There are an approximately 12 million immigrants in the United States who have not been admitted through the normal immigration and naturalization procedures. An estimated 400,000 to 700,000 more arrive every year, compared with about 800,000 who enter legally. Most Americans see this as a problem. Many are even hysterical about it. It should be pointed out that these 12 million represent 4% of the U.S. population. By way of comparison, the 1920 census found that 58% of the residents of all American cities of 100,000 or more were foreign-born. So today's figures are in fact very mild by historical standards. Even so, it is an issue of concern and should be dealt with.
The debate over what to do about it has been dominated by extremists on the one hand who would like to see the lot of them rounded up and deported and extremists on the other hand who feel all who wish to come to America should be welcomed with open arms. Currently the deportation group has by far the upper hand politically, but the welcome group has the upper hand de facto.
Both positions are complete nonsense, of course. A reasonable approach based on the national interest and humanitarian morality must take a set of reality-based facts and principles into account. Here are a few of them.
The United States has the right to control its borders and determine who gets in and who does not. The American economy requires the services of these immigrants. It is in the national interest that immigrant labor does not displace citizen labor, that all residents have access to health care and education, that they are identifiable persons, and that they not become a permanent underclass in American society. All these objectives can be met by establishing a set of practical and reasonable processes.
The first goal requires firm security at the borders. This is indeed essential, and it is as far as many of the anti-immigrant extremists go. While this is necessary it must be recognized that no such system will ever be effective by itself. The borders and seacoasts are too long, and they are not the only ways people enter the country. Many enter legally at ports of entry by land, air and sea as tourists, students or on business and simply overstay their visas and never leave. The 9-11 hijackers were all here legally, for instance.
If we are serious about getting a handle on the issue there must be tamper-proof identification cards. These must include those for citizens, legal resident non-citizens and temporary visitors. It must be made impossible for people to function for long in the United States without them. There must be deterrent penalties for those who hire, sell property, extend credit, provide rental cars, book transportation, rent hotel rooms and so on to those who cannot establish a legal right to be in the U.S. Some will cry "police state" at this practice, but the issue cannot be dealt with otherwise. Almost all residents have a government-issued ID already, whether it be a driver's license or a social security card and number.
The labor department should compile periodic assessments of how many and what types of workers are needed and must communicate the specifics to immigration authorities. Immigration should then issue that many and type of temporary worker cards with tamper-proof IDs that are valid for a stated time period to that many workers. Here in California's San Joaquin Valley the harvest cannot be brought in without guest workers. It is a fool's game to do as we do now by trying to stop them at the border while leaving agriculture no choice but to hire them if they can make it in. The current system is grossly inefficient, not to mention degrading and sometimes life-threatening to the immigrants. Transportation ought to be furnished to the guest workers to and from their places of employment.
Those non-citizens who are currently in the United States, are self-supporting or dependents of those who are, and have no serious criminal record must be allowed to stay. This, I know, infuriates the anti-immigrant set, but there is no practical alternative. It is simply not possible to locate and deport 12 million people. It's not happening. The antis must come to grips with reality, and politicians have to stand up to them. 75% of the American people agree that a mass deportation of all illegals is impractical. Only 16% think otherwise. Government leaders must find the courage to stand with rationality and not with the 16% who scream the loudest. Why can't it be done?
For one thing, it is beyond our logistical capacity. For another, to attempt to do so would cripple the American economy which depends on their labor. The oft-repeated myth that they are all here to get welfare is malarkey. Hispanic males have the highest workforce participation of any subgroup in American society. Finally, it would precipitate a human rights calamity. 12 million people would go underground like hunted animals or like the Jews of World War II Europe. Families would be torn apart or children who are American citizens would be sent to foreign lands they have never lived in. Many of the deported would not be able to find a job in impoverished third-world countries and would likely starve. It's not happening and will never happen. Anti-immigrant extremists are going to have to get over it.
So if they are staying, and they are, they must become eligible for services such as health care, education, driver's licenses, and so on. Public health, preventing the establishment of a caste of helots in an egalitarian society and law enforcement imperatives necessitate it. To do otherwise would also be an egregious moral injustice. Those who are here, self-supporting and law-abiding and want to stay must be issued ID cards with a path to permanent residency and citizenship if they learn English and remain productive members of society. Period.
It's high time to end the ugly and emotion-fueled immigration conundrum. With firm border enforcement, a tamper-proof ID, serious penalties for hiring the undocumented and a rational procedure for anticipating and admitting the proper number of immigrants legally, the issue can be resolved.
4 comments:
This is not an easy problem to solve, but I tend to think it is not really that big of a problem either --except in the minds of conservative pundits.
Ironically, in this case, I come down on the side of less government intervention (a position I normally expect my conservative fellows to advocate). For some reason, when it comes to immigration conservatives want to expand the government payrolls and indulge in massive government spending programs -- to raise a Border Patrol legion and construct useless, Maginot Line-like infrastructure. I say, "Mr. Trancredo, tear down this Wall!"
It is simple economics (the conservative's beloved "market") draws immigrants to the US. Not "a giant sucking sound from the south", but our economy's healthy appetite for day laborers, farm workers, etc.
By some estimates, 90% of farm workers are illegal. I read a telling quote from a California grower recently to the effect, I'm shifting my farm to Mexico because I'm sick and tired of the hassle of getting workers and putting up with the immigration controversy. Great - now our immigration policy is causing our producers to emigrate!
In fact, our economy greatly benefits from these hardworking souls. No only that, the flow of workers build strong bonds between our nation and our neighbors.
Sure, I would be very much in favor of policies that would stimulate more jobs in Mexico and Latin America generally, which over time could build up those economies and decrease the need for workers to migrate to the US to increase their standard of living. But frankly, even if this happened our country would still have a huge appetite for workers in the category that migrants fill - cheap, reliable, hard workers.
I am not threatened by these people. I am grateful to them and somewhat in awe of their willingness to sacrifice and struggle for their families and their futures.
Our current immigration policies criminalize the people who want to work and who our businesses and farms want to hire.
We need to start by decriminalizing the folks who are here now with a reasonable, straightforward amnesty/citizenship pathway. We also should make it easy for migrants who want to travel back and forth between their native country and the US rather than become citizens.
We need to set up a very simple, straightforward pathway for legal migrant labor - with protections for workers against abuse and assurance for businesses that they can find workers. This also means more open borders so that migrants can readily return to their homes (instead of finding themselves trapped in the US and unable to risk returning for fear they may not make it back into the US to work again).
I'm not persuaded that a national ID system is critical. One that is designed with a goal of marginalizing immigrants who are simply here working hard has absolutely no merit, and if you take that out of the equation, why do we even need such a thing? At the very best, it's a problem that ranks far, far down the list of pressing national priorities.
The vehemence of conservative politicos on the immigration issue is scary. It plays on the insecurities of our weakening middle class and our baser instincts. As long as our leadership is not addressing those genuine fears by developing rational economic and energy policies, we are vulnerable to the bitter complaints of the anti-immigrant folks. Once we start building our economy again however, they will fade from the public spotlight.
It sounds like you're calling for completely open borders. If so, that's not what the American people want and not what can ever get passed in congress. Is that your position?
Open borders? No, but there is a market need to be met here. Our political leaders routinely arrange free trade agreements (even over the objections of factions in the public). Their failure to step up and arrange for labor exchange and travel is what has created this problem.
I want to see the issue re-cast in a different perspective, and the government solutions will follow including border controls, etc.
Very good. We're in agreement about the root of the issue and its solution. We need a way to realistically assess the labor need and arrange for it to be met. Paragraph 7 in the original post was my sugggestion for accomplishing these ends.
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