Thursday, June 14, 2007

Affirmative Action for Immigrants?

If you've read this blog for any length of time you'll know that I have an interest in the topic of affirmative action.

It's an aspect of the immigration situation I hadn't thought of before. Ward Connerly of the American Civil Rights Institute--who has done yeoman's work to advance racial justice and the realization of Martin Luther King's dream--recently released an open letter pointing out that "under existing laws and policies, the majority of immigrants coming to America will automatically be eligible for race preferences and privileges not provided to the great majority of Americans" and arguing that "any legislation addressing immigration should make explicit that while immigrants and their descendants should be afforded the right to compete fairly and freely in every aspect of American life, they should receive no special benefit on the basis of race, ethnicity or national origin."

Steve Burton of Right Reason has more.