Now showing
New Arrivals: Immigration and the Bayou State (2006)
About this film
What are the impacts of immigration on our education, social service and criminal justice systems?Over 300 years ago, the French were the first of many waves of immigrants to arrive on Louisiana's shores. Africans, Spanish, German, British, Irish, Italians, Slavs and other national and ethnic groups all made their mark on the state's history. In the 20th century, large numbers of Central Americans and Vietnamese settled in Louisiana. Recently, New Orleans construction trades and the Gulf Coast seafood industry have seen an influx of Mexican workers.These new foreign laborers are arriving at a time when Congress is debating the first major reform of US immigration law in decades. At the end of May, the Senate passed the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act (also known as the Hagel-Martinez bill). The bill will allow millions of undocumented workers "a path to citizenship." Opponents of the bill say it will provide amnesty for tens of millions of illegal aliens, and cost American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in social service expenses.This month's Louisiana Public Square will take a look at how immigration is affecting the state. How big a role do immigrant workers play…
Directors & creators
Louisiana Educational Television Authority
Subjects
public broadcasting, AAPB, Louisiana Public Square, Migrant labor, Immigration
More from this pool