The article By the Time I Get to
Cucaracha by Celia C. Perez-Zeeb tackles the timely topic of
immigration reform from the perspective of the
laws that allow
immigrants to become
citizens by marrying someone who is already a citizen. The author considers how this method for
becoming a
citizen in the US
is both far more difficult in reality than is though, and how it has been used
as a simple plot device for numerous television shows. Perez-Zeeb’s point is that trivializing the
legalities involved in this process and turning it into fodder for
entertainment serves to further deepen the stereotype of lazy immigrants
looking to illegally take advantage of wealth of the US economy.
One
of the more interesting observations made in the article is how society seems
to be more offended by cultural stereotypes as they apply to animals than to
actual human beings. As she points out
the use of a chihuahua to depict Mexicans causes a greater uproar than the racist
dialogue directed toward an
immigrant character in the TV show Will & Grace.
She is also right on target when she observes that had the racist
epithets been appropriately directed toward an African-American, there would
have been a tremendous outpouring of outrage.
The
writer also draws attention to an
important and too often overlooked unfairness
in the laws surrounding immigration.
While Pres. Bush leads the effort among American politicians to build a
700 mile long fence to keep Mexican immigrants out of the United States, foreigners
who are star athletes, popular entertainers or successful business owners
freely fly in and out of the
country with absolutely no trouble. Perez-Zeeb
argues that the primary motivation for allowing ease of access into the US by
foreign-born citizens isn’t to provide sanctuary for the oppressed, but is
rather good old-fashioned economics.
In other words, the more likely an immigrant’s ability to contribute to
the tax base of the US,
the better his chance of not being sent back.
As has been propagandized in high profile cases this country has a history of giving unfair preference to celebrity immigrants, while ignoring the similar needs of the less famous. The author uses this
perspective to further her argument that current laws regarding marriage and
obtaining US
citizenship are discriminatory toward women.
This is because, at least according to the author, most illegal immigrants
who attempt to obtain US citizenship through the marriage laws are women, who
are then at the mercy of the male citizen who holds excessive power over the
immigrant spouse based on the way in those laws are written.
While
this article is clearly heartfelt and the author is passionate, unfortunately
it suffers as a result of that very aspect.
The use of phrases in the popular vernacular such as I think it’s
messed up as well as the gratuitous use of a four-letter obscenity undermine the seriousness of the article. Even more damaging is that the author
waits until the final paragraph to introduce the concept that many immigrants
from South and Central America are fleeing oppressive regimes supported by the US government,
and then neglects to offer evidence or citations to back up these claims. As a result, the essay often seems unfocused
and even amateurish, despite raising several valuable and important points.
Overall,
the article reads like a passionate blog entry that might be successful in
getting a reader to investigate the issue further.
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