REPUBLIC OF SENEGAL
One Nation – One Goal – One Faith

CONSULATE GENERAL IN NEW YORK

MEMORANDUM

Request for a Special Program
For the Undocumented Senegalese
In the United States of America

By Amadou Bocoum ( Consul General ) December 2003

A long history of close relations

As the most western point of the African continent, it is only normal that Sénégal has had early relations with the US on the opposite side of the ocean. These continuous relations date back from the slave trade era with the arrival of African slaves and workers on the eastern seaboard of America. The strength of the Senegalese contribution among the new-comers is attested to by such remarkable personalities as Phyllis Wheatley, who is said to be of Senegalese origin, and the famous Job BenSolomon, among others. There are also many important features of American culture allegedly brought about by the slaves imported from that part of West Africa, for example tobacco, peanut, and rice farming.

After the slave era, the strong relations continued, as attested to by the erection of the first US consulate in West Africa on Gorée Island by 1883. The first General Consul, Peter Strickland was appointed by President Arthur. At that time, the US was the Senegalese’s third trading partner after France and Britain. More recently, in the 1920s and 30s, the Senegalese migration to the U.S. can be traced back to the famous stories of Charlie of Harlem and the great heavyweight champion Battling Sikki a.k.a. Louis Mbarick Fall, who was first buried next to the ever-so-great Duke Ellington.

But it is only in the early 1980s that begins the constitution of a significant community of immigrants from Sénégal. They settle in New York first, and then little by little, expand across the American Nation in the 1990s. The Senegalese immigrant community has demonstrated a strong determination to improve their lives for themselves, their families and their communities.

A positive immigration

Overall, Senegalese have demonstrated a great desire in the pursuit of the American Dream. Throughout the country, from Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, Colorado, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, to New York, etc., Senegalese nationals are present, ready to make a difference. With an inherent and unrelenting desire to distinguish themselves in the pursuit of excellence, they are dedicated to a mutually enriching exchange of ideas with local communities in particular, and U.S.citizenry, in general.

Senegalese immigrants are known to quickly contribute to the tranquility and general growth of their neighborhoods and cities of residence. In New York where lives the oldest and largest Senegalese community in the US, they have made important and positive impacts on their neighborhoods, whether it is Harlem, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, or Staten Island, etc. Mainstream media such as The New York Times, New York Daily News, New York Post, ABC News, CBS News and many more, have praised the Senegalese as hard workers, good neighbors and family-oriented people.

The New York Magazine points out that "they are individual entrepreneurs who finance businesses and support families back home in their own country". The Senegalese exhibit a can-do attitude and an entrepreneurial spirit that put them square in the tradition of quality migration. The quest for economic independence is a strong tendency that makes them very reluctant to request any kind of public assistance.

 The Senegalese are also helping Americans understand the true nature of their religion, generally Islam, in particular through the Murid Community. One noticeable aspect is the belief that work and prayer are equally important. The New York Magazine in August 1, 2003 quoting an encyclopedia said, "Their collective discipline has worked wonders and has been responsible for great development". On June 19th, 1999, the magazine The Economist wrote "Uptown in Harlem, many Mourides have opened legitimate restaurants and shops. By so doing, they are changing the face of a depressed area". Scott L. Malcomson who studied for many years the Senegalese community in the United States and in Sénégal wrote in the review West of Eden about the Mourides that 
"they are notoriously hard workers empowered by the founder’s famous religio-materialist command ‘Go and work’".

Many New York City elected officials, as well as the media, have said that they noticed with great satisfaction how the Senegalese immigrant community has spearheaded the revitalization of previously decaying areas, transforming abandoned blocks into lively neighborhoods with a wide ranging variety of business stores, restaurants, car services and apartment buildings. They have all emphasized how significant this entrepreneurial spirit is to their districts. Randy Daniels, the deputy commissioner for economic development in New York State is quoted in the Economist as saying "African fabric shops, travel agents and telephone call-centers are internationalizing the economy".

A dynamic and innovative community

In total, the Senegalese have greatly contributed to communities, and sometimes at a significant risk to their personal safety. The New York Times in an article dated November 18, 1997 about a cabdriver’s murder, described them as a "little known immigrant group whose struggle to make a better life in New York City led many of them into a dangerous profession". In addition to these successes, there are many examples of the different and inspired ways that the Senegalese immigrants have helped boost business in New York:

There is absolutely no doubt that the Senegalese immigrant community in the U.S., the way they have joined hands, heads and hearts to pursue laudable goals, is a good source of inspiration to be reckoned with by America’s great principles and spirit. Thus, they follow the path traced by previous positive immigrations by having a salutary impact on US society, economy and culture.

A bonus for democracy

The Senegalese in the US are also well-known for their strong ties to their home country. They contribute significantly to growing economic, commercial and social ties between the two countries. Even though the size of the Senegalese economy may be viewed as relatively modest, the geographic location of Sénégal and its political situation made it a valuable beachhead for the business community in the US to penetrate easily the western part of the continent of Africa.

Sénégal is a democratic, peaceful and stable country, which promotes a free-market economy, the rule of law, and freedom of speech. No citizen from Sénégal can claim any particular reason to ask for an immigration protection status as refugee or asylumseeker etc. Therefore, the undocumented Senegalese in the United States of America may feel that they are victimized by Democracy in their home country! No specific immigration benefits are available to them. Even for the Green Card Lottery, established with the specific goal of adding diversity to US, Sénégal has been allocated one of the lowest numbers for its citizens.

For all the reasons mentioned before, it should be fair to ask for a TPS for the Senegalese, at least as a Bonus to Democracy. It is clear that Sénégal’s democratic system needs and deserves a very strong economic support from all friends of freedom.

It is true that the United States is already helping Sénégal in many ways. But granting temporary legal status to undocumented Senegalese in the US can be one of the quickest ways to give a boost to the Economy of Sénégal.

The excellent diplomatic ties between the two countries
 
Over more than a century, the diplomatic relations between US and Sénégal have never faltered. For example, our country was honored to be visited by successive American presidents, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Traditionally, Sénégal has been a reliable and a strong political and military friend of the West. The armed forces of Sénégal and of United States of America work together in many peacekeeping operations all around the world. Of particular interest is their converging desire to stabilize the political situation in West Africa. More importantly, our two armed forces participated in many joint war games for training purposes. They also share many training experiences in military schools in both countries. For instance, when the United States needed facilities for its Rapid Deployment Forces, Sénégal offered its territory for that purpose.

In 1991, the Senegalese armed forces were side-by-side with the forces of the coalition put together by President George Bush, Sr., during the war against the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait. In fact, of all the participating countries in that war, Sénégal’s armed forces paid the highest price in terms of percentage, with 195 dead.

More recently, immediately after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Sénégal’s President Abdoulaye Wade was the first African head-of-state to call for a continent-wide commitment against terrorism. On October 2001, President Wade went further by convening an African Summit against terrorism in Dakar. Out of that summit, a convention was adopted by African states condemning terrorism and organizing the fight against it.

Request: 
The case for a Temporary Protection Status for Senegalese immigrants 

The United States has a tradition of helping some countries in urgent need by granting a Temporary Protection Status to citizens from these countries living as undocumented aliens in the United States. President George W. Bush, while preparing to go to Sénégal, was asked by a Senegalese journalist, Dame Babou, during an interview on July 3, 2003, if the US would be ready to grant a TPS to the undocumented Senegalese in the United States, as a special sign of support to the Senegalese democracy. President Bush responded then that if asked, his government would look into the request. While at the historic Island of Gorée, President Bush was asked publicly by President Abdoulaye Wade to consider granting a TPS to undocumented Senegalese in the US. It is proven that the remittances from the Senegalese immigrants to their home country are of crucial importance to the Senegalese economy, and therefore constitute a vital support to the democracy and to the legendary political stability of the only African country that has never experienced a violent political change or a Coup d’État.

Following what has been developed above, we believe that there is a strong case for considering the granting of a special adjustment of status provision for undocumented Senegalese nationals living in the United States. This could be two-prong: