A pointedly appropriate saying comes to mind as the nation continues to heatedly debate immigration reform and some states launch anti-immigrant laws: the truth won't kill you but it sure is inconvenient. People opposed to immigration reform don't like hearing the truth about immigrants and consequently try to drown out rational debate with venomous polemics. Some state legislatures invent emergencies to stoke anti-immigrant fear and pass racist laws that will not withstand constitutional scrutiny. But, the truth lives in every street corner labor pool, hiring line, construction site, farm, and meatpacking plant. Just as it has since colonial days, the inconvenient truth is that America is addicted to immigrant labor. Always has been and always will be. We can't ignore it. Our love of our reasonably-priced standard of living won't let us. Even now despite the fact that 99 percent of us struggle through an anemic economic environment, big money makes its profits not in small part because of its exploitation of immigrant and foreign labor. The truth is that the big players in America's economy thrive because America shoots up immigrant labor. Nowadays, however, in addition to sucking up immigrant labor within our borders, big capital goes out to the source and still comes up big while the rest of us founder on the shreds of the American dream.
This addiction started almost from the beginning. English, German, Dutch, Spanish, French, even Russian colonizers entered and claimed separate parts of Native America. Through force or trickery or both, these powers carved up what didn't belong to them and settled this country, Canada, and Latin America. Yet, from the earliest of times, landowners and mercantile men felt entitled to import immigrant labor, first indentured servants and later slaves. Our country even ripped itself asunder over the issue of the forced migration and subjugation of African slaves. Some believed they had the right to own other human beings for profit. Others saw the savagery in human exploitation.
Ironically, even before the Civil War, America cleaved to its current addiction. Imported Irish and Chinese workers fueled industry, especially the railroads, foundries, and stockyards of a growing America. Every generation witnessed a wave of immigration feeding the addict's pipe dream. And, vocal minorities in each generation self-righteously clamored to "send them all back where they came from."
Now, again, and perhaps even forever we debate the fate of people with the ingenuity, drive, and wherewithal to cross oceans, deserts, and frontiers to replicate what every preceding wave of immigrants has done - meet America's demand for labor while at the same time try to make a small piece of America's dream its own. Those who myopically cry from the mountaintops to deport or imprison all undocumented aliens don't speak for the majority of Americans who understand the intimate connection between immigrant labor and American success. Moreover, even if sending them all back were possible (which it isn't), what would result? Farmers, ranchers, construction companies, and canneries and meatpackers from Alabama to Arizona to Alaska all know the score. That's why some states in our Union buck the Alabama-Arizona trend.
Our economy thrives on a delicate balance struck between skilled and unskilled labor, tech, service, sales, and professional workers. Immigrant labor is part of that entire balance. Lose it and businesses, big and small, suffer. Big business, however, can pay for the alternative. It flees oversees chasing even cheaper foreign labor, stripping local communities of vital jobs and collecting federal subsidies along the way. Small business unfortunately has nowhere to go. Doubters, look around you. In addition, the economy loses the capital and tax revenues created by immigrant workers, including the 30 billion dollar positive effect on wages documented by the federal government.
None of the immigration reform bills discussed recently is perfect. There's no ideal fix. There is, however, much that rational people can agree on and which just might for once strike a solution to America's addiction. Do we need to shore up the border? Absolutely. Do we need a process for legalization that includes stiff monetary penalties, waiting periods, proficiency in history and English, additional disqualification for public benefits (which strengthen existing prohibitions), and increased employer responsibility? Most assuredly. Should immigrants who are already in line get their long-pending applications adjudicated first? Of course. It's imperfect but not a bad start.
The alternative is rot in American agricultural fields bereft of immigrant workers willing but too afraid to do the job for fear of being profiled, targeted, and arrested. It's small businesses shuttering their shops because they are deprived of the money spent there by immigrants and their families. It's a brain and entrepreneurial drain from the departure of folks hardy and ingenious enough to suffer the hardships and privations of poverty to make something better for themselves and their communities. It's workers and communities in foreign countries exploited and sacrificed to big capital.
Legalizing immigrants is the painfully honest solution to America's addiction to illegal immigrant labor. Rationally addressing the details alleviates the pain. That's the truth.
The supporters of the illegal aliens are 'groups'. They have an enormous amount of money, and they are using it to manipulate, and simply lie about the circumstances related to the illegal aliens. Repeat a lie often enough and it can become a truth, and that is happening. An excellent example is.. illegal aliens are not immigrants and this person has clearly mixed the two in a comment that is also clearly wrong. Illegal aliens are used because they offer their work for less money.. often work under the table, and lower the overhead of business that are not particularly caring about anything except a new Caddy next month. We need that vote because we don't have anything like the money they have.
If you stop trying to conflate "anti-illegal-immigration" sentiment with "anti-immigration" sentiment.
But, I realize, it would be asking a lot. Much easier to paint everyone as immigrant-haters, apparently. It seems to be the SOP around here.
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Thank yuo for posting the above statement. Those who are pro-illegals always seem to paint those who oppose the massive amounts of illegals who have been permitted and who continue to invade this country with the broad stroke of Racism! It has gotten old!
F&F'd
It's pretty annoying, but I've come to expect it from people with certain leanings.
They can't handle the truth...so they twist it to make the other side look like monsters
Why do people not understand that it's actually anti-illegal immigrant laws?
“Ridicule is man's most potent weapon.”
“The enemy properly goaded and guided in his reaction will be your major strength.”
Too bad they didn't read more Abraham Lincoln:
"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."
For example, if your neighbor's fireplace and foundation was built by a $30 per hour skilled craftsman hired by an honest Contractor and yours was built by a $13 per hour Illegal Immigrant hired by the dishonest Contractor, did you and your neighbor pay different prices for essentially the same house? Of course not. The dishonest Contractor priced his house to sell at the same price as the honest Contractor hiring the American Worker and pocketed the difference.
A Pew study by J.S. Passel "estimated that illegal immigrants fill a quarter of all agricultural jobs, 17 percent of office and house cleaning positions, 14 percent of construction jobs and 12 percent in food preparation."
So why are there no price differences between comparable products brought to market with Illegal Immigrant labor versus Citizen or Legal Resident labor? Should not a quarter of food products, 17 percent of hotel rooms, 14 percent of houses, and 12 percent of restaurant food be less expensive than the same products delivered by American Workers? Just because the pay is less for some does not automatically mean that all prices are lower for everyone.
Great post and who's doing the balance of those jobs if Americans won't do them?
Mexico ~ 11th richest economy of 193 nations in the world
Mexico ~ 7th largest producer of barrel oil in the world
Mexico ~ largest producer of Silver in the world
Mexico ~ June 2011, Unemployment Rate of 5.45%
Mexico ~ southern border with Guatemala only 550 miles long, instead of 1,956 miles
.............. already Mexico is constructi¬ng a border fence there
Mexico ~ largest drug producer / exporter in the world
Mexico ~ once acquired, legalize Marijuana & tax it for a profit ~ no need for drug cartels
Mexico ~ already sold 1/2 of Mexico to the U.S. Gov't in two separate land sale
. . . . . . 1848 ~ Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty ~ $15 million USD
. . . . . . 1853 ~ Gadsden Purchase ~ $10 million USD
Mexico ~ in the top 20 recipients of USA Foreign Aid annually
Mexico ~ 95% of Mexican Nationals want free USA social benefits
Mexico ~ 110 million accustomed to $4.64 USD daily minimum wage
Mexico ~ 30% of all Mexican-bo¬rn Nationals already live in the USA
Mexico ~ Saving of $21 billion a year sent out of the U.S. Economy back to Mexico Annually
Mexico has a proud heritage of its own. I doubt very much that it's looking to become our 51st.
There are 110 million is the population of Mexico ~ a little less than one third "want" rights & benefits; of U.S. Citizenship
The idea will grow on you ~ as a peaceful & beneficial solution to both country's economic problems
Proud heritage? Not even close.
But when it comes to immigration and wage suppression (H-1b work visas fir example) we are suddenly all in this together! Yes, team American. Go!
So back to immigration. The rich benefit directly from immigration. So yes there is a benefit...for the rich. And we working class folks benefit indirectly by having increased diversity. I agree with that. But you cannot deny that the rich are benefiting due to lower wages, off the backs of working class folks. You cannot deny that. It is welfare for the rich paid for by US workers in suppressed wages.
So we need to be honest about this. And we need to recognize that the workers in the US are broke. We need a break from all the corporate welfare.
People can deny reality with supposed “truths” but that does not change reality. Our greatest unemployment is in the areas where Illegal Immigrants are most prevalent per the Pew Center; Farming, Construction, Transportation and Material Moving, Food Service, and Cleaning. Meanwhile, in jobs where Legal Immigrants are most prevalent unemployment rates are at their lowest per the BLS. But then Legal Immigration is still controlled. Thanks to excessive illegal immigration we are now returning to the low unskilled wage days of the Robber Barons.
Samuel Gompers, first AFL President: "Every effort to enact immigration legislation must expect to meet a number of hostile forces… One of these is composed of corporation employers who desire to employ physical strength (broad backs) at the lowest possible wage and who prefer a rapidly revolving labor supply at low wages to a regular supply of American wage earners at fair wages."
According to the Pew Center the jobs where Illegal Immigrant Workers are most prevalent in the USA are Farming, Construction, Transportation and Material Moving, Food Service, and Cleaning. These jobs by their very definition are and always will be American Jobs. NONE can be outsourced. For example, try out-sourcing the construction of buildings to China. Buildings are really hard to air or ocean ship once they are built. Try harvesting American crops, mining American ore, preparing American food, cleaning American buildings, or moving goods in America with workers living in China or India or even Mexico. It cannot be done.
It’s hard for Americans to do these jobs now because wages have been driven down thanks to the exploitation that is illegal immigration. From 1979 when there were few Illegal Immigrants in the USA to prerecession 2006 when there were many, real pay for Construction Workers fell 11%, for Material Moving Worker real pay fell 13%, Meat Worker pay has fallen 22%, and Farm Labor Workers earn less than Parking Lot Attendants.
Illegal immigration is purely and simply replacing USA Workers on USA soil doing jobs that can NEVER be outsourced somewhere else with cheap illegal labor.
Look at his list of things that should be done at the end of his article. He mentions "shoring up the border" but that's it as far as stopping illegal immigration goes. His list of recommendations really doesn't offer any solutions for stopping illegal immigration - only about how to legalize illegal immigrants already here.
Anyone who spends more than 5 minutes thinking about this issue and doesn't react with a typical knee-jerk leftist response, understands that amnesty without significant measures to stopping illegal immigration will only encourage more and more illegal immigration.
In other words, if you offer amnesty alone then we will be right back here in another 20 years talking about offering amnesty to ANOTHER 10 - 20 million illegal immigrants.
Either de la Cruz is being dishonest by not talking about real measures to stop illegal immigration and he wants illegal immigration to continue - or else he is simply ignorant and shouldn't be listened to as a serious minded thinker about this issue.
Everyone knows the solution to stopping illegal immigration is going after the link between employers and illegal immigrants. If de la Cruz were serious about stopping illegal immigration he would recommend supporting something like Mandatory E-Verify which is a strong first step towards severing that link.
You mean ANTI-ILLEGAL immigrant laws. Maybe I missed it, where is your condemnation of Mexico's Government for failing its people and forcing them to FLEE Mexico in order to find work here. Mexico has failed many of its people-have the guts to say it.