Tuesday, January 2, 2007

Immigrants' struggles in retrospect: the news of 2006

Photo by Kevin Newman

Unprecedented demonstration of immigrant solidarity in March; political debate poisons day-to-day life but has little power at legislature

WKRN ran this 2006 retrospective of the heavy Nashville news coverage on issues related to immigrants. The article mentions that despite little political action, the immigration debate has become so weaponized that all immigrants have suffered:

"Riyad Alkasem, who is active with the Islamic Center of Nashville, said the public debates stirred up by legislation that is supposed to be targeting illegal immigrants only poisoned the atmosphere for all immigrants in Tennessee."

"Even for people like him, who have been in the country for years and are citizens, 'not a day goes by that someone doesn't remind you that you're a foreigner in this land,' he said."

This sentiment was born out in stories all year long, including this one about a Kentucky cross-burning.

Other stories, with positive and negative implications for immigrants, were mentioned in the WKRN retrospective, including these previously covered by the Hispanic Nashville Notebook:


Photo credit: Kevin Newman

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