[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 28 (Thursday, March 10, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E403]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IMMIGRATION, CITIZENSHIP, AND NATIONAL SECURITY: THE SILENT INVASION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. THOMAS G. TANCREDO

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 10, 2005

  Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit the foreword to an 
article I authored in the Fall 2004 special migration issue of 
Mediterranean Quarterly. People on the Move: The Security, Social, and 
Economic Implications of Migration Foreword
  The long cycles of history are revealing to those who study them but 
may harbor surprises for those who choose to ignore them. The editors 
of Mediterranean Quarterly, cognizant of lessons learned or ignored, 
decided to take a closer look at a pattern of history that seems to be 
at the core of current global instability: the mass migration of people 
in search of basic means of survival, or just survival from brutal 
rulers.
  On an annual basis, approximately 100 million people either attempt 
to or actually do leave their place of birth, often not knowing where 
they will end up. More than 10 million illegal immigrants have entered 
the United States since the last ``amnesty'' in 1986, and the flow 
continues despite the promises of the North American Free Trade 
Agreement. Close to 1 million Albanians, almost one-fourth of the 
country's population, have sought refuge in neighboring countries since 
the collapse of their country's communist regime. Tens of thousands of 
Turks leave their country annually in search of work in Western Europe 
and endure the consequences of cultural discrimination. More 
tragically, young women from the poorest components of the former 
Soviet Empire have vanished into the jungle of human trafficking and 
become commodities in an ugly form of trade that is managed by the new 
barons of a dangerous underworld. Recent statistics assembled by Greek 
authorities estimate that seventeen thousand women are being exploited 
by sex merchants in the Balkans alone. Albanian mafia lords, in 
association with their former enemies and with links all the way to 
Afghanistan, control lucrative drug, gun, and human-smuggling 
operations across national borders with relative impunity. And as in 
times past, the Mediterranean Sea has become the crossroads of people 
on the move and the stage on which human tragedy unfolds almost on a 
daily basis.
  Human cargoes float from island to island in the eastern Aegean, with 
boat crews waiting for the opportunity to dump these people on dry 
land, after having extracted the last ounce of resources from their 
helpless victims. On the African shores of Gibraltar, thousands of 
Africans patiently wait for the first opportunity to cross the narrow 
stretch of water and set foot on European soil. Egyptians, Iraqis, 
Pakistanis, Filipinos, and Bangladeshis have landed on Italian, Greek, 
French, and Spanish shores over the years. They bring along their 
poverty, their energies, and their hopes. They also bring social, 
political, and now security concerns.
  More than a dozen scholars, policy makers, and political leaders 
present diverse views on this critical issue in these pages. The lead 
essay, on the security implications of illegal migration for the United 
States, is written by Congressman Tom Tancredo, Republican of Colorado, 
and the unfolding drama of African refugees is provided by Francis M. 
Deng, United Nations representative for internally displaced persons. 
Rochelle Gershuni, head of Israel's Ministry of Justice, addresses sex 
exploitation and human trafficking and its consequences for her 
country. Scholars of diverse origins and viewpoints deal with migration 
issues in Spain, Egypt, Turkey, and Greece and the South-North 
migration in the United States and Canada. Naturally, we do not pretend 
that we provide a complete picture of a huge historical phenomenon, but 
we do hope to spark a debate on the social, policy, security, and 
economic implications caused by ``people on the move.''
  Historical patterns show that mass population movements have altered 
cultures, demolished empires, given birth to new ones, and ultimately 
compelled humankind to organize itself into nation-states, with 
sovereignty determining their national characters. Now the nation-state 
that saw its birth in the Treaty of Westphalia is in retreat as an 
organizing concept of human events. Multiculturalism, globalization, 
poverty, and the North-South global economic divide have altered the 
patterns of civilization to a degree unprecedented since the eastern 
tribes overwhelmed the Roman Empire and the Ottomans reached the gates 
of Vienna.
  The advanced industrial democracies, the ultimate destination of 
people on the move, have shown a lack of vision about the implications 
of mass movements of people in search of a livelihood. In their pursuit 
of high profits with cheap labor in the shortest time, they have 
adopted immigration policies that no longer facilitate the orderly 
integration of cultures and the peaceful evolution of new forms of 
ethnic identity. Instead of inviting potential citizens seeking a 
better life, the industrial nations have institutionalized the 
transplantation of ethnic communities and have set in motion a process 
for their own national balkanization.
  The essays included in this special issue of Mediterranean Quarterly 
(with more to follow in future issues) examine problems caused by 
migration both in countries of destination and countries of origin. It 
behooves the first to examine their social policies and the latter to 
come to grips with their inability to match national resources with 
their peoples' needs. By selectively examining problems on both sides 
of the divide, the editors hope to spark a debate that will be grounded 
on the reality that a silent invasion is under way that could, if left 
unattended, transform world politics and foment global turmoil for 
generations to come.

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