There have been a number of times in which I've been proud of my mom, but I don't know that I've ever been more proud than the day I told her that a dear friend was here in the U.S. illegally.
When I confided that Jose Antonio Vargas, a terrific journalist and all around great human being, was the illegal immigrant in question my mom's first response was, "How can I help? I mean could I adopt him or something?"
Her reaction nearly brought me to tears (and Jose too when I shared it with him). You see illegal immigration is a subject I've never written about, in part because my own feelings about the subject are complex, and I know my mother's feelings are too. But ultimately her compassionate response, and our conversation that followed, made it crystal clear to me that there has been a real failure in our country when it comes to the issue of comprehensive immigration reform.
Not simply a failure in terms of policy but a failure in terms of communication. And not merely on the part of conservatives (although they certainly bear some of the blame.) There has been a fundamental failure on the part of progressives to make a compelling case to people like my mother why they should care about this issue. Even more important, there has been a failure to acknowledge and communicate a simple truth that has severely limited the progressive movement's ability to mobilize more people like my mom -- die-hard Democrats who care about civil rights -- around this issue. That simple truth is this: all undocumented immigrants are not created equal.
Much like the term "deserving poor" became a dirty word among progressives, (despite being a term very much rooted in the realities of poverty) the idea that some undocumented immigrants in this country are far more deserving of a second chance than others is an idea that supporters of illegal immigrants remain hesitant to fully embrace -- to their detriment.
I began thinking about the disconnect around this seemingly obvious fact after coming across the recent New York Times article "Illegal Immigrants' Children Suffer, Study Finds." Anyone looking to disprove the theory that the New York Times is a bastion of liberal bias, with a secret agenda to advance progressive causes need look no further than this piece. It's hard not to surmise that the person writing it was purposely attempting to provide fuel for critics of illegal immigrants. The piece introduces us to a young illegal immigrant struggling to find services to aid her following the birth of her first child -- yet somehow she has two more children in quick succession, all of whom are currently on government assistance.
What I found so disturbing about her story is that it is not the story of many illegal immigrants in this country -- those who actually contribute and do not take advantage of government programs that cost taxpayers enormously.
Immigrants like Jose Antonio Vargas.
For some reason the conversation over illegal immigration seems to have been hijacked by two equally extreme positions: Those who believe that all illegal immigrants are bad people and should be deported, and those who believe that all illegal immigrants deserve a path to citizenship, (and that anyone who disagrees is a bigot).
Both sides operate under the illusion, (or should I say, delusion) that all illegal immigrants are equal. And both sides are equally wrong.
Someone who comes to this country -- or in Jose's case is brought to this country -- and spends his entire time here contributing in every way imaginable is not comparable to someone who doesn't contribute at all, and it's disingenuous for supporters of illegal immigrants to pretend otherwise. However it's equally disingenuous for immigrant opponents to pretend that our country has not benefited greatly from illegal immigrants, those who as the president often notes, learn English, pay taxes and break no law (beyond the ones they break to begin their journey in the first place).
Vargas, for instance, has already made much more of a contribution to this country with his writing than I probably ever will with mine. In addition to a shared Pulitzer, his work covering the AIDS crisis in Washington, D.C. inspired a film on the subject that may just end up saving lives. As my mom said, "I can think of ten American citizens off the top of my head I'd gladly trade for one Jose."
I can think of 20.
America would simply not be America without people like Jose. (Click here to see a list of the most Politically Influential First Generation Americans of the Last Decade.) For this reason, I hope this issue finds a resolution, for him, and others like him. But that's not going to happen until supporters of the DREAM Act and other compromise measures stop wasting valuable political capital denouncing the president and the government's efforts to deport people who have not worked to earn the privilege of remaining here. This includes people who are legitimate criminals (and yes if you drink and drive and endanger other people on the road, or commit any crime whatsoever after already committing one to enjoy the privilege of living in the greatest country in the world, that means you). Not to mention wasting valuable political capital denouncing legitimate conservative criticisms as bigoted.
Asking a person who chooses to come to this country to learn English and earn his own way and make responsible choices (as Jose has) so that taxpayers don't end up subsidizing him or his family, does not make the person doing the asking a bigot. And if you have ever called a person who believes in the above that word, then you should look in the mirror and congratulate yourself for being one of the people responsible for our country's inability to reach consensus on this issue. Because there are fair-minded people who may be willing to compromise who will not do so as long as you dismiss them as bigoted, simply because it's easier to do that than to engage them on those issues in which they have expressed valid concerns.
Ultimately, we will never find common ground as long as we alienate each other with name-calling, and as long as liberals and conservatives are unwilling to acknowledge that no one owns the moral high ground on this issue. No one.
When Jose first shared his secret with me, he mentioned that he had spoken with some who were encouraging him to speak on behalf of all illegal immigrants. My response was, "But you're not the voice of all illegal immigrants. You're the voice of immigrants like you. And frankly they are underrepresented in this debate."
Here's hoping that thanks to his courage more voices like his will join the debate and progress will finally be made. Because our country can't afford to lose Americans like him. In fact, as my mom pointed out, we could use plenty more.
Keli Goff is the author of The GQ Candidate. This piece originally appeared on TheLoop21.com for which Goff is a Contributing Editor.
www.keligoff.com
Follow Keli Goff on Twitter: www.twitter.com/keligoff
Bill Ong Hing: Remarkable or Not, All Dreamers Deserve a Chance
Rory O'Connor: Jose Antonio Vargas Is an American Hero
Jose Antonio Vargas: Bearing Witness, A Tweet At A Time
My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant - NYTimes.com
Will the Feds Deport Jose Antonio Vargas? | Mother Jones
Jose Antonio Vargas' Story | ThinkProgress
Journalist Jose Antonio Vargas Comes Out as an Illegal Immigrant ...
Jose Antonio Vargas causes stir among bloggers - Reid J. Epstein ...
Republicans like Reagan pushed for amnesty because it helped to break the back of the unions.
Are Dems too stupid to realize this?
Until then your support of illegals is rejected as irrational and harmful to the interests of American people.
I love immigrants . They bring new ideas and culture and make this country better. But one of the reasons this country used to be great is we had an easy set of rules and they were enforced. We have gone the other way. We now have rules that are so confusing they can't be enforced.
We need to make legal immigratio n much much easier. Here are my thoughts. First get rid of birthright citizenshi p. It creates a very dangerous set of incentives . Change it to be you have to be born to a citizen. Have a trial period say 5 years similar to green card but don't limit the number. You can come and go as you please during that time. The minimum wage would be twice that of the state you are working in and your income is subject to a flat 50% tax to cover all costs to the immigratio n system and border patrol. If any time during those 5 yearsmyou are convicted of a felony you are deported and can't get a green card for 10 years. After 5 years of paying taxes and staying out of trouble you can automatica lly become a citizen if you choose or keep your green card.
This system would allow easy acess to and from this country for the majority of immigrants that are good hardworking people.â€
What tool do we use to turn it off when we have enough? Or is too many not enough?
The way it works is you apply to come here first, get a visa and then come and work. You don't sneak into the country stay here 10 years and then cry how you earned to be a citizen.
Why do people who can't meet requirements for a passport & visa think just being hard working is going to get them over? When i go to Japan w/o a passport/visa i'll just tell them at customs that i'am a hard worker, or i'am looking for a better life, or we are all humans and children of god and see if that'll get me in.
The IMF, the World Bank, Wall Street, currency speculators and other banksters and the fact that if the wealthy and powerful wanted something done about the problems (on both sides of this far too heated debate) of illegal immigration then something would be done.
"The late Jude Wanniski was a conservative economist who was at one time a Wall Street Journal editor and adviser to President Reagan. He cynically observed of this banker coup:
There was a big party at Morgan Stanley after the Mexican peso devaluation, people from all over Wall Street came, they drank champagne and smoked cigars and congratulated themselves on how they pulled it off and they made a fortune. These people are pirates, international pirates."
http://www.webofdebt.com/excerpts/chapter-22.php
So how about we quit bashing each other over the 10% of the wealth that Wall Street hasn't stolen from us and educate ourselves?
America is in a lose-lose situation here. Repubs (and Dems too) and their corporate cronies want as many undocumented, illegal workers as they can get into the country (despite everything we hear) to drive down wages and have a permanent unnaccounted for workforce (i.e., slaves). The so-called "progressives" in this country get all giggly and just want their illegal friends to to remain here - just theirs, mind you (as this article tries to deny) at the expense of enslaving thousands of others. All parties involved are acting selfishly. Very selfishly.
I wonder what happens to the places where the brightest and best all leave "for a better life"? How on earth can impoverished places EVER get better when their best and brightest are chasing the almighty dollar in a foreign land, while their families wither away in the old country where nothing ever changes?
No, the way to come to a consensus here is for Americans to stop lining their pockets at the expense of slaves, and to stop destroying the immigrant culture and home country by whining about their illegal activity being unjust. No new laws. Just enforce the ones we have.
I wonder what happens to the places where the brightest and best all leave "for a better life"? How on earth can impoverish ed places EVER get better when their best and brightest are chasing the almighty dollar in a foreign land, while their families wither away in the old country where nothing ever changes?"
I don't think you read the article.
I have lost promotions to people who manage to mangle both languages because I am not bilingual and I have competed with illegal aliens (and those with stolen or fake SS#s) for jobs, and my family members and friends have been victims of alien criminals.
Guess what?
I am a liberal, a progressive AND a Democrat, and I know why people come here from countries with less opportunitiy than we historically have had because I listen to them. I have learned much from immigrants, illegal, alien or not.
Do I think that anybody that travels across the border or flies into this country should be able to stay?
No, but I am tired of the polarization of this issue. Those of us who are fighting over 10% of the wealth need to just stop, look and listen.
let me say that your article was thought provoking and and well written ....
what you seem to miss is what most liberals miss... the vast majority of conservatives WILL support some kind of pragmatic amnesty with conditions
IF...IF AND WHEN AND ONLY WHEN.....
like me, they feel we won't be doing this again in 20 years with yet another 30 million illegal aliens in our country!!!
GIVE US ASSURANCE THAT OUR SOUTHERN BOARDER IS SECURE... they won't because they can't
Americans are generous people and it's shame when their generosity is used against them.
The 20th century's greatest president, Ronald Wilson Reagan made one of his few mistakes by granting amnesty back in the 80s..
I say it was mistake having the benefit of hindsight, but even he could not foresee the incredible influx of illegals that we say in the 90s and later...
seeing the results.. he would not do it again unless, our soveirgnty was guaranteed first.
Compounding this burden is the fact that many illegal immigrants siphon off their earnings to their home countries, instead of spending it in U.S. communities.
Therefore, I propose a law taxing these foreign remittances.
Benefits:
1.Cash workers would be forced to contribute fairly to the upkeep of infrastructure of their communities.
2. This would somewhat reduce the allure of U.S. job market to those who think about crossing the border illegally.
3. This would encourage Latin American politicians to work harder to fix their internal problems or face unrest.
Of course, #1 is the most important in these troubled times.
To the left: Not everybody who disagrees is an enemy or a bigot. Insulting those who make distinctions among undocumented immigrants and/or who want some kind of standard re learning English just makes the universe of allies that much smaller. And dooms things like the Dream Act. We should learn from the past: The whole political correctness thing poisoned the discussion on bilingual education as well. And social promotion.
Violating nation's borders and violating nation's laws is a criminal behavior. No matter how sympathetic a person is who did it.
There are paths to achieving legal status. U.S.immigration laws are fairly liberal. Those allegedly "deserving" who achieve a degree of financial success would have no problem achieving legal status.
Even though I'm pretty strict relative to immigration laws, I do concede that there is a difference between a person knowingly coming here illegally as an adult as opposed to being brought here as a child with little or no understanding of the issues or consequences.
P.S. I am glad you agree those adult enough to understand their actions must face the consequences of their illegal action--- deportation.
I guess he feels that he is entitled to preferential treatment since he is here illegally. I think that he needs to be picked up for his crimes, prosecuted, and then deported just like the illegal woman in Chicago who took sanctuary in a church. She plead guilty to only three felonies before she was deported, though she had committed many more. It is high time that illegals be treated with EQUAL justice that the rest of Americans get.