La Aministia
By Los Cinco Del Norte (Fiesta 706), 1987
This corrido is about the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 signed into law by Ronald Reagan. This law made it illegal for employers to hire undocumented workers, but also fast-tracked legal status for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States prior to 1982. “La Aministia” laments those who did not qualify for amnesty as well as the new difficulties which undocumented workers faced in securing work.
Now all the bosses
Don’t want to offer us jobs
They discriminate against us
Because they will get fined
Spanish
Hermano ya ustedes saben
Que la amnistía fue firmada
Aunque muchos se mejoran
Otros se quedan sin nada
A todos los que vivieron antes del ‘82
Arreglarán sus papeles
denle las gracias a Dios
Los que quedamos sin nada
En futuro pensemos
Si nos echan pa’ fuera, pa’l otro día volveremos
Mis hermanos de habla hispana
Nos se dejen humillar
Hay muchos que no nos quieren
Y que nos piensan sacar
Muchos tenemos raices
Que era Tierra Mexicana
Pero nosotros no es la culpa
Que la vendiera Santana
Diálogo
Si venimos, no es por gusto
Buscamos un porvenir porque
Allá en nuestros países
Ya no se puede vivir
Empezando en el mes de mayo
Nadie podrá trabajar
Sólo el que tenga papeles
Eso sí que está muy mal
Ya toditos los patrones
Trabajo no quieren dar
Vuelven a discriminarnos
Porque los van a multar
¿Dónde están esos principios
De esta gran nación?
¿Qué fue lo que dijo Lincoln?
¿Por qué hay discriminación?
Hijos, Hermanos, y padres
Los tendrán que separar
Por culpa de La amnistía
Muchos vamos a llorar
Muchos tenemos raíces
Que era tierra Mexicana
De nosotros no es la culpa
Que la vendiera Santana
English
You already know Brothers
Amnesty was signed
While many benefitted
Others were left out
All those who lived here before ‘82
Were to get legal residency
Give thanks to God
Those who were left with nothing
We must think of the future
If they expel us, we will return the next day
My Spanish speaking brothers
Don’t let yourself get humiliated
There are many who don’t want us
And want us gone
Many of us have roots here
From when this was Mexican land
But we aren’t at fault
That Santana sold it
Spoken Dialogue
We didn’t come for fun
We came looking for a future
Back in our country
There is no life
Beginning in the month of May
No one will be able to work
Only those with permission
That is very bad
All the bosses
Don’t want to hire us
We are getting discriminated against
Because they will get fined
Where are those principles
Of this great nation
What did Lincoln say?
Why is there discrimination?
Sons, brothers, and fathers
Will get separated
Because of the Amnesty Law
Many tears will be shed
Many of us have roots here
From when this was Mexican land
But we aren’t at fault
That it was sold by Santana
