BEHIND IMMIGRATION RHETORIC IS COMPLEX SET OF PROBLEMS

An interesting article by Cynthia Tucker on recent immingration policies in the U.S.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., wants to overturn a century of constitutional consensus that grants citizenship to all who are born in the United States, regardless of their parents' immigration status. He and his ilk have already pushed through a provision that makes it virtually impossible for states to issue drivers' licenses to undocumented workers.
In Georgia, Republican legislators have proposed a bill that would prohibit illegal immigrants from attending state colleges and universities. Never mind that those who are bright and resourceful enough to complete college would make excellent candidates for citizenship.

A ban on college is not really intended to curb illegal immigration, any more than a prohibition against drivers' licenses. Those proposals are intended, instead, to whip up the emotions of those Americans frustrated by the demands of an unacculturated underclass and resentful over the pace of demographic change.
If Tancredo and his coalition were genuinely interested in restricting illegal immigration, they would target businesses -- construction companies, agricultural companies, poultry plants, janitorial companies -- that hire undocumented workers. The vast majority of Latinos who risk life and limb to get into this country are looking for better jobs. If employers risked jail, they'd stop offering jobs to undocumented workers. If the jobs were cut off, illegal border crossings would drop sharply.

Trafficking bill poses risks for refugees

An interesting article in Asahi.com: it says about the bill which is to be debated in the Lower House judicial comittee in order to revise the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law.

The bill includes a clause which allows the government to share information on individuals with foreign immigration authorities. The lawyers fear that it can have a drastic impact on refugee applications because it could be used to justify improper investigations of asylum seekers.
"If the bill is passed as it is, there is a possibility that it could be used against refugee applicants to justify the disclosure of information to the countries that they fled," said Shogo Watanabe a lawyer who specializes in refugee issues. "One cannot help but think the government is trying to discreetly sneak this problematic clause in to a bill that most people would agree is a good move to help trafficking victims."

『外国人お断り』 - Japanese Only

Andreas told me about this shocking website: THE ROGUE'S GALLERY, that shows photos of places in Japan which exclude or restrict non-Japanese customers.

According to the website, a lot of public baths, saunas, pubs and cafes in Japan are refusing foreigners or those who don't understand Japanese, because of foreigners' bad manners. Some pubs allow them to come in, only if they are with a Japanese. At the pubs where foreign entertainers are working, such as Filipino-pubs or Russian-pubs, the entrance of foreign customers tend to be strictly prohibited.

The Foreign Angle

An interesting article in The Japan Times Online: The foreign angle by Takaya Kawasaki.

"At a time when skilled, valuable workers directly influence corporate destiny, the article asks if Japanese corporations with limited promotion opportunities for skilled, talented foreign workers can hope to compete in a global market."

"As long as the government pushes current immigration laws (with further, more strict regulations imminent), which are aimed at excluding foreign workers and contrary to the reality of labor market, the number of foreigners who don't respect the community, and thus commit crimes, will continue to grow."

改正入管法 成立

前回のポストで触れたが、27日に衆議院本会議で可決された改正入管法について、各紙次のように報じている。朝日新聞と他紙の報じ方の違いに注目。
朝日新聞
毎日新聞
読売新聞

Associated Press poll on immigration attitudes

An article in International Herald Tribune Online: Japanese evenly divided on immigrants reports about the poll conducted on the influence of immigrats in Japan;

"Forty-four percent of respondents said immigrants were a good influence on their country, but the same percentage called immigrants a bad influence,.....Seventy-four percent of respondents said they believed foreigners take the jobs that Japanese nationals do not want. Fifty-eight percent said it was better for the country to have a variety of people with different religions, while 37 percent said a population that shared the same customs and traditions was better."

"Authorities and media reports suggest that illegal aliens are behind a recent crime surge, but statistics show that foreigners commit crimes at about the same rate as Japanese."

Same kind of polls on immigration attitudes were conducted in the other world's leading industrial countries and they found that the citizens tend to have negative views of the influence of immigrant. --Immigrants worry leading nations(Columbia Daily Tribune)

Japan raises penalties for illegal immigrants

According to International Herald Tribune, the parliament approved a bill on Thursday to tighten immigration rules, as concern increased over Japan's vulnerability to international terrorism.

"The legislation raises the penalty for illegally staying in Japan to ¥3 million, about $27,000, from ¥300,000. It also prohibits foreigners who have been deported from re-entering the country in the next 10 years, twice as long as before. The measure is to be phased in over a year."