Mark Dworkin Quotes
Oppressed strangers in our land…
Mark Dworkin, Rabbi, Description of immigrants, “Democratic Party Policies,” Nation Magazine Town Hall Meeting, Los Angeles, August 13, 2000
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Seneca had been exiled when he wrote this.
At the time, many people referred to immigrants who had entered the United States without the proper documentation or by contravening our laws were referred to as “illegals” or “illegal immigrants”. Bank robbers and rapists were never referred to as “illegals”—only immigrants. Carroll and others pointed out that there was no such thing as an “illegal person”—only illegal acts.
A number of Americans had asked for and were granted political asylum. Many were left-wing dissidents, but a number were Southern Black Civil Rights workers who had been framed with trumped up charges by racist states and communities.
The issue of admission of relatives of citizens had, in the 20th century, become controversial as some political forces worked to restrict immigration. The result of politicizing this issue was that the relatives who would receive immigration priorities would change every time Congress legislated about anything involving immigration and asylum. Immigrants from some countries could have their aunts and uncles get priority while other countries it was only siblings, children and parents. And still others would be children only. There was also racial and ethnic discrimination in that nations with white populations received a broader right to have relatives immigrate than non-white.
