5 Reasons Why Caribbean Nationals Must Pay Attention to American Politics
Caribbean nationals have been migrating to the United States since the 1900’s. The migrants at that time consisted of mainly labourers, including agriculture workers from the British West Indies programme. As of 2017, there are approximately 4.4 million Caribbean immigrants residing in the United States. The political climate in the US is constantly fluctuating and things can change in an instant.
However, there are some policies that are pursued by the current US government that may not only affect nationals abroad but also the people living in the Caribbean:
1. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.
Firstly, Caribbean nationals must be up-to-date with the politics around them as it governs them and their lives wherever they may have settled. Being in a new country they would need to know their rights, what is legal and illegal and how the system works. The American system greatly differs from that of the Caribbean nations, as the Caribbean islands were mainly colonized by Britain and France and legislation is fashioned after European law.
2. FINANCIAL IMPACT.
As the current administration is proposing to introduce a tax repatriation plan, Caribbean nationals need to monitor the progress of this proposal, as the passing of this repatriation would mean that any Caribbean financial institutions that legally hold US assets will essentially fall into economic crisis. The financial crisis created by this will greatly impact the islands and their financial structures. Not only will the locals be affected, but any national that has investments or shares in those companies would lose a lot of money.
3 TRADE.
Although one area that the Caribbean is currently thriving from under the current US government is trade, as America has enjoyed a surplus of trade with all 14 independent Caricom countries, that could change at any moment. If the US government decided to cut off all trades with the outside, the Caribbean nations would suffer due to the lack of income from the US, there would be a shortage of many food and medical products, and many businesses would have to shut down. In the US, many, if not all, Caribbean product based institutions will shut down due to the lack of products coming in from the Caribbean.
4. CLIMATE POLICIES THAT IMPACT THE REGION.
The current US government does not support the idea of global warming and as a result, they have not made any major moves towards the reduction of carbon emissions in their country. If they are to continue along this path Caribbean islands and territories will see a rise in sea levels that will erode the coasts and even ‘drown’ the islands that are geographically flatter or lower. Many people will have to leave their homes and the islands may become deserted. This will also make a large dent in the economic structure of the Caribbean as many islands rely heavily on their coasts for tourism and agriculture. As most of the studies on global warming are done in the ‘first world’ countries, Caribbean people in the diaspora need to constantly monitor the political energy on this matter for the sake of those at home.
5. IMMIGRATION POLICIES.
The most pressing aspect of American politics that can affect Caribbean nationals on US soil are the laws and policies in place for immigrants and visitors. Although migrationpolicy.org has documented that Caribbean immigrants are more likely to obtain lawful or legal permanent residence, the slightest change in the political view of immigrants can lead to the deportation of undocumented immigrants and their families, or even ban Caribbean people from being able to enter the United States at all. This will greatly affect them as many move or visit there for education, medical reasons, and even to make money to send home. The Caribbean islands would not be able to facilitate the influx of returning nationals.
It is very important to study and be well versed in the law of the land that you are living in, and in the case of Caribbean nationals in the United States they are doing so not only for the sake of themselves and their lives abroad but also for the family and friends that they left behind.