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The truth about illegal labor
Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - Bangor Daily News << Back

By Jonette Christian

Advocates for illegal aliens and their employers often argue that we should recognize the reality that certain sectors of our economy have grown dependent on illegal labor, and therefore a "realistic" solution is to legalize. Let's examine the truth of this claim.

Approximately 7 million illegal aliens are in the work force. The overwhelming majority is unskilled, and 60 percent lack even a high school education. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that 20 percent of cooks, 25 percent of construction workers, 22 percent of maids, 25 percent of ground maintenance workers, and 29 percent of agricultural workers are illegal.

So despite the concentration of illegal workers in certain industries, the majority of work in these sectors is still predominately performed by American citizens and legal immigrants, i.e. the working poor and ethnic minorities. How much do we care about these fellow Americans who compete head to head with the illegal worker? And who has a greater claim on our loyalty?

If illegal immigrants were to go home, the wages of these Americans would significantly improve. Many economists have spoken on this issue, most recently Princeton economist Paul Krugman, writing for The New York Times, "It is intellectually dishonest to say, as President Bush says, that immigrants 'do the jobs that Americans won't do.' The willingness of Americans to do a job depends on how much that job pays, and the reason some jobs pay too little to attract native-born Americans is competition from poorly paid immigrants."

No matter how many new legal workers we import, the employers decry "labor shortages," which is increasingly laughable in a nation that added 60 million people in just 20 years. How much longer do we swallow these bogus claims? Many illegal aliens are cleaning homes, mowing lawns, cooking meals for the rich. Were they to go home, the wealthy would pay more for their household labor or else they would mow their own lawns.

So what? The "economy" will survive without these so called "essential" workers.

The really big "pink elephant" in this whole debate, however, is the fact that all immigration, but especially illegal immigration, is currently a net fiscal drain on the American taxpayer. A comprehensive economic study of immigration in l996 by the National Research Council discussed this issue in some depth. Bottom line: the annual net fiscal drain imposed on native households by all immigrant-headed households ranges between $15 billion and $20 billion. If we were to legalize all 12 million illegals currently here, plus their many family members who want to join them (the Senate immigration bill), about half the illegal population which is not currently paying taxes would begin to pay taxes.

But at the same time, all amnestied illegals and their families become eligible for means-tested programs. This cost of importing poverty is not being discussed honestly with Americans.

It's a terrible tragedy when the populace loses trust in government to enforce laws fairly. "No one is above the law" has been a bedrock American conviction, and it has served us well. Mexico is a perfect example of what happens to a country when citizens don't respect the law. Despite abundant resources, Mexico is mired in poverty and dysfunction. Mexico passes very few taxes and their collection rate is ridiculously low. Consequently, they lack the resources to build the infrastructure that would allow them to create economic prosperity. But the heart of the problem lies in a political culture in which bribery, corruption, and cheating is ubiquitous. Mexicans must continually pay bribes to police and public officials who can't live on their paltry salaries, and build their homes behind walls topped with broken glass. We shouldn't be surprised when they thumb their nose at our laws as well.

California has a $3 billion underground economy from which the state collects no taxes. According to the Los Angeles Times, the bulk of this economy is comprised of immigrants from countries where citizens "don't trust government." When Congress rewards those who cheat and lie to "make a better life," it demoralizes the nation and degrades the values that allowed us to prosper. It's a slippery slope. We don't want to go there.

True compassion lies in building lawful democratic societies, here and there. True compassion empowers people to take a stand. True compassion does not encourage people to run from their problems and look for America to save them. Illegal immigrants need to go home and march in their own cities, and demand an end to the corruption and the lawlessness that has kept their people poor.

It took 20 years of amnesties from Congress to create the current mess. It's going to take years to solve it, and there are no compelling reasons for massive legalization at this time. We wouldn't need walls along our border if we simply enforced our laws at the work site. When the jobs dry up, most illegal immigrants will leave on their own and stop coming. Millions have already left.

The late Rep. Barbara Jordan, chairman of President Clinton's U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, testified before Congress, "The credibility of immigration policy can be measured by a simple yardstick: people who should get in, do get in; people who should not get in are kept out; and people who are judged deportable are required to leave."

We need to reclaim our borders and our commitment to the rule of law. Call our senators and tell them: Enforcement only, no legalization schemes.

Jonette Christian is a co-founder of Mainers for Sensible Immigration Policy.