Thread: Basic human rights for all

www.dailytexanonline.com

The Daily Texan - Opinion
Issue: 10/11/05

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Basic human rights for all
By Ian Greenleigh Daily Texan Columnist


Immigrant-rights groups often rely on arguments that completely contradict their humanitarian cause. The debate rages on in its typical reactionary fashion, where the cloud of accusation and emotional fervor prevents the rational consideration the issue merits. The argument that the United States is utterly dependent on, and should therefore permit, illegal labor, perfectly encapsulates a callous betrayal of the very individuals immigrant-rights groups claim to fight for.

The hard work of undocumented immigrants has indeed contributed to this nation's prosperity. Illegal immigrants are lured across our borders every day by promises of better pay and fair treatment. Some see their dreams fulfilled, and their success stories entice others to try their hand at the American dream. Thousands of hopefuls arrive daily to see if the stories are true. All too many now regard them as myths.

Prosperity does not justify exploitation. Those employing illegal immigrants have little incentive to treat laborers fairly. Tragically, exploitation is profitable. Illegal immigrants are not afforded the same rights Americans take for granted, and legal recourse is usually not an option for someone who fears retribution, deportation or unemployment.

The people behind the American labor movement fought valiantly to protect the rights of working men and women. The rights of citizens employed in the United States are secured by countless labor laws and regulations. These rights do not necessarily encompass non-Americans. As a result, the exploited remain in the shadows.

Those who want to strengthen border security are labeled racists, rednecks, xenophobes and hypocrites. Anyone opposed to unchecked-border crossing is considered ignorant of the economic benefit resulting from immigrant labor. What about the hypocrisy of human rights groups justifying porous borders, because they allow for a system of labor exploitation to continue? Yes, the average American enjoys the low-priced goods and services made possible by illegal labor, but this in no way justifies its occurrence. The same argument could be used to support the slave trade; the antebellum economy certainly benefited from free labor. Neither form of exploitation can be justified by the economic benefit provided.

Many studies have found a correlation between an influx of illegal laborers and a reduction in wages for native-born United States citizens. This phenomenon is also reminiscent of the South before abolition. Far from benefiting from the institution, non-slaveholding Southern whites had dismal employment opportunity in a system that relied on free labor.

Today, the temptation to utilize the lowest-cost labor possible remains, and creates an economic climate in which native unskilled laborers are simply unable to compete. Those who do find menial jobs are seeing their wages suffer as they are forced to choose between unemployment and an ever-shrinking paycheck.

Some allege that immigrants only take positions American citizens have no desire to fill. A study entitled "A Jobless Recovery?" found that "even those occupations with the highest concentrations of new immigrants still employ millions of native-born workers." Many other studies refute this "lazy American" argument.

Granting amnesty to immigrants who have entered the United States illegally is not the solution either. The problem with amnesty programs is that they promote illegal immigration. While efforts to bestow essential rights to people who live within our borders are noble, they are also problematic. It is unrealistic to grant legal status to everyone who finds his way here. No nation on Earth can be expected to shoulder such a responsibility. As such, no seriously considered policies have been aimed at granting legal status to all immigrants. However, amnesty eligibility has grown more encompassing, resulting in an increase in illegal immigration. The illegal-labor market is growing as amnesty hopefuls flood into the country and those that are ineligible or awaiting confirmation seek employment. More illegal immigration results in more exploitation, despite efforts to legally recognize undocumented individuals.

No single remedy exists for the abuse illegal immigrants encounter daily. People who cross the borders are subjected to exploitation at every stage in their journey. They are treated like cargo by the coyotes who smuggle them and are ripped off by document forgers who take what little money they have earned. Efforts to prosecute foreign nationals for these crimes are opposed and deemed racist. When they finally arrive, immigrants are further victimized by a black market that fails to acknowledge their basic rights.

Sadly, those who claim to speak on their behalf justify illegal immigration by praising the alleged economic benefit it provides. In doing so, they legitimize a system that values them as nothing more than cheap labor.

Prosperity does not justify exploitation.

That's the long and short of it.

Ian Greenleigh.....what a great article !!! Please keep writing!!!

tude_dog
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