IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: ERIC CAMAYD-FREIXAS - LANGUAGE PROFESSOR

If you haven't read the great article in today's New York Times about Professor Eric Camayd-Freixas' bravely coming forward with his account of the Postville meat processing plant raid (see my post below), make sure you check it out. There's also a video of the professor's interview with the Times posted with the article. And you can read the essay that is the subject of the article here.

Professor Camayd-Freixas teaches at Florida International University in my hometown of Miami. According to his biography at FIU's Latin American and Carribean Center web site:

Erik Camayd-Freixas was born in Cuba, received his Ph.D. from Harvard University,
and is currently Associate Professor of Latin American literature at FIU. He is the author
of the books Realismo mágico y primitivismo and Primitivism and Identity in Latin
America, as well as a frequent contributor to literary journals of the Americas and
Europe. Dr. Camayd has lectured around the world on topics in literary and cultural
studies, ethnic narrative and poetics, historiography of Latin America and the Caribbean,
and linguistic analysis of discourse.

Well done Professor Camayd-Freixas.

Comments

[Susan]

I have read on an FBI website that it is definitely a violation of federal law, a felony in fact, if one presents a social security number that they know not to have been legitimately issued to them, even "just" to gain employment. Thus it does not matter if the SSN was made-up, borrowed, or bought. If the presenter knows it not to be their own SSN, they are committing a crime by presenting it. So I think the author is in error.

[Doris Marie Provine]

Thanks for bringing this material together. Camayd-Freixas did a great job of presenting the failure of justice in the post-raid proceedings in Postville. The treatment these workers received as criminal defendants is appalling, but so is the failure of court personnel to address their own de-legitimization by the executive branch. The separation of powers took a hit in Postville. The Judicial Conference, the ABA, the AJS, and other organizations that represent judges and lawyers should address this kind of executive action and take an official position to oppose it.