Watching the furor over immigration policy during the past week, I’ve felt strangely uninvolved. I’ve heard the arguments on both sides, I’ve seen the protesters, and I’ve read the commentary. But up here in Minnesota, it's not a burning issue, so I've never had to resolve the conflicting impulses that the subject raises for me.
The only thing that was clear is that the subject is far more complex than activists on either side admit. So I’ve decided it was high time I developed a position on the subject.
First I did some thinking. Then I did some research.
THE BASICS
It seems to me that any immigration policy should recognize the following facts:
1. Every country has a right to control the flow of immigrants into it.
2. In the aftermath of 9/11, border control is a security issue, not just an economic issue.
3. The cost of the solution should not exceed the cost of the problem.
4. Barring seriously drastic measures, illegal immigration will never be eradicated. We need to manage the problem rather than trying to eradicate it.
5. The best way to fight illegal immigration is to give people incentives, both positive and negative, not to come here illegally.
6. It makes no sense to crack down on illegal immigrants without cracking down on the businesses and individuals that employ them.
THE CURRENT DEBATE
Starting from these basics, let's address some of the common arguments used in the immigration debate.
Illegal immigrants are criminals. While technically true, it's a gross oversimplification of the debate. For most illegal immigrants, the only crime they ever commit is crossing the border without permission. Labeling them criminals is a bit like subjecting serial jaywalkers to a "three strikes" rule.
Further, there are huge gray areas that such a simplistic approach does not handle very well. What about the teenager whose parents brought him across the border when he was an infant? He's been raised in America and, culturally, is as American as anyone. Is he a criminal? Is justice served by deporting him back to a country he has no connection to?
Then there are the cases where illegal immigrants have children here in the States. Those children are citizens. Do we really support breaking up families by deporting the parents?
Illegal immigrants are a drain on our resources. Like any new arrival in our country, illegal immigrants use a disproportionate share of social services. And that is a cost that should really be borne by the entire nation, not the border communities that are home to the largest populations of illegals.
Article comments
1 - RedTard
Interesting, the angle that gets me, and one that is not fully addressed in your article, is that of creating an oppressed minority. We brought Africans to this country to pick crops and lauded their hard work and ability, but humans are not content picking crops forever, they want to move on up. That silly plan got us a war and 150 years of strife.
Mexican immigrants have almost a 50% high school dropout rate. They may be headed down the same path as blacks, those protests in the street may be a sign of things to come.
Perhaps we should fix the problem with our previous crop picking oppressed minority before we invite in a new one. Although I feel strongly we are making a mistake I also believe the debate is moot anyway, repubs see cheap labor, dems see millions of leftist voters.
2 - Sean Aqui
A lot of people don't understand that some level of social services -- free public education, for one -- is societal self-defense. It prevents the creation of a permanent underclass with no hope of advancement, besides providing an educated workforce.
If Repubs see cheap labor and Dems see millions of leftist voters, they should just say so and throw the borders open. I actually wouldn't have a big problem with that, since the issue for me is who gets to control immigration decisions, not what those decisions end up being. An open borders policy is at least a policy.
But the security question really muddies the water.
3 - cynic1
Very good article. The word that comes to mind is learned. That's why nobody will pay attention. Most people, not only the politicians, in such debates have ulterior motives. Many people for example love the power they have over an undocumented worker more than they like the low salary. In such a case people are impervious to rational argument and use the Internet and the multiplicity of television channels to feed their prejudice by choosing only the outlets that promote the point of view they like. If my analysis is correct expect a long period of non action.
4 - RedTard
"If Repubs see cheap labor and Dems see millions of leftist voters, they should just say so and throw the borders open."
We already have an open borders policy, the average American has been against that so they won't officially write it into federal law. That would require actual honesty, something which is mostly incompatible with elected office.
Thanks to the new ranks of Mexican immigrant voters and a propaganda campaign the tide could be turning though. It's simply a matter of the cart following the horse. The politicians make the de facto policy then liberal institutions propagandize us until we agree with it, isn't that how democracy is supposed to work?
5 - Sean Aqui
You, sir, are a cynic. ;)
6 - DrPat
As with many complex issues, we have a number of blind men examining this particular elephant.
Even those willing to consider many different aspects of the issue bring their own slant to it -- and I'm not talking about partisan bias or even re-election urges here.
Those focused on justice see the inequity of offering blanket amnesty to some (Mexican nationals here without visa or permission) while holding others (Salvadoreans, British, Taiwanese, Ugandans...) to the strict letter of immigration law.
Employers know how difficult it can be to tell if the right to work documentation offered is real or false. (And you can double that concern for the private citizen who wants to hire a helper or two to dig postholes.) They don't want to be exposed to jail time because someone had a really clever counterfeit SSN card.
And yes, there are some who are focused on the politics - but they tend to be politicians. After you count the folks who make their living with these issues, that leaves a LOT of folks who are waking up to find a pile of elephant dung that someone will have to deal with.
7 - Susan Robbins
I have no sympathy for people who come here illegally and make demands while wrapped in a flag of a country who does diddly squat for them.
Why is it our task to help Mexico? They are corrupt. These same people who protest here can go home and protest to Vincente.
Whatever the cost of illegals, I do not want to pay it. I struggle to pay my health care premiums and deductibles. Why should I pay for those who snuck in illegally. It is like telling me that if someone breaks into my house, I must feed, cloth, educate and do it all in their native tongue.
They bring disease, have poor hygiene (handle our food in restaurants),bring drugs, crime and abuse our social services. SEND THEM ALL HOME.
Child citizens can come back when they are of age. We ought to stop making them citizens if parents are illegal.
Confiscate business that hire illegals as they do homes and cars from people who deal drugs. Stop any benefits ( the government has nerve giving our tax money away to illegals) They will stop coming in herds.
8 - Victor Plenty
Yes! Give the government even more power to confiscate property without trial and without recourse than we've already given it as part of our "war on drugs" fiasco. That'll learn them dang brown-skinned people not to mess with Americans!
9 - Bruce
The Illegals issue is not complicated. In fact I'd say that is why people have such a terrible time with it - It is both simple and unpleasant, and the solution is as well.
I have to ask, what are the author's qualifications for defining our problems and solutions - His own admission that it isn't an issue where he lives? Not sure I get that. He have a quite ample supply of people with the Problems and Solutions, and that's just people from heavily-impacted states, communities and professions, people who actually experience this issue in a daily, personal way, and know what they are talking about.
I guess he really lost me beginning with the paragraph: "Work with the Mexican government to increase economic opportunity in Mexico". This is the classic constructivist approach that every social/economic liberal tries, for men and nations, and it just doesn't ever work. It isn't even in our power to make everything the way we'd like in this country, what kind of thoughtless conceit makes one think you can do that for another? It is even predicated poorly - Mexico is not a particularly poor country, it's just the higher wages up here that lure them to cross illegally. They had jobs in Mexico, they were not starving or anything like it.
Tiresome. Most of the other Numbered & Bolded points there are no better. This is supposed to be a thoughtful piece? Thanks for sharing.
10 - Howard Dratch
Bravo!. A reasonable look at an emotional controversy.
We don't have the problem where I am either. We live in Mexico and have a different view. Sure, illegality is just that. Therefore, as you say, increase the ability to enter legally, control the borders against both terrorists and illegals (without the Bush Wall nonsense), increase American literacy and education (therein lies a path to success), increase amnesty programs. All good ideas.
The real problem continues to be American racism, xenophobia and (real) fear of terrorism. These are not so easy to address.
Interestingly the one woman to comment was close to hysteria -- "They bring disease, have poor hygiene (handle our food in restaurants),bring drugs, crime and abuse our social services. SEND THEM ALL HOME."
They do bring diseases and, sometimes, have poor hygiene (so do a lot of Americans). Coming in legally can screen for diseases, education for all Americans could help hygiene. "...bring drugs, crime and abuse our social services..." Well, that is to say that America has no crime, drug-lovers, and welfare cheats. I was a social worker for 11 years in a rural location in Upstate New York. There were no Hispanics there then. There were plenty of cheats, people with poor hygiene and criminals.
As for improving the Mexican economy, that is a complex issue that is far beyond the scope of this discussion. There are differences so basic in the two societies that decades will be needed (if it is possible) to change a non-business oriented society deeply affected by corruption into a dynamic, modern economic force. But it may well happen.
Then there is the American economy under the present regime. Is everyone really happy with it?
11 - Richard Brodie
Give me your tired (blah, blah, blah) yearning to breathe free
In other words, poeple who are enslaved. Are the Mexican illegals coming from an unfree country?
send them tempest tossed to me
In other words from lands requiring an ocean voyage. That would inherently limit it to a reasonable number - not a potential fifty million easily sauntering on foot across a land border.
Sean's attempt to draw an analogy with earlier waves does not take into account the fact that the country is now full - overfull. We are reaching the limit of how many people can be supplied with water, given the finite amount of preciptation this country experiences; how many new transportation arteries can be built to carry many times more traffic; etc., etc., etc.
Our population simply cannot be allowed to continue increasing at an exponential rate. The fairest way, to the existing citizenry, of preventing the concommitant standard of living destruction, is to terminate virtually all immigration. And I do think we have slightly better technology than those who constructed the Great Wall of China!
12 - Ebony Ghost
What the hell is going on here? Halfway around the world, American soldiers are dying to "defend" us from people who wouldn't do a damned thing to us if we weren't messing with them. At the same time, people are sitting over here listing excuses why we should tolerate an invading horde. Were talking about people whose contempt for our laws is initially displayed when they step across the border. Their contempt for our people is displayed by their absolute refusal to develop the ability to communicate with us. The word of the day is termite. How is it that it's patriotic to promote killing around the globe and racist to promote protecting your homeland from invasion? Something is very wrong here.
So, Illegal immigrants are only criminals in a technical sense, huh? Well technically, every citizen who's been released from prison has paid his debt to society. Yet, we have illegal aliens holding jobs a convicted felon can't get. I doubt very seriously that there is a lot of lettuce growing in Chicago or tomatoes in Vermont. Urban areas across the nation are crawling with illegal aliens who spend absolutely no time picking peas.
As for jobs Americans won't do, that's an outright lie of the most gross proportions. How many of these jobs pay wages that would handle a mortgage? Tell me, how is anyone buying a house on the pitiful wages this so called cheap labor is getting? If you think it's not happening, go to any search engine and type in "fannie mae" and "Illegal immigrant" (including the quotes - with or without the and). The government is actually assisting in the accommodation of this invasion. And, it's not just at the federal level. Some mighty interesting information will show up if you type "sanctuary city" into your favorite search engine.
Interestingly the one woman to comment was close to correct. If an employer wishes to use his resources to facilitate an invasion, he should forfeit those resources. We don't need to send them back. Just disemploy them and let them leave. Don't let them pull you heartstrings with that bullshit about breaking up families. If they are any kind of parents, they won't be leaving their children behind. If they do, we can kindly deliver the children to Mexico City and let the Mexican government sort them out. They have no interest in joining our society, so we should have no interest in them.
13 - RedTard
"How is it that it's patriotic to promote killing around the globe and racist to promote protecting your homeland from invasion? Something is very wrong here."
It's not racist, most liberals will repeat that lie until they are blue in the face though because it works. That's probably why they support illegal immigration. They look forward to slapping the American dream out of Mexican immigrants hands and replacing it with racial victimhood. Victims make good Democrat voters.
14 - Jenn
I have been doing a lot of research on this topic because I have a 10 page paper due in one of my college classes. It is interesting to see of all the different aspects that people have, but my biggest question is why has the government let it get this far? It almost seems as though the government is more concerned for the illegal immigrants than they are for our own people. We have millions of people without health insurance and millions of people without jobs, and yet the government is coming up with special laws and rules for the people that are taking these things away from our citizens. I think we need to worry about taking care of the people we have legally in our country and than if there is room for more than they can decide on legalizing more citizens.
15 - Bruce
Oh, silly me I get it. This lib article and lib responses to it are deliberate bait for partisan mocking, the polite form of trolling. Libs have become so very bitter.
Nevermind, everyone can get back to work taking our country back from these clowns and their racial clients. Nothing to see here.
16 - Victor Plenty
If you happen to wander near a point, Bruce, go ahead and make it.
17 - Sean Aqui
Re: #10.
Sean's attempt to draw an analogy with earlier waves does not take into account the fact that the country is now full - overfull.
That's a *really* subjective claim. We have plenty of land, for instance, and much of the land we already live on could support a much higher population density. Many places in the world have higher population densities.
We are reaching the limit of how many people can be supplied with water, given the finite amount of preciptation this country experiences;
This might be true for certain localities, but not necessarily nationwide. And in places like Las Vegas, the damage is self-inflicted. Who decided it was a good idea to build a city in the middle of the desert?
On a macro level, though, water isn't a long-term limitation. Fresh water accounts for just 1 percent or so of all the water on earth. If the demand gets high enough, desalinization technology will become cost-competitive and we'll have as much water as we need.
how many new transportation arteries can be built to carry many times more traffic; etc., etc., etc.
I don't see any practical limitation on that. And in high-density areas it would be replaced/supplemented by mass transit.
Our population simply cannot be allowed to continue increasing at an exponential rate.
It's growing at less than 1 percent a year, counting both legal and illegal immigrants. That adds up over time, but it's hardly a crisis.
The fairest way, to the existing citizenry, of preventing the concommitant standard of living destruction, is to terminate virtually all immigration.
And thus drastically change the meaning of America. Threaten our standard of living? Illegal aliens don't threaten our standard of living; overseas low-wage competition does. But since there's nothing we can do about that (other than be competitive), maybe it's easier to scapegoat the illegals.
Personally, unless technology comes through with a few miracles, I think it's inevitable that our standard of living will drop in the coming decades. We're a huge debtor nation, and we consume a quarter of the globe's GDP in order to support less than 5 percent of world population. Unless the economic pie gets a whole lot bigger, our share will shrink as the rest of the world's grows. It will suck for us, but it's hard to claim that it isn't fair.
18 - Bruce
Victor, my poorly-made point was that the author is politely trolling with this piece.
19 - Richard Brodie
Many places in the world have higher population densities.
Yeah. Like Calcutta, Bangladesh, etc. Is that what you want? Just because it may be physically possible to cram let's say a hundred trillion people into the State of California, by building ten billion WTC-sized apartment buildings, why do you think that is what we should try to do?
This planet does not have an infinite extent of occupyable land. There is some upper limit to the number of human beings that it's resources can support. So at some point people are going to have to stop thinking that there has to be unending population growth. They are going to have to be content with leveling off. Why not start doing that NOW?
Unless the economic pie gets a whole lot bigger, our share will shrink as the rest of the world's grows.
So you think that WE cannot have a rational program of population stabilization as long as the rest of the world engages in runaway over population? I don't think so. The problems they will create for themselves will make it impossible for them to establish productive economies, even if they were not ideologically committed to having unproductive ones, even absent the obstacles posed by having vastly excessive numbers of people. We can continue to produce our own pie, and make sure every citizen gets a decent slice of it by keeping our own population from exploding by letting in huge hordes of immmigrants who bring with them a culture that values having large numbers of children for both religious and survival reasons.
This [running out of water] might be true for certain localities, but not necessarily nationwide.
It's true of the entire Southwest, and THAT'S where the immigrant tsunami is primarily crashing into.
water isn't a long-term limitation ... desalinization technology will become cost-competitive
Only someone whose religion is technology would be foolish enough to proceed with potentially disastrous immigration induced over-population policies, based on FAITH that technology will necessarily be able to deliver the expected salvation.
Another resource limitation that is much more imminently worrisome is the disappearing supply of mineable minerals. Silver is typical. It is the most versatile of metals, with hundreds of important uses, which are such as to allow only a very small amount of recovery by recycling. Fifty years ago the U.S. government had 6 billion ounces, and now it has none. In fact there are not more than a few hundred million ounces left above ground, making silver now rarer than gold. And worse - at the current rate of consumption, the U.S. Geological survey estimates that there are only 26 more years worth of silver left to be mined! The situation is only slightly better with every other mineral, aluminum being the only one with more than 100 years worth left. If the human race is going to survive, it is going to have to make an abrubt turnaround, and start drastically reducing its numbers.
20 - Mike Anaya
I live outside of Tucson, AZ. In early 2001, collectively, the hospitals in town had an article in the local paper to the effect that they had lost 9.6 million dollars over the previous year in unrecoverable costs to illegals, principally through emergency room service. Then, the hospital where I worked laid me and 48 others off in an attempt to recover in the following year. As of April 2005, the Copper Queen Hospital in Bisbee, near the Mexican border, the only hospital in 40 square miles, was slated to close for the same reason. At the last minute federal and state funds were diverted from other urgent needs in order to keep it open. I went back to teaching college. The Director of Education owns a cattle ranch in Douglas, near the Mexican border, and she commutes to Tucson to work. She is Hispanic of straight Castillian heritage. Illegals constantly cut her fencing to get through, letting her cattle out to die of thirst in the desert or be hit by vehicles on the nearby highway. She has fixed her fences repeatedly, even making a gate. They ignore it and go 75 feet down the line and cut the fence anyway. The brother of a guy I go to church with purchased some ranch land near Douglas, Arizona and after several years, decided to move there. He had a trail pounded across his property by illegals and decided to place his home across it. The illegals and their coyotes evidently thought this was inconvenient so they set it on fire one night. He was lucky to get out alive. I could bend your ear for hours, easily, on firsthand, or introduce to others, who have similar stories to tell. Many of the Hispanic supporters of illegals are current, past or supportive of an organization called MeChA. Look up their own websites on the internet. They close out their organizational statement with "for the (brown) race everything. Outside the race, nothing." One of the professors at a Texas State college is one of those who started the organization "La Raza". The Race. In several of his speeches, he has mentioned that whites are not having babies like they did in years past. If the Hispanics continue as they are, they will gain economic and political control of the southwest. Then he urges an ethnic cleansing. (Kind of like Kosovo I would think. Either you quickly leave your homes and belongings behind, or you will be killed, wounded or raped out of the area.) Mario Obledo, a Hispanic activist from California, has said in speeches that California will be a Hispanic state and if (whites) don't like it, they can go back to europe. Now if these were white organizations, liberals would be screaming. Liberals are strangely silent however because it is a "minority" saying it. If liberals were TRULY concerned about racism, this would be their golden opportunity. Going across the border into Mexico, into the cities, is like going back to the 1960's in this country. Ambiance. Going out into the country is like what is must have been like in the old west back in the late 1800's. Nice people, love the music, food, language, and culture (in its own country). But it is definately a third world country. Mexico has a poverty rate of slightly more than 40 percent of its people. (Imagine that rate in THIS country!) This despite TREMENDOUS natural resources and MILES of coastline. But the government has been crooked for as long as anyone can remember. Proceeds from smuggling, human as well as drugs, along with the 2 billion U.S. dollars sent back to Mexico from illegals in this country, gives their government little reason to fix things. Why would Americans, who honor only one flag, the Stars and Stripes, want to turn the southwest, let alone the rest of this country, into an appendage of Mexico?