Weulersse Georges. Histoire du Catholicisme libéral en France, 1828-1908, par Georges Weill, professeur à l’Université de Caen. Paris, F. Alcan, 1909. In: La revue pédagogique, tome 56, Janvier-Juin 1910. pp. 196-200

LADB Staff

English

Weulersse, Georges

Persee: Revues scientifique en sciences humaines et sociales

Histoire du Catholicisme libéral en France, 1828-1908, par Georges Weill, professeur à l’Université de Caen. Paris, F. Alcan, 1909

University of New Mexico

University of New Mexico
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NotiCen Latin America Digital Beat (LADB)
3-6-1997
U.S. Crackdown on Illegal Immigration Creates
Alarm in Central America
LADB Staff
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Recommended Citation
LADB Staff. "U.S. Crackdown on Illegal Immigration Creates Alarm in Central America." (1997). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/
noticen/8235
LADB Article Id:  55302
ISSN:  1089-1560
©2011  The University of New Mexico,
Latin American & Iberian Institute
All rights reserved. Page 1 of 3
U.S. Crackdown on Illegal Immigration Creates Alarm in
Central America
by LADB Staff
Category/Department:  Region
Published:  1997-03-06
Since mid-February, near-panic has gripped the Nicaraguan exile community in Miami, Florida,
because of a court decision to immediately deport thousands of undocumented Nicaraguans. That,
combined with US efforts to increase significantly its efforts this year to crack down on illegal
immigration, has alarmed the Central American countries. The isthmian governments are planning
a joint appeal to the US government to declare a moratorium on deportations, allowing them time to
prepare economic programs to assist the thousands of citizens who could be forced to return.
In early February, the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) released a new report,
which estimates that the number of undocumented foreigners now residing in the US climbed by
about 1.1 million between 1992 and 1996, bringing the total number of foreigners in the country
illegally to about 5 million. Of the total, about 2.7 million, or 54%, are Mexicans.
Isthmian nations account for 13% of illegal residents in US
The Central American countries, however, provide the second-largest group of undocumented
foreigners in the US after Mexico. Taken together, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and
Nicaragua account for about 660,000 of the illegal residents in the US, or 13.2% of the total. Top
countries of origin and estimated number of undocumented residents in the US (October 1996)
Country Number of people Percent
Mexico 2,700,000 54.1
El Salvador 335,000 6.7
Guatemala 165,000 3.3
Canada 120,000 2.4
Haiti 105,000 2.1
Philippines 95,000 1.9
Honduras 90,000 1.7
Bahamas 70,000 1.4
Nicaragua 70,000 1.4
Poland 70,000 1.4
Source: INS statistics, published by The New York Times, 02/08/97.
LADB Article Id:  55302
ISSN:  1089-1560
©2011  The University of New Mexico,
Latin American & Iberian Institute
All rights reserved. Page 2 of 3
The US job market has provided an escape valve for the Central American economies, particularly
for Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, where unemployment remains high. Regular
remittances by Central Americans working in the US to their relatives back home have become an
economic mainstay for the countries. In El Salvador, it is now the number-one source of foreign
exchange, and in Guatemala, it is the second-largest source of dollars after coffee (see NotiCen,
12/05/97).
As a result, the Central American nations are particularly sensitive to US efforts to crack down
on illegal immigration. Indeed, the growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the US, plus the US
government's increasingly belligerent stance vis-a-vis undocumented foreigners, has generated
widespread concern in the region, especially because the US says it will increase its efforts this year
to deport illegal residents. Between 1995 and 1996, total deportations increased by 36%, from 50,272
to 68,294. Of that total, Central Americans accounted for nearly 15%. For 1997, the INS has set a goal
of 93,000 deportations.
Thousands of Nicaraguans under threat of immediate deportation
Not surprisingly, then, Central American governments fear that a recent decision to immediately
deport thousands of Nicaraguans in Miami is the start of a massive crackdown on undocumented
Central Americans in the US. In early February, an appeals court in Florida upheld a new state law
that cuts off all legal recourse for stopping deportation proceedings against Nicaraguans who have
resided in the US for less than seven years.
Until now, thousands of Nicaraguans have relied on temporary work permits and other legal
mechanisms to avoid deportation since the civil war in Nicaragua ended in 1990. If the new law is
upheld, the Nicaraguan government estimates that a minimum of 20,000, and as many as 40,000,
Nicaraguans face imminent deportation. "The situation is extremely grave because it affects almost
everybody," said Roberto Arguello, a well-known Nicaraguan banker in Miami. "People are
crying, others are moving from house to house and changing their telephone numbers to escape
deportation. It's chaos."
The deportation threat has generated alarm in Managua, where the government is preparing a
special appeal to President Bill Clinton's administration to intercede on behalf of the Nicaraguans in
Florida. "I sincerely hope that a massive deportation does not occur, because it would have a grave
impact on the economy of our country," said President Arnoldo Aleman. "Our government will do
everything in its power to convince the US government to intercede on behalf of our citizens."
Regional presidents plan joint appeal to postpone deportations Given the fear that the situation now
faced by Nicaraguans foreshadows similar actions against other Central American residents, the
governments are planning a collective appeal to the US for a moratorium on deportations to give
them time to prepare for the return of their citizens. The request will be discussed with President
Clinton when he meets with the Central American heads of state in Costa Rica next May (see
NotiCen, 02/13/97).
"We are preparing an appeal to Clinton to grant us a waiting period before initiating massive
deportations," said Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Emilio Alvarez, following a conference with
LADB Article Id:  55302
ISSN:  1089-1560
©2011  The University of New Mexico,
Latin American & Iberian Institute
All rights reserved. Page 3 of 3
his counterparts in Guatemala to prepare for the presidential summit in May. "Central America
still needs time to recover from the trauma of war and economic crisis. We need to put programs
in place that will allow us to reincorporate our citizens into the work force." The initiative will
be discussed again by the foreign ministers at their next meeting in Panama in late March, and
then by the Central American presidents at a regional summit in early April. [Sources: El Tiempo
(Honduras), 01/28/97; New York Times, 02/08/97; Reuter, 01/24/97, 02/07/97, 02/14/97, 02/23/97;
La Prensa (Nicaragua), 02/10/97, 02/20/97, 02/24/97, 02/25/97; Spanish news service EFE, 02/10/97,
02/11/97, 03/03/97; Prensa Libre (Guatemala), 02/11/97, 02/12/97, 02/14/97, 02/15/97, 02/18/97,
03/03/97, 03/05/97]
-- End --


U.S. Crackdown on Illegal Immigration Creates Alarm in Central America

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U.S. Crackdown on Illegal Immigration Creates Alarm in Central America

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