Thread: The immigration puzzle : Commentary : HECTOR M. BARAJAS

The immigration puzzle -- A Latino household wrestles with border debate around Thanksgiving dinner table

By: HECTOR M. BARAJAS - Commentary

While visiting my family for Thanksgiving, a large portion of our dinner discussion centered around the dramatic support that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger received from the Latino community and the impact that the newly elected Democratic Congress will have on the issue of immigration. While many in my family believe that immigration reform is possible, what I found most unique was that the points of contention regarding immigration were not necessarily those expounded by the pro-immigration groups.

My parents, like the rest of my family, immigrated to this country without documents more than 35 years ago. They have four children who were born in this country, including one they adopted 10 years ago. My father, a union member who has worked in the produce business his entire life, became a Republican supporter the first day he stepped into this country. My mother, a former seamstress who has dedicated the past 15 years as a foster care parent, is a registered Democrat who considers herself a middle-of-the-road voter but a staunch conservative on the issues of family and fiscal responsibility.

Since the immigration debate dominated headlines in this past year, I once again, as a spokesperson for the California Republican Party, found myself in the middle of this debate.

While some in my family told their personal stories of finding their way across the border to make a better life for themselves and their families, they also mentioned that the same border has allowed an influx of gangs and drug cartels and has led to a deterioration of human rights. There were stories of Mexican drug cartels battling for control of border towns in the United States and Mexico, and the dramatic increase in violence on both sides of the border. For these immigrants, the porousness of our border did not rest on labor issues alone; rather, it included a frank discussion on the criminal element that our current border structure facilitates.

My mother and aunt (former seamstress workers) talked about the 71 Thai workers who were freed from virtual slavery from a sweatshop in El Monte, while some of my uncles, who live in crime-ridden neighborhoods, talked about the international gangs, organized crime and several drug cartels that have increased their grip on our state and nation.

My family could see no logical incentive for governments to halt illegal immigration to the United States. Through the exportation of more than 11 million of its citizens, countries like Mexico have been able to avoid the call for economic and social change. The prospects of mass mobilizations calling for radical change in Mexico is being met with Mexican governmental agencies handing out maps outlining paths to the United States.

The issue of immigration has no easy solution and it is not something that should be rushed or hurried for the purpose of checking off a "to do" list. Twenty years ago, the federal government dealt with the issue of granting amnesty to 2.7 million people. This year we are dealing with a number close to 12 million, and unless we find a comprehensive solution to this problem, we might find ourselves with an even bigger number, but in less time.

For many immigrants like my family, an immigration plan that focuses solely on full amnesty, open borders and driver's licenses will perpetuate the exploitation, gang violence, drug and human trafficking, wage suppression and the demise of social services for the native citizen and for both legal and illegal immigrants currently in this country.

While my family elders migrated into this country more than 30 years ago, they each continue to feel an internal sadness knowing that thousands of these new immigrants continue to be cast into the desert by a country they all once called home.

Hector M. Barajas serves as the press secretary for the California Republican Party.

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Good article. No shortage of guts in Hector!

Great article!!

GO HECTOR!!