Will migrants spark a new civil-rights era?

last updated 8 January 2015

Mexico

Editorial

It’s just like the 1960s, said Mexico City’s La Jornada in an editorial. Americans are marching through the streets by the hundreds of thousands, demanding civil rights. But this time, the civil rights at issue are those of Mexican migrants. Such a backlash has been brewing for years. Ever since the 9/11 terror attacks, it’s been U.S. policy "to criminalize immigration." The Border Patrol doubled and tripled its manpower on the Mexican border and installed "sophisticated equipment" to track potential immigrants. That the effort has been a failure—the number of undocumented people has grown from 8.4 million to 12 million in five years—"means nothing to the authorities." The Bush administration continues to prioritize "security over all else, including human rights." But now ordinary Americans, "activists and religious leaders, as well as celebrities and politicians," have joined the undocumented community in demanding that migrants be recognized as vital contributors to U.S. prosperity. Perhaps these protests will "move beyond the theme of immigration and spark a wider movement" against President Bush. Migrants could be the catalyst for "a revival of civil society in the United States."