Sexual Abuse Fueled by Abusive Immigration Language

via AlterNet:



Sexual Abuse Fueled by Abusive Immigration Language

By Amanda Marcotte, RH Reality Check. Posted April 7, 2008.

Describing immigrants in dehumanizing terms like "illegals" turns immigrant women into targets for sexist oppressors, from anti-choicers to rapists.



In all the furor over rising immigration rates in the U.S. -- often disguised as concern over "illegal" immigration -- one story in particular demonstrates that contrary to scare stories about the effect of immigration on this country, the reality is that this country is often a scary and oppressive place for immigrants. And immigrant women, having drawn the double whammy card, are especially vulnerable. A 22-year-old immigrant from Colombia exposed her immigration agent using the threat of deportation to rape her, using her cell phone to tape the assault. Unfortunately, as is all too common with these sorts of stories, most reports describe the event as sex, even while making it clear that the sex is question was coerced, and should be more accurately described as rape.

The story has hooks most likely because it's about how a common crime -- sexual blackmail against immigrants and other women marginalized in society -- became more difficult to hide and ignore because of new technologies. But despite the dubious reasons why this story hit the mainstream news, the activist community can still seize this opportunity to make two very important points: 1) Immigration is a feminist issue and 2) The distinctions between "legal" and "illegal" immigrants is red herring to distract from the fact that it's immigrants, full stop, who face oppression under a tidal wave of anti-immigration sentiment.

This woman's story demonstrates the way that the cut-and-dry distinctions between illegal and legal immigrants touted by the Lou Dobbses of the world tend to turn shades of gray when examined closely. Or actually, shades of paperwork. The rape victim entered the U.S. legally on a tourist visa and overstayed, but managed to enter the system to get her green card by marrying a citizen, which all but the worst mouth-breathers accept as a legitimate way to get a green card. Her story shows why it's front-loaded and racist to describe a human being as "illegal," especially when her illegal actions were misdemeanors such that they didn't even raise the ire of the law when she got her paperwork in order. I've managed to drive a car before after letting my inspection lapse, and then got the ticket straightened out by renewing my inspection sticker, an equivalent crime. No one describes my very being as illegal, though. Though rape, on the other hand, is not a minor crime and is earth-shattering enough that it's acceptable to describe the people who commit that crimes as "rapists," I suspect that rapists get called by that moniker less often than immigrants without their paperwork in order get called "illegals." ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/81275/