better off economically because of mass immigration." Define American.

Are Americans those who, according to recent studies,                          originally drifted to this continent from Asia?

Are Americans those                         inhabitants who were first discovered on this land                          by                         Christopher Columbus?

Are Americans those who were born of the                         immigrants who stepped off the Mayflower?

Are Americans those who were born in captivity when                          the slaves were brought to this country?

Are Americans those who were                         born in this country after California was                         taken away from Mexico?

Or does the word American today include                         all those who pay their                         taxes? Let's keep it simple.

He also says the immigration policy "second-guesses the American people who have shown                          through smaller families that they want to stabilize                          population size." Has it occurred to anyone that                          people are so busy trying to make a living that they                          cannot cope with the thought of sharing their lives with                          yet another child? Have you considered that                         religious factors may have prevented some immigrant                          families from keeping their size small? Have you                          considered                         ethical reasons that may have prevented immigrant                          families from seeking an abortion? Have you considered                          that fear of being alone once the children are gone may                          have something to do with having more than one child?

Brimelow also says " ... and ultimately                          threatening the American nation itself — what Abraham                          Lincoln called "the last, best hope of Earth — with                          cultural and linguistic "fragmentation."

Have you ever experienced learning another language?                          If you studied it with your heart, you might hail it as                          a divine experience. Here are some real-life facts.                          People whose first language is not English appear to                          make a greater effort to learn English than the other                          way around. And as long as the United States continues                          to entice people of a non-English speaking background, I                          believe it has a responsibility to give them the same                          linguistic opportunities to succeed in life as                          main-English speakers.

I am sure Congresswoman Barbara Jordan meant well for                          the poorer people already in this country when she                          recommended that the United States halve its immigration                          intake, but I am equally sure that Sen.                         Spencer Abraham must have had greater foresight when                          he "sabotaged"                          the most recent chance of reform, the Smith-Simpson                          immigration bill, in 1996, Instead of finding excuses                          for our lowly performances, if we could improve our lot                          through education and training, we may not need to close                          our doors to competition.

Needless to add,                         Professor Borjas' book, "Heaven's Doors,"[sic,                          actually Heaven's Door] has been hailed as "brilliant" because of his honest                          admission that his "thinking on this (immigration)                          issue has changed substantially over the years." I                          am sure there are other successful people like Borjas                          whose views on immigration may have changed over the                          years. But scholarly statistics aside, we are talking                          about real people here, not numbers. People with                          families to feed, educate and clothe; people with the                          same burning desire to succeed as the Borjases of the                          world, who want the same opportunities that their                          predecessors got. And maybe in 30 years time, these                          folks too will write "brilliant" books about why the                          United States should stop immigration.

Brimelow also says "the benefit to native-born                          Americans is infinitesimally small." As compared to                          what? Without the contest provided by immigrants, we may                          not even see this "small" benefit. So let us be                          grateful for small mercies. Unless you wish to add "as compared to what we have to put up with ... "

He also says "current mass immigration is not                          benefiting Americans overall — but it is transforming                          their country. For nothing." May I remind that this                          transformation began hundreds of years ago, possibly                          thousands. And certainly not for nothing. Immigrants                          down the centuries have always had to work twice as hard                          for half as much. And this is an undisputed fact if only                          you would care to interview some of them.

Brimelow argues that "almost half of the                         increased wage gap between high school dropouts and                          high school graduates can be attributed to immigration." Instead of "attributing" everything to immigration, why                          don't we motivate our young people to think beyond                         high school? Then there need                         be no concern about such disparity.

He argues that immigrants tend to be unskilled, but                          many immigrants actually come to this country quite                          skilled in                         various trades, occasionally in areas that cannot be                          used in this country. That does not diminish their                          aptitude for retraining. Neither does it mean that we                          should stop training our own "native-born Americans." In case you are not aware, many highly qualified                          immigrants actually have to go through with what I would                          like to call "the equalization process." Their overseas                         degrees are assessed for equivalency, and almost                          inevitably reduced by at least a couple of years.                          Occasionally, overseas experience is blatantly                          discounted because it has not yet stood the "rigorous"                          test of American standards.

While I am not against such practices that protect                          those who immigrated to this country earlier, I may                          point out that degrees from main-English speaking                          countries are generally given approval right away. The                          rest have to fight it out the best way they know how.                         Foreign Ph.D.s are required to retake their master's                          here. Overseas                         doctors have known to take up jobs as CNAs because                          of such practices, and often can diagnose a patient                          before the local student doctor can even begin to                          understand the problem. But he must hold himself back,                          because his overseas experience is not recognized here.

Brimelow also says that employers prefer to import                          cheap young                         immigrant programmers, but he left out "better." The fear of competition is clearly                          against the capitalistic culture this nation boasts. In                          the words of Bill Gates "If all the Indians were to                          leave America, I would follow them." Gates would                          know, wouldn't he?

If immigrants tend to accept                         low-paying jobs in unskilled markets, it may not                          always mean that they are unskilled. It might simply                          mean that they are going through the painful process of                          resettlement.

But all immigrants bring to this nation a wealth of                         experience,                         expertise, and above all,                         hope. So let us not discount their experiences nor                          dismiss their past by a sweep of the pen, brandishing                          all immigrants as the culprit of our problems.

Suresh is an                          English as a Second Language instructor at the College                          of Alameda.