Let’s talk immigration. First thing I want to note is that we’re talking all immigration, not just the illegal kind. Before we worry about illegal immigration, we need to figure out where we stand on immigration as a whole. Is it good for America? Is it bad? Does it depend on where you live and what you do for a living?
I have to admit, I have never really understood the problems with immigration. I’ve always thought that more people increased the workforce and therefore boosted the economy. I admit, again, that I’m not an economist or any sort of related expert. I still have a hard time seeing how letting in a highly motivated labor force is a bad thing. It would be different if we, as a country, were short of resources, but we’re not. We move food and materials around this country without even thinking about it. We’re really good at resource distribution. Any hunger that goes on is due to economic and social factors, not lack of resources. Granted, I don’t live in a border state and never have. I could never point to someone and say conclusively that they were an immigrant nor have I ever seen first hand the effects on local economies. So, to be fair, I’m not directly impacted by immigration one way or another.
From what news sources and internet research I’ve done, there seems to be no evidence that the immigration of low-skilled workers harms the average American in any way. There may even be a small positive effect for them, depending on which experts you listen to. The studies I’ve seen also say that crime rates among immigrants are lower than among native Americans, which makes a certain sort of sense – if you’ve risked everything to come to the US looking for a new start, committing crimes doesn’t seem like a strong plan. And yet, there is this strong push to demonize immigrants as criminals or vagrants looking to take advantage of Americans. We are a nation of immigrants, so where is this fear and hatred coming from?
Illegal Immigration
On the subject of illegal immigration, I do believe it’s a problem. Any sort of immigration, especially asylum seeking, should be done through legal channels, and much of it is. The problem is that we’re trying to make it harder and harder to immigrate legally, and then complaining when more people try to sneak into the country. There’s an unfortunate tendency in this country to address symptoms without attacking causes. In this case, we want to strengthen border security to keep immigrants out rather than address why so many people are coming in illegally. If our official border entry points were more efficient and/or better funded, and our immigration laws simple and fair we would see a much higher percentage of immigrants and refugees going through proper channels rather than sneaking in and hiding in our communities. And if they’re here legally, on a path to citizenship, with protections for themselves and their children, I find it very hard to think they won’t be fully contributing members of society. And if they work and pay taxes, exactly where is the problem?
Oh, and while we’re at it, why aren’t we going after the individuals and companies that hire undocumented workers? I mean seriously go after them with jail time and steep fines. They’re huge contributors to the problem, and are the only way illegals can make a living. And don’t tell me it isn’t deliberate. You need the Social Security numbers of all your workers if you’re going to file taxes and balance your books. I’m guessing they don’t report the meager wages they pay out under the table. Why aren’t these people going to jail?
Inconclusion
Like most things this country is struggling with, Immigration is a complicated issue. I’ve barely scratched the surface of the many arguments for and against. I could go into them all, but I want to avoid producing a wall of text that no one will be all that interested to read. I’m more interested to hear what others have to say on the subject. So I’ve provided a few talking points to get you started.
So, what did I miss?