http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/61015

Immigration Issue Causes Divisions; Solution Needed
By Arie Dekker - 22 Sep 2006



While BYU students experience the divide caused by policy options in the national immigration debate, people across the political spectrum agree that something must be done.

"An ineffective immigration policy can affect and change all of our lives, no matter where we live," David Lassen, BYU chairman for the College Republicans, said in an e-mail.

Likewise, Patrick Nord, president of the BYU Democrats, said in an e-mail, "There are very few who will not, in some way, be affected by the immigration issue."

Nord said, "Immigration is an issue that has the potential to affect dozens of other policies - some would submit it can affect things such as Homeland Security. It also has a direct impact on education and welfare issues."

Although the issues surrounding immigration are not new, John Payne, visiting instructor at BYU who specializes in international relations and security issues, said, "there are people that are newly interested [in immigration] since Sept. 11."

According to Payne, it was previously believed that terrorism was "mostly theater," and that terrorists preferred making headlines to inflicting casualties. However, after the attacks on the World Trade Center, that understanding changed.

"There are terrorist organizations that seek mass casualties," Payne said.

The challenge for U.S. policy-makers is to develop a system that prevents unwanted people from entering the country, he said, while still permitting those who genuinely seek the American Dream.

Payne said the government struggles with the balance between allowing some people while denying others. He said the 19 terrorists that hijacked planes on Sept. 11 should have been denied.

"Their visa applications were a mess," Payne said.

On the other hand, he said lots of good people don't get to come to America or are delayed for a long time. He said changing the rules might not be necessary. He emphasized that diligent enforcement of previous restrictions would have successfully denied the hijackers. However, even diligent enforcement will not guarantee success.

"Stopping terrorism is like being a hockey goalie: you let one or two in and you lose," Payne said.

National Security is just one issue to consider when debating immigration reform.

Lassen of the College Republicans said, "The economy stands to be drastically altered by our immigration decisions."

Matt Joslin, state vice-chair of the Utah Federation of College Republicans, said in an e-mail, "Deporting all of the several million illegal immigrants who are here would clearly negatively affect our country. ... For instance, this act would reduce production and shrink the economy. President Bush doesn't support doing this."

Joslin said Bush supports deporting only those illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, trafficked drugs or contributed to gang violence.

"But we must also keep our borders open so that people who have worked hard and followed the law are able to fulfill their dreams of becoming American citizens," he said.

Ian Garcia, a BYU computer science major from Mexico City, said in an e-mail, "Those millions of people who have been living and working here ... and making an honest living should get the full benefits of any other citizen."

Other international students disagree. Another BYU student from Mexico, who requested anonymity, said in an email, "Illegal immigrants should be deported [because] amnesty rewards illegal immigration and promotes more illegal immigration. ... Temporary work permits could alleviate the situation and help screen for criminals."

Work permits would allow immigrants to work during the long citizenship application process. Nord said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., voted for a proposal in the Senate for a guest worker program.

According to a news release on his government Web site, Reid supported a policy that opposed blanket amnesty but supported more rapid legal immigration.

As stated on the Web site, "This policy should have the overarching purpose of protecting and preserving the safety and interests of the United States and its citizens while recognizing the needs of Western industries to have a stable and legal supply of workers quickly available where there are no willing U.S. workers otherwise available."

Arturo Morales, a sophomore from Mexico City majoring in information systems, said he supports blanket amnesty for illegal immigrants currently in the country on economic grounds. He said cheap labor would assist economic growth in a way similar to growth experienced by China and India. He said he knows some illegal immigrants and they are generally hard workers.

Lars Lefgren, assistant professor of economics at BYU, said people who come to America to work are almost undoubtedly much better off. They typically fill jobs for low-skilled workers. He said there is some evidence that their employment decreases wages for low-skilled workers by 5 or 10 percent. However, referring to the work of Harvard economists Lawrence Katz and George Brojas as reported in the Wall Street Journal, Lefgren said average workers are not impacted in the long run by immigration.

Education is another area of concern when considering immigration. Barbara Lovejoy teaches a multicultural class in the Special Education Department at BYU and has taught in schools that were affected by immigration. Lovejoy said the language barrier is a major problem that educators face. She said there is an important difference between intelligence and English proficiency, but unfortunately the two are sometimes equated.

"We can't just talk about education in general," Lovejoy said. "What worked for [teachers] in the past, ... they're finding, isn't really working with their Hispanic [students]."

Children of immigrant families must receive special attention, Lovejoy said. The problem is not going away and traditional techniques will not solve it, she said.

"Utah does really well with graduation rates but when you segregate it, it looks horrible," she said.

According to Lovejoy, the situation could be turned from a problem into a blessing. Educators need to look specifically at Hispanic needs and the particular needs of other nationalities. She said until policy-makers make an honest assessment of different groups' needs, then educators will continue to struggle to adjust to changing student diversity.