The build up and now arrival of today's (May 1st) `protests' regarding `Immigration Policy' as it is termed has revealed a startling range of folly and muddled thinking on all sides. The demagoguery and hype associated with the issue is all the more perplexing for its blatant disregard of reality and true facts. This is spectacularly true on both sides of the fence, both literally, and metaphorically, but of course, especially true regarding the `illegal's rights' side. So will comment on that first. Before saying so, a Disclaimer: in the post that follows I generally take the immigration debate as referring to specifically the en-masse and growing migration across the United State's borders with Mexico. Other groups are not really at the core of the debate, because they are not coming in such volume and scale.
First off, the entire issue is a proverbial `slam dunk'. Almost by definition, `illegal immigrants' are not going to have any `rights' regarding immigration beyond the globally recognized human rights of all. Which is to say, the same kind of rights tourists and other temporary visitors to this country, let alone citizens, should expect in treatment. But beyond that? No. Anyone who came here illegally has done just that, arrived illegally. In this context, any deference shown must be regarded as a courtesy, not a privilege or right. That there are actually illegal -- or if one prefers, `undocumented residents or workers' -- out in the streets openly protesting or walking off jobs is pretty mind-boggling. It’s a commentary on the national dialogue and pandering of scores of public officials that the issue has become as confusing as it has. It’s really clear-cut, in legalese, at least. America has a right to set the conditions for citizenship, and entry into this country and how the borders are crossed. EVERY nation does this, and with almost no media or journalistic pressure about being `racist' or `discriminatory' in having such a concept as conditions of citizenship per-se.
Quite predictably, this has created a backlash, particularly from more conservative and nationalist quarters, against the illegal issue in general. After all, for illegals to openly demonstrate and complain, when they should be being simply arrested, appears the height of insolence and shows an intolerable degree of scofflaw attitude. Yet it is equally true that the protests for the most part have been very dignified and restrained, however large, and the irony is here that to some degree, it is the over-simple response of the `close the borders' chorus that sparks the effrontery of an open protest like this. Day after day, for two, maybe three years now, we have heard a particularly strong drum beat about `the borders' and the `illegal aliens' problem, etc. Yet at the same time, almost never an embracing of our own role in it --- our continued desire for cheap labor. Like the rather rational and forgivable desire for cheap oil, this on its face makes perfect sense. The middle and lower class do not have the wealth of much of the officials, and the price of goods can matter a lot. Nevertheless, like the oil issue, this point of the citizenry's culpability in the sustaining of "the problem" in question must first be recognized if any change is to be sought. So citizens have every right to be angry at the scofflaw behavior, and particularly the choice of a date (May 1st, May Day Parade) with problematical relationship to capitalism, to say the very least.
On the other hand, there is no denying a lot of pointless demonization and overwrought caricatures regarding both the effects and form of illegal immigration. Sometimes true bigotry is indeed lurking, and in that vein, the writer proposes that we retire part of the word `illegal alien'. Not so much for pc-think reasons, as the more honorable and genuine goal of pc to avoid needless, blunt offense. `Alien' after all, in a post Star-Trek/Star Wars era, not to mention the Alien genre itself, now has strong connotations of `totally Other' and not just `foreign' but `incomprehensible' or `incompatible' without some extensive self-education at the very least. This is hardly true of the majority of immigrants, and especially not true of Mexicans sneaking here in hopes of better pay or even better lives. In short, `alien' is needlessly, well, alienating. In fact, to all the above, it now connotates not human at all. Its time is past, and meaning has changed. Let's retire it to refer literally to as yet un-met extra-terrestrial life.
Conversely, let’s resist any pressure -- particularly by editorial and mass media bullpens -- to have any embarrassment or expectation to refrain from the use of `illegal'. For the illegality of the immigration is the very point, not really what they are doing here. Only a small minority is criminals in the true sense, and should be dealt with like all criminals, either through our system or Mexico's. Hence, "Illegal Immigrants" is a perfectly valid way to refer the "undocumented residents/workers" phrase that is being bandied about, and a lot more honest and to the point. Drop `alien' but keep `illegal'. So this debate and `protest' is really about the supposed rights of illegal immigrants that have come here illegally, in short, invaded. This on its face is absurd, and would not even be an issue, if it were not for the equally dishonest posturing on the American side by some of the major concerned advocates.
What is dishonest? Quite frankly, the continuing pass given to businesses and employers who suffer no penalty when hiring illegal immigrants, thus both fueling and perpetuating the desire of same to migrate here in large numbers. In short, American employers are creating too strong an incentive for mere laws to deter would-be workers desperate for any opportunity or improvement in the situation. This fact has the effect of making all the protestation and great debate sound more than a little ridiculous. After all, we have not even taken strong steps to outlaw the activity that sustains illegal immigration, so why the mass concern over those downtrodden workers simply answering opportunity and the employer's call?
Some will answer, "Things have changed since 9/11, and the threat of terrorism and the War". But this is an evasion. Strictly speaking, the government could still be staging discrete "interceptions" and even liquidations in a covert style of actual enemy operatives trying to sneak into the country, just as they always did on both sides in the Cold War. The War on Islamo-Terrorism is a reason to strengthen border patrol, NOT control of illegal immigrants employed or residing here already. They really are not the same thing.
Second, there is an even more fundamental point. Though I said above that we lack strong punishments or disincentives to business to curtail their use of illegal labor, this does not mean we SHOULD DO SO. Actually, what is far more questionable is the whole point of exactly why some form of temporary worker program could not be set up. How many really want the businesses to stop employing illegal immigrants? To what end exactly? This in a time when almost nothing is done to stop the massive outsourcing of jobs to low-wage earners in foreign lands by business for almost exactly the same reasons as illegals are hired -- -to save a dollar, or rather, millions of dollars.
Isn't the concern rather, the amount of American capital in the form of dollars being sent out of the country? Is that not itself more a side-effect of our continuing use of an income tax, which can be evaded by cash payments, instead of national sales or flat tax, which cannot be evaded by anyone who purchases anything here? If the concern is the amount of untaxed-money being sent to Mexico, then look at ways to either tax that, or see that it is not sent there in objectionable quantities. OR, conversely, simply enforcement citizenship proof as the minimum requirements for access to services ranging from medical, to welfare and schools. This too, would remove the point of `we are paying for illegals to use our services without return' argument.
These are just some initial thoughts, on a problem that is more a problem because it is not being looked at rationally and "as is", but rather through emotional and nationalist lenses that do not see their own role in the conundrum. Or at the minimum, if they truly feel government is not listening - their duty to find and elect officials who will reverse or untangle this mess in a more sober way.
- Anthony
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