Monday was “National day of action for immigration justice,’’ a massive, nation-wide demonstration which advocated the rights of—and pushed for amnesty for—illegal immigrants. The issue of illegal immigration has been in the news for weeks now, and during this time, I have attempted to wrap my head around this complex issue and determine where I stand.
And where do I stand?
On one hand, there is the argument that illegal immigrants do not pay taxes and do not possess necessary documentation to make use of services afforded to American citizens, thereby causing a drain on American resources. You may think that illegal immigration can not cause that much of a drain on resources, but there are an estimated 11-12 million illegal immigrants in the nation. Many, if not most, of these immigrants have children who attend public schools; but these families do not contribute tax dollars for school upkeep and improvement—legal immigrants and American citizens are paying for illegal immigrants to go to school and use school resources.
Furthermore, hospitals are required to assist whoever comes through their doors, even if the patient has no health insurance or a personal means by which to pay for services (illegal immigrants rarely have either). With no way to seek compensation for services rendered, the hospital has to eat the cost of the services, which in turn causes them to raise fees and costs, which causes health insurance companies to raises prices to compensate for higher hospital bills. Yeah, classic snowball effect.
During this illegal immigration debate, I have been very disturbed and confused by the notion that illegal immigrates have some form of “rights’’ that the American government is trying to ignore or circumvent. This notion is perpetuated when people avoid using the term “illegal’’ when discussing “illegal immigration.’’ You may call them “illegal,’’ you may call them “undocumented,’’ but in the end, these are people who gained entry into this nation surreptitiously. They purposely and knowingly avoided the proper channels and process by which to enter the nation, and as such, are not citizens of this nation. So, while illegal immigrants certainly have human rights, they have no rights under the U.S. Constitution. The American government can not circumvent the rights of people who have no (Constitutional) rights.
I have also been baffled by protesters proudly waving non-American flags during pro-illegal immigration rallies and demonstrations. I do not understand what place another nation's flag has at a demonstration that tries to encourage change in the American government. Having pride for your native country is fine, but such pride does not, and will not, persuade the American government, or people, to support your cause. Thankfully, the protest organizers have disseminated the idea that the American flag should be used to persuade the American government to action. Yet, the fact that this idea had to be disseminated demonstrates the protesters’ lack of appreciation and understanding of the nuance of this complex issue. Do they really understand how to get what they want in the confines of American society, history tradition, and culture?
Furthermore, do the protesters understand that for most Americans upholding the law is paramount? If the protesters do understand this, how can they advocate for better treatment for law-breakers? As I mentioned before, illegal immigrants are called such because they broke the law. The idea that we should forgive law-breakers and help them better themselves baffles me.
Imagine, if you will, that you take a vacation for a month. Now during your vacation, a homeless man breaks into your home, eats your food, and wears your clothes to go on a job interview. You then return home to find your house occupied by the homeless man’s family. You order him to leave, but he refuses, citing that he has found a job, that his kids are in school, and to make him leave now would be inhumane. However, he suggests that you should make room for him and his family in your home because he deserves to be treated fairly. This allegory reflects the (unsound) logic used by supporters of illegal immigrants—the supporters would let the homeless man stay.
Supporters of immigrants also claim that illegal immigrants “do the jobs that Americans won’t do.’’ The jobs that are supposedly too demeaning for Americans are: construction, housekeeping, large-scale yard work & landscaping, low-level restaurant staff, etc. But I argue that there are Americans who will do these jobs. I once met a man who lays concrete during the warmer months. He does a job that is not easy, prestigious, or high-paying, but it is a job that he can do. However, every winter he is out of work when it gets too cold to lay concrete. With a lack of job openings in his field, he spends the winter months at home, jobless. Here is a man who takes a job during the summer that most Americans would avoid, but he can’t find work during the winter. Supposedly, illegal immigrants are doing jobs that he wouldn’t, but I think that he would take these jobs if he could. And what of the homeless population with their “will work for food’’ signs? Yes, some of them are mentally unfit to hold down a job, but these men and women desire employment to lift them up out of poverty. In all, where American politicians and illegal immigrant supporters see Americans who won’t take low-paying jobs, I see an untapped workforce.
In light of the above tirade, you’d think my opinion on illegal immigration would be cut and dry. But, in the end, illegal immigrants are trying to better themselves and their families. I know that if I lived in a developing nation and saw a way to gain entry into one of the richest nations on Earth, I’d do whatever it takes to get there. And the fact remains that illegal immigrants want to work hard, make a decent wage, and achieve the American Dream—a universal goal for most Americans, legal and illegal.
Furthermore, as an American, I remember the words emblazoned on the Statue of Liberty,
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!
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!
Also, as a Christian, I KNOW that God and Jesus Christ see no distinction between “legal’’ and “illegal’’ Americans—that kind of love is unrestricted. In my lifelong journey to be more Christ-like, shouldn’t I try to emulate such loving-kindness?
Alongside my American and Christian status, another facet of the illegal immigration debate complicates my opinion of the issue. There can be no easy, uncomplicated, inexpensive, and/or universally agreed-upon method by which to remove all illegal immigrants from this nation. Illegal immigrants are here, they have burrowed deep into the underbelly of the American workforce; they are a buttress that numerous American businesses rely on. In essence, any federal dragnet meant to remove illegal immigrants would be too porous to get the job done, and too immediately destructive to American business and the economy.
So what are the options? Cut and dry amnesty for those who knowingly broke the law, and continue to do so every second they spend in this country, repulses me.
As mentioned above, forcibly sending every illegal immigrant back to their nation of origin would be complicated and improbable, if not impossible.
Granting illegal immigrants some form of less-than-full-citizen status would clearly create second-class citizens, which is not a viable option.
So, it seems that a guest-worker program is our best choice; but I fear that such a program will come nowhere near resolving the issue.
I suppose that all I can do is hope that our elected officials can make sense of this complex, emotionally-volatile, core-defining issue and devise a workable solution.
I’m not holding my breath…
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