A warning. The article you are about to read is long. The issue of illegal immigration has affected me personally and I feel strongly about the issue. First, let me address border protection.
Border protection need not be as difficult or expensive as many seem to think. Every state maintains its own National Guard. And once each year, every member of every state’s National Guard is required to do a brief stint of “active duty.” Based on recommendations from the Border Patrol, National Guard troops could be deployed to border area hotspots on a rotating basis – places where illegal crossings are common – and places where known criminal activity exists. Their primary duty would be simple and straightforward – to secure the border by any means necessary, allowing them to “take off their gloves” if they encounter violent resistance. This would include being fired upon by persons or vehicles on the other side of the border.
Now, the bigger picture.
The media has largely portrayed the illegal immigration debate as having two adversaries – the illegals and US citizens. But, this portrayal neglects the people caught in the middle – the people who suffer most due to unchecked illegal immigration. Namely, the legal immigrants.
My ex-wife and I met when she was assigned as an aide to the Trade Minister at the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles. She even had a diplomatic passport. When we married and, later, she became a naturalized US citizen, we petitioned her 4 siblings – 1 brother and 3 sisters. At the time, when 2 citizens petitioned an alien relative, the wait time was about 3 years. It took them 6 years to get their petitions approved. Why? Because the Department of State pushes back the window of entry for legal immigrants to take the estimates of illegal immigrants into consideration.
When they finally got their petitions approved and came to the US, 1 sister got a job as a motel maid while the other 3 siblings got jobs at a local farm picking fruits and vegetables. Note that these are the kinds of jobs that some people say will only be done by illegals.
Alongside them in the fields were other Pacific Islanders, Asians, a large family from Kenya, a sizable contingent of workers from the post-Soviet republics, and others. And yes, there were also Mexicans/Latinos in the fields.
One day, the farmer (Joe) decided to streamline his payroll. On a certain date, he would abandon daily cash payments in favor of a weekly paycheck (with the usual deductions withheld). All workers were given I-9 and W-4 forms to fill out and return before Joe’s plan took effect. On the day the plan took effect, all of the Pacific Islanders showed up. All of the Asians showed up. All of the Kenyan’s showed up. And all of the workers from the post-Soviet republics and elsewhere showed up. But, only a handful of the Mexicans/Latinos showed up.
Joe called all his remaining workers together and asked them to tell their friends and relatives that jobs were available. In less than 2 days, his fields were full of workers again.
Point is, there are a large number of legal immigrants who would love nothing better than doing the jobs “only illegals” would do … if only they could get to those jobs first. But, the legals who would do those jobs are faced by two obstacles. First, their petition wait time is doubled due to the large influx of illegals. In the case of my in-laws, illegals pretty much took 3 years of income out of their pockets – just as surely as if they’d been robbed at gunpoint. The second obstacle once they finally make landfall in the US is the sheer number of illegals who beat them to the job sites. Legals are simply outnumbered.
I’m a firm believer in the idea that all immigrants should be treated equally without regard to race, color, creed or national origin. Illegals don’t believe this. They believe that they should be given “preferential” treatment over all other races, colors, creeds, and national origins. In addition, they believe that if their violation goes unnoticed or unpunished for a period of years, they’re “more” entitled to that preferential treatment. And this belief is bolstered if not championed by politicians who are sympathetic to the same belief (ie., the Dream Act).
Remember Rosa Parks – the African-American woman who in 1955 was ordered to “go to the back of the bus” in Mississippi to make way for white passengers? Her refusal to do so is considered a landmark event in the civil rights movement. Now, we have a whole new class of people just like Rosa – the legal immigrants. They are being ordered to go to the back of the “immigration” bus to make way for illegals. Who, besides me, will speak for their civil rights?
One of the biggest arguments used by those who support illegals is that they pay taxes like everyone else. But to a legal immigrant, it’s not an issue of whether or not illegals pay taxes. It’s an issue of who SHOULD be paying those taxes – the immigrant who obeys the law or the immigrant who doesn’t?
Another big argument they use is the sheer poverty of the illegals that forced them across the border to find work. Question. How many of you have seen a Philippine barrio? How many of you have seen a ghetto in Thailand? I’ve seen both. And, I’ve been to Mexico as well. The poverty Mexicans/Latinos complain about is not unique to them. So, which immigrant has a greater moral right to come here due to their poverty – the immigrant who comes her legally or the immigrant who comes here illegally?
Guest worker programs? Are they being offered universally to all immigrants without regard to race, color, creed or national origin – or are these programs “reserved” for Mexicans/Latinos? Either way, consider this.
One of the biggest problems faced by the Department of State insofar as “legal” aliens are concerned are those who overstay their visa limits. A guest worker program would primarily appeal to immigrants who would otherwise be illegal … giving them protected entry into this country. But, it would also provide them with the time and financial ability to figure out ways to overstay their program limits and disappear into the woodwork of society.
I do not have the facts and figures in front of me. But, I think it’s safe to say that more illegal immigrants come from Mexico than from any other country. And when a country like the US is faced with such a huge illegal immigration problem, the wisest course is to go after the majority of violators first. Unfortunately, the deportation scheme to Mexico is nothing but a shell-game. Basically, illegal Mexican immigrants are given a free bus ride across the border and dropped off. Their drop-off point might even be close enough for them to see the border. Currently, those deported know that if they “re-cross” the border (and I suspect re-crossings are widespread), their only punishment if caught would be another free bus ride. I have a solution to this problem which, in the long run, would likely be cost-effective.
First, stop the free bus rides. Instead, detain them in a single facility until there are enough Mexican illegals to fill a C130 cargo plane. Then, load them up and fly them to Chetumal – dropping them off there. Chetumal is the southernmost city in Mexico on the border with Belize. In order to re-cross the US border, illegals would have to travel the entire length of Mexico to reach it – a task few if any of them would be capable of handling, physically or financially.
In closing, let me say that I’m in favor of immigration reform – but, perhaps not the kind of reform most people think about when the use the word. Two things need to happen – vigorous enforcement of existing laws and expedited petition approvals for legal immigrants who want to come to the US the legal way. In addition to that, it would be wise to ban all “daily cash payment” work, requiring all employers to mandate employees to fill out I-9 and W-4 forms – and checking all Social Security numbers against the eVerify system.
One final note. Many illegals bypass the requirement of a Social Security number by applying for an “ITIN” number (Individual Tax ID Number). The ITIN number was created for two purposes – to provide numbers for those who ran their own businesses prior to the requirement of having a Social Security number – and for foreign investors who are required to pay US taxes. If individual workers use ITIN numbers, their names should be given to I.C.E. for further scrutiny since they’re likely illegals.