The Immigration Debate Is Not About Immigration

The economy needs more workers than can come here legally, so they have been arriving illegally. The most logical solution would be to adjust the number of available workers' visas as soon as the problem started showing up. This way we would have much greater control over who is coming and living among us.

This most obvious solution is not favored by most Americans and has not been implemented because our fervent debate about immigration (or illegal immigration in particular) actually it is not about immigration at all.

"What part of illegal you do not understand?" the opponents of amnesty ask rhetorically. Most Americans do exactly as Romney and Tancredo did; when it comes to having their grass cut or their basement remodeled, they enjoy the price and do not inquire about the legal status of the workers.

Americans have passed on immigration laws that are in clear conflict with the rules of the free market and are against the basic economic interests of the all parties concerned. No wonder, Americans have not enforced these laws methodically. Americans are the only ones responsible for illegal immigration and all the mess it has caused. However, Americans blame illegal immigrants, Mexico, globalization, politicians, and the greed of big corporations -- but not themselves.

U.S. immigration policy is a big fiasco. Voices for the meticulous enforcement of the current immigration laws ask to repeat what has failed so far, but to do so with greater determination. The most logical way out is to repeal current immigration laws. It will never happen, as overconfident Americans are too proud to acknowledge their own fault. It is not about resolving immigration issue anymore. It is about Americans' false pride.

Until 1924, entrepreneurial Americans, in their pursuing of happiness, enjoyed the freedom of hiring whomever they pleased, regardless if that person came from across the street or across the ocean. Some Americans believe that they still should have the freedom to hire whomever they want; other believe that their freedom to pursue happiness should empower the government to protect them from others that are eager to work harder for less. This is their real bone of contention when they talk about immigration.

Liberties given to individuals unleashed the energy of entrepreneurs, which -- as a result -- created vast wealth of this country. By the nature of its creation, this wealth has not been distributed evenly; not all people pursuing happiness have been able to achieve it. Out of compassion, we created a gigantic welfare system assisting the least fortunate and many others along. The government was put in charge of securing happiness for every American. Unfortunately, for many Americans, this welfare state is what they perceive as one of the core American values.

The burden that illegal immigrants bring to government-distributed goods and services is a hot topic in the immigration debate. America was created on the concept that individuals should have the freedom to explore opportunities. It ended up that many individuals are standing in lines to receive government's giveaways. Instead of turning their energy to fight forces of nature, and enriching themselves by work, they turn their energy into fighting each other in order to enrich themselves by getting more without work. Immigrants are perceived as competing for limited government distributed resources. Obviously, immigrants, legal or illegal, are not the real problem. The expectation that the government should dispense so much is.

Thanks to the free market system, the capitalists accumulated a huge wealth, and consequently, this nation can effort to support many individuals that take more than they provide to the society. However, the wealth of our country, though enormous, is not unlimited. Therefore, thinking of political solutions, we first need to preserve the political mechanisms that made this country rich. This is the leading thought behind some attempts to reform the immigration system. However, it clashes with the populist concept that corporate greed needs to be curbed; with an assumption that riches are given and their resources are unlimited, as well as the possibilities to milk them. This is the real agenda of many disagreements on the immigration issue.

All Americans talk proudly about freedoms in general, but in their practical decisions many are eager to trade liberties for government-provided security. Others are not afraid of taking on responsibilities and follow the famous Reagan mantra: "government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." At least on immigration, most Americans believe otherwise. In this aspect, the immigration debate is not about immigration but about how deeply the government should put its fingers into micromanaging the economy in general, and the labor market in particular.

About a hundred years ago, as long as it was do-able, most goods and services were produced and consumed locally. Today, "local" means anywhere on the Earth. Some see it as a great opportunity for America in leveraging its existing infrastructure. Others fear that the coziness and relative comfort that Americans enjoy would disappear with our opening up to the miseries of the outside world. Is it better for America to open up to global economy, or is it better to build legal and physical barriers isolating America from the wretchedness of the world? This is the real dilemma behind many disagreements in the immigration debate.

The immigration debate is about America defining itself at the beginning of the 21st century. What does it mean to be an American here and now? What do the fundamental concepts of individuals' freedom that led to the original rise of America mean to us today, and do we care?

Comments

[elcid66]

Your article is a great insight on the problem. I had thought the "debate" was all about racism, but now it is clear to me it was really about lazy whites proactively looking looking to protect their welfare checks, real or prospective; much as Joe the Plumber was complaining about taxes that did not apply to him, on a business he could not afford to buy.
The economy began its collapse when some brilliant Republican Congressmen expressed their interest in taking action to turn all immigrants into felons. That's when the bottom fell out of the housing market and consumer spending began its collapse. All the immigrants were scared away from either buying houses or buying things. This had a big effect in Chicago, where fully half the real estate sales pre-collapse involved an immigrant as either a buyer or seller. This bolsters your point the U.S. was willing to do what was against its economic interests in order to stick it to the immigrants.
Frankly, I believe a new day has dawned, and this will not happen again, at least to the current crop of immigrants.

[elcid66]

The first Europeans who settled the U.S. spoke Spanish. Latinos have been here since Columbus' first voyage, which was really Spain's voyage. Get over it, gringos. By the way, if most of you worked and saved as hard as the illegals, this country would be booming. How about it, put down your meth pipe and get to work!

[Henryk A. Kowalczyk - Huffpost Blogger]

Comments here confirm my point that the immigration debate is not about immigration.

It reflects disagreements among Americans in their views of fundamental concepts of our political system.

Thank you everybody for participating.

[davegorak]

Kowalcyzk's sophomoric comments reveal his true ignorance of a troubling issue that impacts every aspect of our daily lives.

The idea that we need more immigrants when more than 10 million of our own citizens can't find full-time work is repugnant. Thirty years ago ordinary Americans "searching for a better life" worked in meatpacking, drywall installation, janitorial construction, and the service industries. Yes the work is hard - and dangerous - but then it paid wages that allowed these Americans to provide for their families and retire comfortably.

Two things Kowalczyk overlooks when Congress in 1924 wisely ended the "Great Wave" of immigration because of the efforts of responsible labor leaders like Samuel Gompers and black leaders like Booker T. Washington: Wages rose and the middle class was born. Anybody who has a problem with these two developments has, well, a real problem.

Speaking of black Americans, where does Kowalczyk stand on our present immigration policy that has made blacks the SECOND largest minority group in their OWN country and is pushing them back to the back of the political, social and economic bus?

Tom Tancredo and Mitt Romney, by the way, were prohibited by law from doing anything more than what they did to prohibit illegal aliens from working on their properties: They asked the owners of the respective services they used if the workers were authorized to work for them.




Dave Gorak
Executive director
Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration
LaValle, WI
www.immigrationreform.org

[Peter007]

Dave,
If you are a leader of a special interest group or a lobbyist for a select group of people that need special services from the government you would be opposed to any reforms in current law.
You appear to represent either organized or even disorganized labor. Your goal is to raise the wages of workers. A noble goal indeed. However , you need to employ the police powers of the government in order to accomplish your goal.
The purpose of todays immigration laws is to insure that your community ( labor ) enjoys protection from outside competition. A similar argument could be made by a manufacturer of car parts. He wants lower priced parts excluded from Americans market place.
My opinion of what's wrong with this country, is that we are comprised of special interest groups, paying our legislators to bestow special favors on our own select group. I've heard it before. Whats good for GM is good for American. Whats good for labor is good for America.
Sorry, I disagree. You don't represent my interest.

[marysandra]

Anyone who works in a public service agency, no matter how tender-hearted they are, can attest to the enormous social burden our states are carrying. I do, and can admit that I have run out of sympathy. I have come to believe that many came here because they thought everything was free, and for many of them it is..Medical care, food stamps, subsidized rent, even clothing for their children..Toys at Christmas are expected, and are criticized if not "good enough"
Meanwhile the birth rate is through the roof and free birth control is refused, Free English classes are refused. At our center we have even offered free sewing and knitting classes, and free yarn, to give our elderly volunteer kniiters a break, no takers on that one..The rub, or course, is that the children are U.S. citizens born for free in modern hospitals...
We have veterans and law abiding folks fallen on hard times, waiting months to apply for services.
Yet our "undocumented clients" often arrive in very nice cars and almost all have cell phones. What is wrong with this picture?

[jcorte2]

There is nothing wrong with that picture. Those nice car and cell phones are not given for free to your "undocumented clients". If they are can you asked them by whom so I can go get me one because I have being trying to get one on credit and I can but I don't blame it on the "undocumented immigrants" but on my own inability to manage my money properly. As far as people coming to this country expecting everything to be free, you couldn't be more wrong. As a second generation of immigrants to this country, I can tell you that my parents worked 18 hours a day six days a week and guess what? When I was ready to go to collage they were able to pay 100% out of pocket for my collage and for my brothers. How many of you "legal clients" can say that.
If you would do any real research you would find out that those that take the most money from our tax payers are not the "undocumented" but the documented ones. But like you, no one really wants to educate themselves. They blindly believe what the media tells them. Me, I not only when to collage to learn math and science but learn to think for myself.

[jcorte2]

There is nothing wrong with that picture. Those nice cars and cell phones are not given for free to your "undocumented clients". If they are, can you ask them by whom so I can get one. I have being trying to get one on credit and I can’t. But I don't blame it on the "undocumented immigrants" but on my own inability to manage my money properly.
As far as people coming to this country expecting everything to be free, you couldn't be more wrong. As a second generation of immigrants to this country, I can tell you that my parents worked 18 hours a day six days a week and, guess what? When I was ready to go to college they were able to pay 100% out of pocket for my college education and for my brothers. How many of you "legal clients" can say that.

If you would do any real research you would find out that those that take the most money from our tax payers are not the "undocumented" but the documented ones. But like you, no one really wants to educate themselves. They blindly believe what the media tells them. As for me, I not only went to college to learn math and science but learn to think for myself.

(Editor: unfortunately due to being in a hurry I did not edit my comment before I posted it. This is the edited version could you please replace it with the previous one.)

[marysandra]

You are right to be proud of your parents and yourself.I am the child of immigrants also, who came here legally.
I do not need to research the situation, I work in it everyday..I see the statistics and the actual people on a daily basis..Now your parents were of a different generation and work ethic. My clients are pregnant women and their children..did you not read the part about refusing birth control, refusing to learn English, refusing to learn any life skills whatsoever,and how could they work, with no English and four children under the age of five? We provide medical care to the entire family, they get food stamps, we collect additional food and clothing. We even have had to provide cribs, and strollers.­.Sometimes our visiting nurses actually deliver all this to them. We have Christmas gifts, Easter baskets, you name it...Now come up to our second floor waiting room and visit with homeless veterans, widows, and people thrown out of work after 20 years of tax paying and living by the rules..Ask them how long it takes them to be "investigated" to see if they qualify for a few bucks of food stamps or entry to a shelter.. The first group is well able to work the system, they have counselors in their churches and communities to help them..The second group has social security cards, they come in on foot or by bus.

[ThePeacemakers]

"Thank to the free market system..."

Uh...NO THANKS.

[OpenThyEyes]

It seems you are very concerned for business getting the most for the least. Good workers for little pay. This is your version of the American Dream is it. Most Americans, do not, as you would like to believe, use such workers. Some Business owners on the other hand, feel as you do, if one hires illegals, you can abuse them freely, as poor pay, unsafe working conditions, no overtime, or age limits required (as they have no way to complain, being here illegally), unlike the troublemakers they replaced (Kosher meat packing plant working conditions jog any memories). This system of dealing with workers was thought to have been eradicated in 1865. Other reasons that your positions on open borders are tripe include, drugs and the dealers and users crimes, human suffering, as dying trying to enter our borders, and the criminals that abuse such people, rapes, robberies, and murders of those for lack of payments by the coyotes,or just for the fact they can. Also lack of vetting will allow illnesses long gone from the US to enter unknown. Also, Osamas followers coming in amongst the millions per year (since 2001), is or should be somewhat of a concern. I know the northern border is also at risk, but as yet, not too many have traveled that route. If as many had as those that have used the southern border, Canada would now be vacant. Have a great day..

[Peter007]

The reasons, illegal workers can be abused is because they are illegal. The effect of our draconian immigration laws is that it eliminates basic human rights protection for those people without documentation. Complaining about human rights, or labor abuses, would put the victim in jeopardy of deportation. It's as if the American laws are enabling human right violations to exist in this country.
We shouldn't think of America as a private club, who's sole purpose is to further our own agenda. That system requires payoffs and bribery of our government officials. Both legal and illegal payoffs.

[snapshot1940]

The real problem is about WHO is coming into our country. We have the right to know that the people coming here are not connected to the murderous drug cartels who are torturing and murdering people by the hundreds on the Mexican side of the border, other criminals and possible Middle Eastern terrorists.
The problems created by the criminal element of these illegal aliens here in Arizona is tremendous to say nothing about the other social costs to the taxpayers for their goods and services.
I have nothing against immigrants who go through the process and come here legally but I do have a big problem with those who sneak into our country AND the scum who knowingly hire them.

[Peter007]

Here is a solution to your problem.
Everyone entering the US has to fill out a form. The questions would address those issues that concern you ( drugs, terrorism). Once the form is filled out, grant them legal status.
That solves your problem.
The bureaucracy needed to insure that bad people are not part of the immigrants would be the same as it is today. Ineffective and costly.