Immigration/Refugee

Crisis, Religion, and Globalization and the Post-Colonial State

Rev. David Vsquez-Levy, President, Pacific School of Religion
Dr. Hatem Bazian, Co-Founder, Zaytuna College & Faculty, UC Berkeley
Dr. Karla Suomala, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Judaism, Luther College

RSHR3060 Paris Summer 2016
JSTB -Alejandro Bez


General overview
Whats todays status?
Is Immigration diminishing?
Are we providing adequate help and support to our migrant and refugees?

At the beginning when I was deciding to take this course, I thought I knew more than 70-80% of the
causes for migration.

When I was a Scalabrinian Seminarian, I used to work for migrants and refugees. I studied the social,
historical, and political causes of migration. It reminded me of the story of Rosa (from the film
Abused) who decided to follow the trade and moved to a state and city what could provide a job.
Rosa left pursuing a job not only family reunification and economic reasons.
I felt that I knew all the reasons why Rosa and any other immigrants leave their countries.

However, the presentations by Dr. Vazquez, Bazian, and Somalia changed my view 180 degrees.
From thinking that I knew it all, to I don't know anything yet. I was extremely surprised to reflect and
read that today's world issues on migration are NOT results from some issues that were perhaps
originated in the last few decades, but they are directly related and expected
from the colonial state. Todays extensive massive migrations, refugees seekers are results of the
post-colonial consequences.

The core of my reflection on this issue is not to repeat and verbatim the reasons that I learned, and I
could quote, but how these facts completely impacted my view of this migration and refugees in
today's world.

The following statements clearly summarized the causes and implied the endless consequences of
the colonization and post-colonizations:

Globalization, the current invasive and exploitative type, is nothing more than the continuation
of the colonial regime under a more improved control and command structure with the highest
value being cost savings and efficiencies.

Colonization begins with land and the resources present in it. Controlling the raw materials discussed
above was made possible by the forceful removal of populations from their ancestral lands. In this process,
the colonizer gained access and eventually owned the land and everything on it including the people
themselves. Thinking of land and its centrality to daily life: housing, agriculture, natural resources,
underground water, roads and transportation, all types of pipelines, electricity generation, energy, silicon,
gold, silver, minerals, precious stones, sports activities, advertisement space, and military defenses to
name a few. The takeover of the land is central to the colonial project and continued to shape the post-
colonial for those stolen lands were never returned. Indeed, removing colonized populations from the land
created surplus labor or more like manufacturing poverty conditions that make individuals focused solely
on seeking to fulfill basic human needs of food and shelter. Possessing land for indigenous populations
translates to self-sufficiency in food as well as sustainable living from what can be grown and consumed
locally from the owned land (ownership be it individually or collectively)

Colonization was focused on severing the indigenous populations land relations and replaced it with a
colonial economy focused on achieving total dependency on colonially supplied and market controlled
products. Since the colonizer already took possession of the best lands and the more lucrative resources,
then the ability to control the livelihood of the colonized populations is the instrument deployed to
engender cooperation and malleability to colonial demands.

Forceful removal from the land had far reaching consequences and disrupted the existing tribal, social,
political, economic and religious balances in colonized regions. A by-product of forceful removal and
population movement away from their ancestral lands is the intensification of conflicts among the
various local groups. As each group is moved or separated from its land, they begin to struggle to keep
more of the shrinking territory and resources at the expense of another group facing similar
circumstances. This conflict had the further benefit of the colonial power to fragment existing societies
at the micro level, thus increasing the ability to control and manipulate local politics and select those
who are ready to sell their soul and community to the highest bidder. Death, murder, destruction, and
genocide are constitutive and productive in the colonial project with devastating results across the
globe. Whenever violence is witnessed in the global South, focus not on the immediate identity of
the foot soldiers fighting for survival on the plantation level but look for those near and far who
situated, nurtured, benefited and administered the colonially constructed plantation with
murderous viciousness."

- Source: Hatem Baziam, Immigration Crisis: The Collapse of the Post-Colonial State Part 2.

As a young Jesuit who is studying to become a priest, I just rekindled my passion and love for the
something that once upon had; the advocacy for the poor and vulnerable specially the migrants and
refugees.

From 1999-2004, I felt in love this with the ministry, and I work intensively on immigration reformed.
However, after 2004 and I became a Jesuit, I left this ministry and focused on studies. I guess I
distance myself from my reality since I was also searching American Citizenship. I wanted to feel
American. I wanted to feel assimilated and welcomed in this country that I have been since 1997.
Thus, having a distance from the immigrants and refugees, it was a way to feel that assimilation.

On Tuesday, June 7, 2016, I officially became US Citizen and today it is the first time that I have
written a reflection of my feeling and emotions as a result of that process. How do our classes relate
to my personal changes?

As I became "safe" and "privileged" on my status as US Citizen, I feel that I have given permission to
"feel, approach and work" again for the immigrants and refugees. Thus, I felt that our readings and
conversations in the last few days had confirmed my conviction to begin again to advocate and leave
the bystander and fearful effect. I wonder really why did I feel unsafe? Why did I feel that need to
separate myself from my reality? I am migrant. I am a new comer, yet I was rejected my identity.

Visiting the refugee camp and as well as St. Bernard (it just happened to be a Scalabrinian Parish),
were friendly reminders that this is who I am: I'm a migrant who after many struggles, difficulties and
opportunities what were given by many people along the way, I was able to accomplish my dreams
and even became American Citizen. I could have never done it alone, and this is the same story of the
migrants and refugees today. They need that hand that provides opportunities.