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Homeland Security Act – Taking Us Away From Home
The Cuevas Family
by Erin Pangilinan
Posted 2/17/04
Updated 3/22/04
From the Filipino Community Support (FOCUS) and Critical Filipina and Filipino Studies Collective (CFFSC)
A forum on Filipino Immigrant Rights and the Homeland Security Act was held
on Sunday, February 15th from 2-4PM. Paddy’s Café, a small coffee
house in Union City was filled with Filipino immigrants and Filipino American
born citizens to discuss the issue of deportation. Meant to support the Cuevas
family, a Filipino family from Fremont, Dale Cuevas expressed his emotions. “Right
now I feel very confident.” Dale Cuevas is a business major at DeAnza
College, his sister Donna a California State University, Hayward graduate
in nursing, and other sister, Dominique a psychology major at San Jose State
University.
The Cuevas family came as tourists in 1985. They recently applied for legalization
and were targeted to be deported. They faced “voluntary departure” on
the 17th. Voluntary departure is the last day before the family will be forced
to be deported.
The Cuevas family is just as American as any other family. The children do
not speak a word of Cebuan, and their father originated from Mindanao. They
maintain a typical good life, finishing their studies and working.
If deported, they would be sent back to Mindanao, the southern part of the
Philippines which is predominantly Muslim. It is known for its violence and
poverty. Dale’s father stated that the reason why he and his wife left
the Philippines was the political unrest of the assassination of the opposition
leader Benigno Aquino.
Members of various Filipino support organizations have united to help the family. Currently,
signatures have been collected online and around the Bay Area to send to
CA Senator Diane Feinstein in hopes that she would sponsor a private bill that
would grant permanent U.S. residency for the family.
These newly enacted laws are unjust. On October 26th, 2001, The Patriot Act
became law. In January of 2003, The Department of Homeland Security revises
its figures, targeting 85,000 Filipinos for removal. Since 9/11, these acts
have been enacted to supposedly ensure Americans of their safety from terrorists.
You call that “Homeland Security?” I don’t feel safe at
all if there are people I know who are being taken away from their home.
It was not just Middle Eastern immigrants that were targeted for racial profiling.
Cambodian Americans faced deportation last year as well. Other groups have
also been targeted: South Asians, Mexicans, and Central Americans.
Historically, the Philippines has been imperialized. An originally Muslim country,
it was taken over by Spain with the explorer, Ferdinand Magellan. Thus, the
Philippines because “Christianized;” the primary religion of
the Philippines being Catholic. Coming to America, many of them keep the
same traditional Catholic values, completely unconnected with relations in
Mindanao. It is simply absurd to discriminate against a race of a people
whose religion is not even connected with terrorists. Similarly, it feeds
into the stereotype that if you are Muslim, you are automatically a terrorist.
Obviously, the Patriot Act and Homeland Security Act violate our civil rights;
it is no different from the behavior in the 18th century.
Without due process of law, we do not hold our constitutional ideologies and
are lost. The U.S. government has kept the Cuevas family from their 14th
amendment, citizenship.
Taking action, a bill, the DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for
Alien Minor Act) gives us hope to change these injustices. Under this legislation,
college aspirants who are illegal aliens and who evidence genuine academic
and professional potential would gain the opportunity to become U.S. residents.
They would qualify for citizenship if they obtained their high school diploma
or equivalent (GED) within four years of the law’s enactment and either
enrolled in college or graduated from college.
But be warned, there are still dangerous bills out there. The Clear Law Enforcement
for Criminal Alien Removal (CLEAR) Act – HR2671 authorizes local and
state police to act as immigration law enforcers. “CLEAR has over 112
co-sponsors. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Senator Zell Miller (R-GA)
introduced the Homeland Security Enhancement Act (S.1906), CLEAR’s
Senate counterpart, last November 2003. CLEAR imperils public safety and
violates the civil rights of immigrant and refugee communities.” <http://www.nnirr.org> This
act threatens us with possible illegal racial profiling and deportations.
Dale
Cuevas at the forum on Filipino Immigrant Rights and the Homeland Security
Act.
