Photo Source: Library of Congress at Flickr
The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
--Emma Lazarus
Our last discussion concerned abortion and the death penalty. With the exception of Romney's flip-flop on abortion and Guiliani's pro-choice stance, neither of these issues have been major ones in the current primary races.
Six months ago, most pundits would have predicted that the vital electoral issue would be Iraq, but the issues of immigration, "change," and the economy have become the driving ones. Great portions of the Republican debates have been dominated by questions about immigration.
Most candidates agree that illegal immigration (or undocumented Americans) present a number of problems that haven't been effectively addressed at either the state or federal level. Control of immigration is a constitutional responsibility of the federal government, and the failure of the federal government to govern immigration has left the states holding the bag on issues like law and order, health services, education, and government services. Increasingly states are turning to controversial measures in a disjointed attempt to fix the system. Meanwhile, many business owners rely upon the check, unskilled labor that illegal immigrants provide. Many labor groups oppose illegal immigration because it creates unfair wage competition that tends to keep wages lower than they should be (illegal immigrants are often paid in cash or "under the table" to avoid payment of federal and state payroll taxes).
Hillary Clinton was hit early in the campaign when she seemed to support a state ID proposal for illegal immigrants; she has since backed off. Last year, McCain co-sponsored the so-called "Amnesty Bill" that would give illegal immigrants citizenship in return for a fine, some back taxes, and some other requirements. He has since repented of his "don't call it amnesty" proposal.
What can be done then? Here are some of the proposals:
Amnesty: Allow immigrants currently residing in the nation illegally to follow a legal path to citizenship. The path can include a waiting period, background check, return to homeland, payment of back taxes, registration with the government, fines, or other requirements. This proposal recognizes that illegal immigrants are an important part of our economy and allows for minimal economic disruption. Proponents of amnesty do not like to call it amnesty. "Amnesty" has become a dirty word in American politics. Opponents believe that it rewards illegal behavior and is unfair to those who have been waiting for their chance at legal immigration.Guest Worker: A guest worker program would allow illegal immigrants to work as legal guests in the United States. This includes registration and a limited time-frame for working in the United States. It is similar to amnesty but without allowing citizenship at the end of the process. Many people oppose this because they think it will become another avenue of illegal immigration. Those for it claim that immigrants do the jobs that "Americans won't do" and that eliminating illegal immigrants from the workforce would devastate the U.S. economy. In addition, they argue that this would require the workers to pay taxes.
Secure the borders: This proposal calls for a serious federal effort to end illegal immigration through any or all of the following: a new barrier on the border (both electronic and physical), more border patrol agents, and an active and energetic effort to stop all illegal immigration. Most proponents of this proposal argue that this is only a partial solution as it ignores the estimated 10-15 million illegal immigrants currently in the country. Those opposed to the "fence" claim that it would be a gigantic waste of money, and that immigrants would still find ways across as long as there is an economic incentive to do so.
Deport all illegal immigrants: While most people believe this to be a pragmatic impossibility, some believe that anyone who breaks the law in order to enter the United States is a criminal and deserves deportation. Others find the possibility to verge on the precipice of ethnic-cleansing.
Revoke automatic citizenship for children born in the United States: The proponents of this idea argue that illegal immigrants should not be rewarded by having their children born in the U.S. declared legal citizens. To accomplish this would mean revoking the right to jus soli guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.
English-only education: This proposal attempts to address the concerns of those who think that the United States will ended up with a permanent, unassimilated sub-culture (much like Quebec in Canada). It is also thought that English-only education will let immigrants know that they are not welcome if they cannot speak English.
Attrition: Attrition is an attempt to force illegal immigrants to self-deport. Instead of organizing and paying for the deportation of over ten million illegal immigrants, attrition would remove the economic incentives for living in the United States illegally by forcing businesses to confirm the legality of its workers. Businesses who fail to do so would be punished by stiff fines and possible criminal charges. Those who argue for attrition claim that employers who employ illegal immigrants do so with full knowledge of the status of the workers in order to save money on payroll expenses.
It is difficult to have an honest discussion of immigration in the U.S. today. Charges of racism and fascism fly easy from the lips of both sides, and neither party wants to forever lose the votes of such a large group of potential voters (Irish and Italian Catholics have voted Democratic ever since Republicans embraced Nativism in the 1800's). While most Americans are uncomfortable with the rapid influx of immigrants legal and illegal, most also recognize that immigrants serve a vital role in the economy and that the Statue of Liberty means something. Americans are proud that people around the world desire to move to the United States for all that it offers, yet are fearful that too much immigration will change America into something unrecognizable.
Read this article at AFP to see the impact of what one state is trying to do. Is Arizona on the right track or is there a fundamental flaw to Arizona's approach?
--Cicerone
12 comments:
I completely disagree with the actions that Arizona is taking in trying to control the immigration crisis. If anything I believe it is causing more problems. The illegal immigrants are vital to our economy because they are willing to work difficult jobs for minimum wage.
In Mr. Jones' bible class, we discussed illegal immigration. I think it is important to keep in mind that we are talking about people, not animals. The illegal immigrants obviously want to come to America for some reason. Most would reply,"that's fine but they have to do it in a legal manner." The fact is it is very costly for immigrants to become citizens of the United States, not to mention very time consuming. Most immigrants coming to the United States are so desperate because they were starving, unemployed, and had no means to provide for there families. I think we need to put ourselves in there shoes, wouldn't we be willing to do anything in order to provide and keep our families alive, including coming to another country illegally. Most immigrants would love to come to America legally however they do not have the financial means to do so, and the process of becoming a citizen takes so long they simply can not afford to do so.
Therefore I believe the best policy is amnesty for all illegal immigrants and in addition I think that the process for an immigrant to become a citizen needs to change to make it faster and more affordable.
My opinion on immigration is that they should be given worker's visas, so that they can continue to work in the U.S. and then after a certain amount of time, given a simpler road to citizenship. I think losing the illegals may make our economy unstable and this way they can stay without being given "amnesty."
I think amnesty is ridiculous and/or anything close to it. Why should these people who are here ILLEGALLY, be allowed citizenship? They should have to come into the country and go through all the steps our ancestors took to gain citizenship to this country.
This crime is just like any other, it is ILLEGAL as in against the law. Why should it even be questioned as to if we should help these people!
In other classes we have discussed this topic. There is millions of dollars being sent to other countries from these illegal immigrants, taking away from our economy. These people are living here, using our resources and making our money illegally.. then taking it out of our economy to some foreign country.
Now, even if they do become citizens there is nothing we can do to stop them from sending the money, but a lot more of their money will remain in our country.
I completely agree with all that is going on in Arizona and I think they have the right idea. The "underground" economy will take away so much money from the legal economy and those who are CITIZENS of the country.
Wow, long post...
Well, the compassionate side of me makes me feel sorry for the illegal immigrants. This side wants them to stay - even though they are illegal... They don't pay taxes but still receive the same benefits as citizens and etc. however knowing the conditions they must live in in their native country, I can empathize and want to give them a chance to a better life. After all, isn't that what America is all about? Like that poem in the beginning?
But then again, it isn't very fair to citizens and those waiting to become legal immigrants. Also, apparently many hospitals in the southwest are going bankrupt because so many illegal immigrants are unable to pay their hospital bills or something. For some reason, this seems to be a bigger problem to me than the fact that illegal immigrants lower wages. Honestly, if the illegal immigrants weren't there, I highly doubt that american citizens would be willing to replace them at their jobs. Deporting them sounds ridiculous as it would cause major economic problems when all these jobs become empty.
It seems to me that Amnesty or letting them continue as Guest Workers are the best solutions. Yes, it does seem to 'support' illegal behavior, but all the other proposals don't seem rational. Arizona's methods, although a tad bit cruel, seems to be working.
On another note, I don't understand what is meant by "Americans are proud that people around the world desire to move to the United States for all that it offers, yet are fearful that too much immigration will change America into something unrecognizable." I'm not really understanding what "unrecognizable" means because I thought America was known for it's electic culture and people... I don't see how illegal immigrants are going to make it unrecognizable...
Sorry for jumping around from topic to topic, but I didn't want to make my reply too long....
I can completely see both points of view. Like Rose, I think it's wrong to force illegal immigrants to leave when you know the conditions that they will endure will be terrible. Yet at the same time, it is sort of making things bad for us and it really isn't fair.
Like Elyse said, they are people not animals... we can't just kick them out and hope that they will be ok... because they won't. I can't even fathom what it would be like to be in their shoes. Therefore, it makes it tough for me to make a certain stand on this issue; like I said, I can see it both ways.
Any extreme or radical method of dealing with illegal immigration isn't going to permanently solve problems. I prefer the guest worker program because it provides a compromise. It doesn't lead to citizenship, but it also allows people to work and live in America.
We're looking at a problem that could have been prevented if we had strong borders in place before the immigration levels grew. Now that we are suffering the consequences of past in-action, we are dealing with millions upon millions of illegal immigrants (the last number I heard was 13 million a year or so ago) that have heavily impacted our economy in a way that has made them a vital part of it. We cannot just kick out or arrest 10+ million people for several reasons (among them economic and humanitarian issues) so i believe that providing workers visas (just like mahssa's idea) to the immigrants would be the best solution while we simultaneously strengthen the border so that the problem does not continue to grow. After 10-15 years there will be a new generation of Hispanics that are legal (since they will have been born here) and many of them will gradually assimilate into society over the course of several years. And the problem of time when it comes to the process of becoming an American Citizen, I'm sure that some measure could be agreed upon by politicians to cut that process down so that that factor will not be as much of an issue as it is now.
I do not agree with the action Arizona has taken in this situation.
Immigration is a part of life. I don't plan on staying just a US citizen; I want to live in Europe for some time simply because it’s amazing. However I can't completely justify someone breaking that law and imposing themselves upon our hospitality.
Something I do have a strong stand on, is if you’re not a citizen of our country, rules don't apply to you. This means that they should not be admitted to hospitals for treatment for free. That’s like stealing from the American people. And under no circumstances should a child born in the United States from and illegal immigrant be granted citizenship. This simply allows the mother and father to stay and look after the child, thus making them legal Americans. YOU CAN’T CHEAT YOUR WAY INTO CITIZENSHIP!
I think that illegal immigration is a problem but it cannot be solved by deporting all the illegal immigrants, this is un unrealistic and would have a great effect on our economy. Also amnesty is not a fair solution either because it is a free pass to citizenship and it 'supports' illegal immigration. Therefore I think that the guest worker program would be the most realistic solution because it is a compromise. The immigrants are still permitted to stay in the US but are not granted automatic citizenship. Also they are then required to pay taxes which is also important since they are recieving the benefits, such as education. .
Elyse : "The fact is it is very costly for immigrants to become citizens of the United States, not to mention very time consuming"
-Its is very time consuming and difficult to hold a job and make money, so should I go rob a 7/11 because its easier? Also, If I did that out of desperation, how come I would go to jail? Can't I have amnisty because of my poor state of life? I'd be willing to work those jobs the illeagals get. Problem is, all the companies dont want to pay me minimum wage, where they can go sub minimum wage with the illegals.
Also, problem with sudden amnisty is, how many immigrants are there? how many hold jobs? who lives where? How should all these sudden citizens be accounted for and taxed like a normal citizen? and would many of these workers want to be subjected to the minimum wage compitition?
Mahssssssa: Your right, we cant get rid of the illegals entirly, the problem is too far in for that method. Though i believe that the current method for citizenship is fair.
Kelly: I love you. (/agree)
Rose: "unrecognizable" means the cultural loss. Yes America is a distinct nation because there are many different races and religions etc... but it is essentially an American culture. By having such a large influx of illeagls who dont speak the language or desire to acclimate to the culture, many people feel that it is a threat to American culture by Mexian culture.
Lawren : Sure you can kick them out to a degree. The first colonists of America had a much rougher time than the illegals back in mexico, yet they stuck it out to make their country better. Why cant the illegals do the same, are they Lazy? are they Unwilling? do they just hate their country? What is preventing these people from improving their country? could it be..the al killing plague.... Selfishness?
Ali - already addressed your statements
Chris - I love you too. (And btw, when you go live in Europe, hopefully you'll have proper paperwork)
Janey - Yeah, but companies would be less likly to higher an illegal now that they have to be paid minimum wage, so many would then be unemployed illegals. Sure some illegals would love to be a citizen for the privlages of being one. But the large majority just want the tax free paycheck, hospitals and schools.
Anna - N/C
- is Amnisty fair? I mean really, people like Melody and her family have worked hard and are going though the long process of being a legal citizen.
I think there should be a large FEDERAL boost in boarder control. I believe that birth does not entitle citizenship. I believe that those who employ an Illegal are aiding an federal criminal, and therefor commit a crime themselves and should be heavily penalized. I believe that a Work Program type thing should be put in place, so that they are taxed and what not. After this system is put into effect, anybody illegal and not on the system should be deported right away, and heavy penalties for the employer.
I just have to say that I think the English-only education proposal is a ridiculous idea. If one cannot speak English we should teach them this lanuage because it is so prevalent in our country instead of shunning them. ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) programs have been in place in public schools for this very purpose. How can we say that one must speak English in order to acquire an education here when English is not even the official language of the United States?
“Many labor groups oppose illegal immigration because it creates unfair wage competition that tends to keep wages lower than they should be…”
- I think this is interesting. From what we learned in Mr. Arnett’s economics course of life, there should be no minimum wage simply because it stunts the economy and causes inflation or a burden on other parts of the global market. Also it would seem that the law of supply in demand seems to be more powerful than America’s laws on immigration. The supply, demand curve cannot be broken. Thus when people refuse to supply a service worth four dollars an hour for less than seven dollars an hour, other people fill in to take their place. Maybe the huge problem with our economy isn’t that immigrants are coming in and taking work, or that they aren’t paying tax dollars. Maybe it simply boils down that the two laws cannot coexist and one will have to go. Because erasing our policies on immigration would constitute a huge change in our government, maybe there should simply be no minimum wage, and the jobs that cannot support older citizens should go to younger citizens who don’t need as much money.
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