Thread: Some considerations for immigration policy

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentin ... 991363.htm

Posted on Tue, Oct. 25, 2005


Some considerations for immigration policy

BY JACK Z. SMITH

Knight Ridder Newspapers


It was the spring of 1985. I was headed back to Fort Worth from a weeklong trip through West Texas.

Just outside Ballinger, northeast of San Angelo, a toad-drowner of a rain began to fall. Squinting through the downpour, I spotted a man walking on the highway's edge. I've rarely picked up hitchhikers, but this wiry little Hispanic man looked so thoroughly soaked, miserable and harmless that I offered him a lift.

He eyed me warily but got in the car. Minutes later, we were animatedly conversing in my halting Spanish and his even worse English, while laughing at our mutual linguistic ineptitude. Perhaps in his late 20s, he said he was from Mexico and coming to the United States for the first time ever to look for work.

He had a natural friendliness that made him instantly likeable. Although he acknowledged in a roundabout way that he was here illegally, I couldn't help but admire him for his courage in trekking north, alone, into a strange country where an uncertain fate awaited him.

He rode with me for a half-hour or more. I dropped him off after the rain stopped and it was evident that we were headed in different directions. I handed him a $5 bill and said, "Buena suerte" (good luck). He responded with a sincere "Gracias" and a smile that seemed to say: Hey, America might not be such a bad place.

I have no idea what happened to that determined hitchhiker of two decades ago. I don't recall his name, the Mexican city he came from or whether he had a wife and children back home. But I've periodically thought about him whenever I've pondered the topic of illegal immigration, a powder-keg issue now facing President Bush and Congress.

I'm not among those who feel we should immediately round up all the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States and send them packing. Nor am I among those who believe that illegal immigrants take only jobs that Americans don't want and that the nation unquestionably benefits from their presence here.

Here are some basic premises that I believe should provide the framework for any reform measures considered by Congress:

It's important that America regains control of its borders. Going forward, we need to enforce our immigration laws to ensure that we have a controlled flow of immigration that we can absorb without excessive strains on our schools, health care systems and other major components of our societal infrastructure.

Immigration reform must focus heavily on cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, because those migrants come here primarily in search of jobs. Strong workplace enforcement eventually will reduce the numbers crossing our borders illegally.

In the meantime, border security needs to be strengthened to deter illegal immigration and guard against the threat of terrorists entering the country without our knowledge.

We should realize that we'll never be able to deport - nor should we want to deport - the millions of illegal immigrants already in the United States. If they all left, we would face an acute labor shortage, especially in certain lines of work. (Construction, restaurants and roofing quickly come to mind, as does the movie "A Day Without A Mexican.")

A sizable amnesty program should be established for illegal immigrants who have been in the United States for a substantial number of years, worked hard and kept their noses clean. Allowing those who are proven assets to our society to remain here will strengthen America rather than weaken it. Those granted amnesty should have an opportunity to attain U.S. citizenship.

As part of any immigration reform bill, the federal minimum wage should be raised substantially, perhaps to $6.50 or $7 an hour, from the absurdly low level of $5.15 that took effect in 1997. One of the bad aspects of illegal immigration is that it has resulted in depressed wages, benefits and working conditions for many low- and moderate-income workers who are here legally.

Illegal immigration has been a mixed blessing. It has lowered operating costs for many businesses, which in turn has reduced costs to consumers in many ways. But many low-paid immigrants don't pay enough income, property and sales taxes to cover the federal, state and local costs of providing an array of taxpayer-funded government services to them and their families.

We've simply had too much illegal immigration in too short a time to absorb it effectively. When it comes to immigration, I believe in gradual, steady assimilation.

In giving that Mexican hitchhiker a ride 20 years ago, I suppose I was guilty of aiding and abetting a criminal, given that he was in the country illegally. But as I beckoned the rain-drenched man toward my car, the Golden Rule that I learned as a boy in Sunday school prevailed over any thoughts of federal immigration statutes.

Successful immigration reform must, to a considerable degree, be practical and tough-minded. But it also must contain a strong element of compassion - hence an amnesty program for those who have proven themselves worthy - if we are to continue proudly calling ourselves Americans.

After all, we ARE a nation of immigrants.

the guys email is

jzsmith@ star-telegram.com


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