/28/18, 7)18 PMThe RAISE Act: Protecting First-World Privilege via Strategic Racism * RPA Mag Page 1 of 4https://www.rpamag.org/2018/03/the-raise-act-protecting-first-world-privilege-via-strategic-racism RPA Mag A publication of the Radical Philosophy Association The RAISE Act: Protecting FirstWorld Privilege via Strategic Racism The new immigration legislation will not achieve its ostensible goal. The criteria it proposes for new immigrants thinly conceal its racist motivations. by Grant J Silva March 6, 2018 Trump's merit-based RAISE Act (Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment) aspires to protect U.S. workers, halt wage-decline, improve the national economy, and be fairer to taxpayers. It accomplishes the above by stop‐ ping the "ow of low-skilled and unskilled immigration into the United States. This bill rewards immigrants for having an education, speaking English, pos‐ sessing wealth and entrepreneurial ambition, as well as recognizes signi#cant past achievements of would-be immigrants. It prioritizes the admission of im‐ mediate family members (spouses and children) of current U.S. residents, and makes available temporary (renewable) visas for elderly parents. On account of what its authors describe as "questionable economic and humanitarian inter‐ ests," the RAISE Act eliminates the Diversity Visa lottery and limits refugees to 50,000 a year. Unfortunately, this bill will do little, if any, of the above. Worse, it is a per‐ 4/28/18, 7)18 PMThe RAISE Act: Protecting First-World Privilege via Strategic Racism * RPA Mag Page 2 of 4https://www.rpamag.org/2018/03/the-raise-act-protecting-first-world-privilege-via-strategic-racism fect example of strategic racism coming to the rescue of "#rst-world privilege." First off, since the mid-1990s, almost all immigrants into the United States are barred from receiving federal welfare assistance for 5 years or longer (not‐ withstanding governmental bene#ts awarded to children and human traf#cking victims). The bill also ignores the fact that the U.S. economy, especially con‐ struction, farming, the hotel industry, and more, stands in need of cheap lowskilled labor. Unless people in the U.S. are willing to pay $10 for a gallon of milk and thousands of dollars more for their homes on account of increases in construction costs, this plan will fail to accomplish its promises. You cannot protect the economy by hindering the economy. Sadly, since we as a nation are unwilling to give up our addiction to low-skilled immigrant labor, the RAISE Act would contribute to factors that increase the levels of "illegal" immigration, thereby undermining the wall Trump wishes to build (in this sense I guess 'RAISE' is quite apropos). By "rewarding" English-speaking skilled immigrants, this bill perpetuates the global economic status quo and protects #rst-world privilege by curbing im‐ migration from the developing, "post-colonial" and (I guess coincidentally) nonwhite world. It targets for admission immigrants who were fortunate enough or could afford to be educated in English, completed the equivalent of high-school education (or more), or have "something" to offer - easily exploitable time and energy is not good enough anymore. Without sought after skills or wealth of some kind, this bill virtually bars entry into the United States unless one's im‐ mediate family member is already here (a notion reserved to the nuclear family) or they qualify for a refugee visa (a highly politicized category for sure). Sup‐ porters of the bill say it rewards hard-work. I contend it allows the globally 4/28/18, 7)18 PMThe RAISE Act: Protecting First-World Privilege via Strategic Racism * RPA Mag Page 3 of 4https://www.rpamag.org/2018/03/the-raise-act-protecting-first-world-privilege-via-strategic-racism lucky to further their luck. While there are, of course, countries besides the U.K. or Australia where people speak English, the RAISE Act favors immigrants from well to do eco‐ nomic backgrounds, from those places or sectors of foreign economies where wealth has historically pooled, that is, former colonial metropoles or amongst former colonial elite. It is also partial those who share certain ideological lean‐ ings and socio-economic investments serving U.S. interests (private interests, of course). As such, the RAISE Act is a reminder of the ways in which global mi‐ gration patterns are not spontaneous events but the consequence of decades, if not centuries, of economic exploitation, colonial domination and imperial aspi‐ rations. It is when migrants follow the "ow of wealth, jobs, and resources from the global south to the north, that immigration becomes "a problem." This bills says: Immigrants from Denmark or Norway welcome! Those from the poorer (and darker!) parts of Latin America or Africa, go home! As such, the RAISE Act wields racial prejudice strategically. It is not racist in the way most people think about racism, that is, the Confederate "ag waving bigot spewing racist epithets. It nonetheless relies upon racial dog-whistles by making low-skills, lack of English speaking ability, the absence of signi#cant accomplishments and wealth, or the likelihood that one might stand in-need of federal bene#ts (which in our nation's national imaginary are exclusively re‐ served for nonwhites) factors for exclusion. It crystallizes a concern many have regarding post-1965 immigration into the U.S., an era which saw an in"ux of migrants from Latin America, Asia, Africa and other parts of the developing world. Migrants who happen to be, for the most part, unskilled and nonwhite or ethnically-different from the U.S. imagined community. The architects of this 4/28/18, 7)18 PMThe RAISE Act: Protecting First-World Privilege via Strategic Racism * RPA Mag Page 4 of 4https://www.rpamag.org/2018/03/the-raise-act-protecting-first-world-privilege-via-strategic-racism bill, most notably Stephen Miller, are aware of the backlash they would face if they try to ban nonwhites from entering the United States (recall the backlash generated by talk of "shithole" nations). Instead, the RAISE Act instead goes after the other main attribute of post-1965 immigration: lack of skills. The RAISE Act betrays the immigrant narrative central the U.S. national mythos, a narrative that is by no means a perfect story (for instance, it alienates native peoples and ignores the ways migrants have routinely been treated bad‐ ly). Nevertheless, like most other settler-nations, the U.S. is and has always been a nation of "immigrants." No one said anything about rich immigrants. To the delight of nativists and neo-nationalists, this bill transforms the U.S. from a nation of immigrants to a nation-state, the home of the "American" people (read "white" people), the kind of individuals who deserve jobs, welfare bene#ts (un‐ less they're nonwhite), a thriving economy, absolute safety and security, and more, on account of having won the birth-rite lottery, thereby making entitle‐ ment out of privilege. It seeks to replenish this American people, if not through the outright growth of its own population, then through literal gate-keeping tac‐ tics that surely are not racist because they never mention a word about "race." Topics: RACISM | IMMIGRATION | GLOBAL JUSTICE | JUSTICE | POLITICS