My Take on the Illegal Immigration Debate
I hate to beat a dead horse, but I think it's time I stuck out my position on this debate that is increasingly engulfing Arizona, at the very least, and the nation as a whole as well. The issue at stake is how to deal with 11-12 undocumented immigrants, many of Hispanic origin, that now live in this country. It's a very polarizing issue and not a day passes without seeing something about in the paper, on TV or online. Obviously, you can't please everyone with whatever solution you put forward...somebody is going to get hurt, whether it's immigrants losing their jobs, a state Medicaid system being taxed for resources or landowners fighting the federal government to keep it from building a border fence through their property.
I've read about the subject a lot over the years and I have always been fascinated by it. It's amazing to see the sometimes vitriolic rhetoric spewed out by both sides. It's ridiculous and at times, even hateful. It's just not practical or right to deport 12 million people, the children of some of whom may be American citizens nor is it to right to let everyone have a free pass and automatically become a citizen either.
As many have proposed, I agree that a comprehensive immigration plan is the best solution. Strengthen the border, enact penalties on employers who have hired illegal immigrants and also give immigrants more opportunities to come to this country legally through an increase in visas for jobs in the agriculture, construction and hospitality industries, among others. Such a plan should involve three prongs.
It should first continue building on efforts to increase border security through construction of an actual fence, along with high technology like infrared cameras and radar to monitor the frontier. I don't disagree with the idea of a border fence, just as long as it doesn't strangle international commerce and trample on not only the rights of landowners, but the animals and plants living on land that might be swallowed up by a future fence.
There should also be penalties all across the board. I used to disagree completely with the idea of an employer sanctions law, thinking it would be used for racial profiling and to put innocent people out of business, but I realized it is a strong deterrent to hiring illegal immigrants. Say what you will about the services provided by these hard-working people. You can't ignore the fact that they contribute a lot to our country by working the jobs many naturalized citizens want to do. I certainly don't want to go to California and break my back picking strawberries. They also contribute to the economy by paying sales taxes when they buy anything from cars to clothing.
But the fact that they didn't use legitimate means to cross the border cannot be ignored either. Employer sanctions are a good step to crack down on an underground labor market that not only diminishes the wages of U.S. workers, but also demeans and exploits workers who risk getting deported if they complain about inhumane working conditions that can include anything to weeks without pay, extremely long shifts and squalid conditions. If anything, it would discourage people from coming here due to the risk they can't even find a job and slow the flow of migration across the border to the U.S. I must point out that such sanctions must be enforced on the national level. Arizona's attempt to enact an employer sanctions law unilaterally only disproportionately hurts immigrants and legal residents alike, and rather than convincing immigrants to go home, as seems to be the intention, often just convinces them to move to other states where crackdowns on migrant workers aren't as intense. Comprehensive immigration reform cannot come unless it is done on the national level, as politicians from Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano to Republican presidential candidate and Sen. John McCain have advocated.
Finally, provide some sort of amnesty for the immigrants that are already here. Yes, amnesty, because there is no other way to describe it. In order to prevent a widespread disruption to immigrant families, the economy and local communities across the nation, the immigrants that are here should be encouraged to come out of the shadows through a path to permanent residency and eventually citizenship. But don't make it too easy for them either. Make them pay fines, back taxes and even pass and English exam before they can be eligible for a green card to ensure that some of the costs illegal immigration does put on public services are recouped. And to encourage legal immigration, Congress should create new temporary worker programs so that the needs for migrant labor can be addressed while giving authorities the ability to track who is actually here.
Ok, time to get off my soapbox. But it seems to me, the only way to satisfy the wishes of hawks and doves, Minutemen and immigration lawyers, alike is to combine the best of everything. Taking a one-sided approach to the immigration debate is only going to damage our country more than help it.
I've read about the subject a lot over the years and I have always been fascinated by it. It's amazing to see the sometimes vitriolic rhetoric spewed out by both sides. It's ridiculous and at times, even hateful. It's just not practical or right to deport 12 million people, the children of some of whom may be American citizens nor is it to right to let everyone have a free pass and automatically become a citizen either.
As many have proposed, I agree that a comprehensive immigration plan is the best solution. Strengthen the border, enact penalties on employers who have hired illegal immigrants and also give immigrants more opportunities to come to this country legally through an increase in visas for jobs in the agriculture, construction and hospitality industries, among others. Such a plan should involve three prongs.
It should first continue building on efforts to increase border security through construction of an actual fence, along with high technology like infrared cameras and radar to monitor the frontier. I don't disagree with the idea of a border fence, just as long as it doesn't strangle international commerce and trample on not only the rights of landowners, but the animals and plants living on land that might be swallowed up by a future fence.
There should also be penalties all across the board. I used to disagree completely with the idea of an employer sanctions law, thinking it would be used for racial profiling and to put innocent people out of business, but I realized it is a strong deterrent to hiring illegal immigrants. Say what you will about the services provided by these hard-working people. You can't ignore the fact that they contribute a lot to our country by working the jobs many naturalized citizens want to do. I certainly don't want to go to California and break my back picking strawberries. They also contribute to the economy by paying sales taxes when they buy anything from cars to clothing.
But the fact that they didn't use legitimate means to cross the border cannot be ignored either. Employer sanctions are a good step to crack down on an underground labor market that not only diminishes the wages of U.S. workers, but also demeans and exploits workers who risk getting deported if they complain about inhumane working conditions that can include anything to weeks without pay, extremely long shifts and squalid conditions. If anything, it would discourage people from coming here due to the risk they can't even find a job and slow the flow of migration across the border to the U.S. I must point out that such sanctions must be enforced on the national level. Arizona's attempt to enact an employer sanctions law unilaterally only disproportionately hurts immigrants and legal residents alike, and rather than convincing immigrants to go home, as seems to be the intention, often just convinces them to move to other states where crackdowns on migrant workers aren't as intense. Comprehensive immigration reform cannot come unless it is done on the national level, as politicians from Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano to Republican presidential candidate and Sen. John McCain have advocated.
Finally, provide some sort of amnesty for the immigrants that are already here. Yes, amnesty, because there is no other way to describe it. In order to prevent a widespread disruption to immigrant families, the economy and local communities across the nation, the immigrants that are here should be encouraged to come out of the shadows through a path to permanent residency and eventually citizenship. But don't make it too easy for them either. Make them pay fines, back taxes and even pass and English exam before they can be eligible for a green card to ensure that some of the costs illegal immigration does put on public services are recouped. And to encourage legal immigration, Congress should create new temporary worker programs so that the needs for migrant labor can be addressed while giving authorities the ability to track who is actually here.
Ok, time to get off my soapbox. But it seems to me, the only way to satisfy the wishes of hawks and doves, Minutemen and immigration lawyers, alike is to combine the best of everything. Taking a one-sided approach to the immigration debate is only going to damage our country more than help it.