Timelines

Migration ist eine globale Realität und seit jeher Teil der Menschheitsgeschichte. Dennoch gehört sie bis heute zu den am stärksten umkämpften öffentlichen Themen. 

Sowohl Menschen als auch Grenzen sind ständig in Bewegung. Wer sich bewegen darf und wem Rechte zugesprochen werden, zeigt, wer als Teil der Nation angesehen wird. In Deutschland wie in den Vereinigten Staaten sind diese Debatten — und die damit verbundenen politischen und gesellschaftlichen Praktiken — eng mit sich wandelnden Vorstellungen von „Rasse“, Kultur und Sprache verbunden. 

Diese Zeitleisten zeigen, wie Rechte und Zugehörigkeit durch Gesetze, migrantische Bewegungen und Kämpfe, globale Ereignisse und kulturelle Werke ausgehandelt, infrage gestellt und neu definiert wurden — und wie diese Geschichten bis heute nachwirken. 

Entstanden sind die Zeitleisten in einem community-basierten Prozess gemeinsam mit Partner*innen aus migrantischen Selbstorganisationen, Bildungsinstitutionen und Wissenschaft sowie mit Unterstützung vieler weiterer Beteiligter und Ehrenamtlicher.

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1980
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1989
Central American Civil Wars & Refugees

The 1980s marked a new era of immigration to the United States, as the U.S. government, under President Carter, expanded its recognition of refugees (see also: Increased Asylum as U.N. Definition of Refugee Adopted, 1980) beyond those fleeing communist regimes.

Concurrently, many Central American countries were undergoing widespread social unrest. Large-scale Marxist movements clashed with military and paramilitary forces, many of them supported by the U.S. military. Despite the 1980 Refugee Act, newly elected President Reagan and his administration denied asylum to those fleeing to the U.S. on the grounds that Central American governments were not violating human rights. Despite these efforts, nearly a million Central American migrants entered the United States, many without documentation. A solidarity network, known as the Sanctuary Movement, grew out of growing concerns for the United States’ role in Central America, the blockades placed on asylum seekers, and the large number of human rights violations. This movement worked to create safe spaces and support for refugees fleeing Central America.
Xerox Scan of National Catholic Report on the Press Conference launching the Sanctuary Movement on March 29th, 1982.
Xerox Scan of National Catholic Report on the Press Conference launching the Sanctuary Movement on March 29th, 1982.
The Sanctuary Movement was a religious and political campaign aimed at providing safe havens for refugees fleeing the Central American civil wars and unrest. Many religious denominations were included in the effort of providing food, shelter, and resources to fleeing Central Americans. They also would protest and lead campaigns against governmental actions in regards to deportations and rejecting fleeing refugees.
United States
Sources
  1. Susan Gzesh. Central Americans and Asylum Policy in the Reagan Era. Migration Policy Institute. April 1, 2015. Date accessed: September 12, 2015.
  2. David G. Gutiérrez. An Historic Overview of Latino Immigration and the Demographic Transformation of the United States. National Park Service. Date accessed: September 12, 2015.
  3. Central American Migration. KCET. Date accessed: September 12, 2015.
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