Thousands March in L.A. Over Immigration
Interesting issue “Everybody deserves the right to a better life” however these rights are granted by our constitution. I’m not sure that constitutional rights protect illegal immigrants.
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March 27th, 2006
It is a very interesting and divisive issue. There have always been undesirable jobs. Often, immigrants are allowed to flow across borders, or are even invited, in order that these jobs be done. In Germany and other parts of Europe, Turks were invited to come do jobs that indigenous Europeans did not want to perform. Many opted to stay because they liked it or felt their prospects there remained better than from whence they originated. While many here may not keep up with news, at least news from outside the US and pereceived interests, there have been longstanding problems with these immigrants and others, and the indigenous Europeans. Just like here, political parties and movements have risen to seek changes in policy up to and including forced expulsion of the bulk of these workers and greater restrictions on their access to entry and work within these countries.
This sounds to me an awful lot like the immigration history and current circumstances here. It is easy to metaphorically tar & feather a group identity when you oppose their influence on “native cultures”, their own cultures, etc. It becomes much harder when you put human faces to these identities. Still, the issue will likely play out in a manner similar to how it has done in past.
I see three players in this issue: consumers, businesses, and the immigrants. The consumers are players because they benefit from cheaper prices obtained by using cheaper labor. The businesses are players because they benefit from higher profits obtained by using cheaper labor. I see immigrants as players because they benefit from higher wages and often safer environment than they might obtain from whence they originated.
Often, it is these same consumers and businesses (usually owners and employees both), that complain about the presence of the immigrants. It is curious to me since they do benefit from the presence of the immigrants. However, I will not dismiss their objections out of hand. I’m not especially interested in elaborating on them either. I will take it as given that my audience is at least marginally aware of these objections.
Immigrants come with complaints too, especially once they’ve been here for a while and had time to absorb some of the culture, and realize that they often are worked in conditions that are dangerous and often illegal. They do have the option of leaving, though it may be low on their list among choices given their reasons for immigrating, or perhaps they’ve bound themselves to someone or something which makes departure damaging or highly undesirable. They may also have been brought here under false pretenses are seems to be reported regularly and essentially enslaved. This seems to happen most often to women and they used as prostitutes. It probably happens to some men when large unskilled labor pools are desired, but it isn’t as likely to sell newspapers as hearing of the plight of women forced into sex trade.
Regarding constitutional rights and protections, I do not recall any language in the US Constitution that deals with non-citizens immigrating here. That is a matter to be found in volumes of law books. Given that those laws stand, or have withstood tests in court, they must make some allowance for the presence of immigrants and a process by which they may enter, etc.
Looking at the current situation, it appears to me that what we have is a federal government that is not willing and/or prepared to do anything meaningful and successful in limiting entry of illegal immigrants, particularly across our border with Mexico. As states are bearing the brunt of expense and trouble that, both real and imagined, comes from these immigrants, there are naturally rumblings about pressuring the federal government and/or taking matters into their own hands, as Georgia has recently done in its legislature. The states also appear to be the primary beneficiary of the presence of these immigrants, though the states likely to suffer loss of revenue in one form while they enjoy an increase in others. Balance would be hard to establish, save for that offered by time, and I lack access to the data to draw any worthwhile conclusions.
There isn’t much to do about government inaction save to replace it. I find that unlikely, at least in tone toward illegal immigration. In the mean time, what sorts of things might we do that could have a mutually beneficial effect. Perhaps bringing these workers into our system so they contribute taxes would help. Clearly, the jobs they have taken were, in large part, going undone. There is no doubt that they did displace some workers who demanded higher wages, better benefits, and a safer work environment. Perhaps it would also behoove the citizenry to require some level of assimilation into the predominant American culture, ie language and customs (ie housing and sanitary practices) by immigrants.
I think fear of things and people different, and change in general tends to frighten & disorient most people. These ideas, if implemented, might help alleviate some of those fears. I don’t know what else we can do save to choose to close our borders, or open them with far fewer limits & restrictions, letting go of the notion that we should restrict our borders as law and regulation currently proscribe.