"I would venture to say that no other segment of the American population was affected by immigration as much as the American Indian. Lands occupied for centuries by the indigenous people were opened up (stolen) and a flood of settlers converged wiping out the livelihood of the people and forcibly removing many tribal groups to unwanted and unproductive lands.

What caused the infamous Trail of Tears? It was the greed of the immigrant settlers salivating over the rich farmlands and homes of the Cherokee people. With the full support of the United States government thousands of happy and productive Indian families were uprooted from their homelands and marched to Oklahoma Territory. Many of the elders and young died on this infamous death march. A lot of recent immigrants profited from this callous takeover of Indian lands.

Since 9/11 the American people have been taking a second look at the porous borders between the United States and Mexico. Congress is atwitter with grandiose ideas about how to stem the flow of illegal immigrants. But the one factor looming largest in the newly hatched schemes is greed. Farms and factories would have serious economic problems if their source of cheap labor were suddenly cut off."

Get the Story:
Tim Giago: Watching the Mayflower drop anchor (The Native American Times 4/3)

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