Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Immigration and refugees

This is a subject I don’t like to talk about a lot because the other side has captured the language on this. When you try to offer solutions other then the ones the left want, i.e. Full amnesty of all illegal emigrants, you are a racist. If you call for enforcing the law you’re a racist. If you call for securing the border you’re a racist. If you call for law enforcement to check on the immigration status of people they arrest for crimes you’re a racist. The United States of America allows more legal emigrants than any other nation. Every illegal emigrant takes a slot that is no longer available for legal emigrants. Every employer who knowingly hires an illegal emigrant steals from every tax payer. That employer also steals from his employee by under paying him. He undercuts his competition with cheaper labor cost. He most likely is not paying taxes or under reporting them. This is a form of slavery, one that is embraced by the far left as it fits the agenda of undermining the USA.

So my easy answer is the full enforcement of existing laws. This was promised to us in the 80s after the Reagan amnesty plan but it blocked by forces on both side of the aisle. This bipartisan betrayal has made it all but imposable to enforce the existing laws. About 10% of the population of Mexico now lives at least part time in the USA. When 10% of your population flees to a neighboring nation for economic relief, it is not an emigration problem, it is a refuge problem. I propose that we change the language on this issue and declare it a refugee problem. This opens the door for a form of temporary legalization for illegal emigrants. As refugees we can seek UN aid. We can put international pressure on Mexico to resolve its economic disaster its corruption and its drug crime culture.

For years the far left has attacked any attempts to bring sanity to the emigration issue. The right has not wanted to risk the economy by removing the source of cheep labor. Now that the issue has reached a critical mass, we have millions of families that are “mixed paper” parents who are illegal and children who are citizens. This has turned the issue of enforcing the law into an emotional one, filling the left’s armory of rhetoric allowing them to demonize anyone who challenges their emigration agenda. While the right uses the risk to the economy to argue largely for the status quo.

So although my suggestion is drastic I see it as the only way to truly address the issue with the urgency it deserves. As long as the refugees obey the law and the international community works toward resolving the crisis in Mexico. We can work to help our neighbors to the south live a better life both here and at home.

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