Thread: Fixing America’s Broken Immigration Policy

Fixing America’s Broken Immigration Policy

By Peter Morici Created: May 15, 2011
The United States has an unwritten but plain immigration policy.

The U.S. Border Patrol imposes significant risks on people trying to enter illegally but once inside the country, illegal immigrants usually can find work and remain here. They manage to obtain false documents or work off the books, and are significant shares of the workforce in construction and many service activities.

The reasons are simple. Whether Americans openly condemn or quietly condone illegal immigration, they are happy to have immigrants do the tough and often low-paying jobs native born Americans don’t like.

While federal authorities have engaged in some well publicized raids of factories, workplace enforcement is far from comprehensive. Too many illegals work in small enterprises, as day laborers or in other fluid situations. Moreover, federal agencies get precious little help from state governments that issue drivers licenses, administer social services and admit the children of illegal workers into schools.

Americans of all stripes vote for immigration by who they hire to clean their homes and offices, the restaurants they patronize, and the complicity they tolerate from state governments. Some veil their choices by hiring cleaning services and caterers instead of housekeepers and cooks, but most everyone participates in the fiction that has become U.S. immigration policy.

With widespread complicity by individual citizens and state governments, U.S. immigration laws have about as much meaning as speed limits on highways. Some people get caught but most don’t.

Presidents Clinton and Bush both tolerated weak federal enforcement in the workplace and state government indifference to avoid upsetting Latino voters.

Mr. Clinton was painfully aware that as the grandchildren of European immigrants become more prosperous, they are more likely to vote Republican, and Democrats need Latino voters to remain competitive.

George Bush shrewdly observed Latinos have socially conservative inclinations, and may not necessarily be reliable Democrats—like other minority groups—once they climb a few rungs up the economic ladder.

President Obama is in a tough spot. Republicans in Congress want tougher enforcement as the price for reform, but he can never satisfy them.

More fences and adding to the Border Patrol won’t work. Getting into America is worth so much, poor Latinos find new and more dangerous ways to get into the country.

While many Americans say they want tougher enforcement, few want their own cleaning lady or other workers deported who make their lives easier.

Deporting unneeded immigrants would break up families. Many have children who were born in the United States and are citizens. We cannot deport parents without either forcing them to abandon children or forcing children who are citizens to leave.

Sending back young adults in many cases would constitute an atrocity. Too many were brought here as young children and really have no place to return. Latin voters won’t tolerate deporting those young adults—and neither should the rest of us.

The Dream Act, which failed in Congress last year, would have provided a pathway to citizenship for young adults through higher education or military service. Discouraging college and military service, which often provides technical training and other intangible qualities, only increases the pool of workers in the United States without the skills necessary to compete. It lowers the wages of already hard pressed Americans with only a high school diploma or less.

American society is premised on the opportunity for upward mobility. Almost every native born American completes high school, and about two-thirds obtain some post-secondary technical or university education.

If American children are going to keep doing better jobs than their parents, Americans must accept immigrants to clean hotel rooms, work in meat packing plants and the like. Present laws just don’t provide for enough immigrants to enter legally to do those jobs. That is why so many foreign workers are here illegally, and we are going to have to let most of them stay.

The illegal immigration problem won’t be solved until employers, federal and state governments, and citizens together recognize the need for significant numbers of new Americans each generation, and accept their common responsibility for enacting and respecting laws necessary to manage the process.

By championing education and military service for young adults among illegal immigrants, and asking Congress to enact naturalization processes for illegal workers to win citizenship, President Obama is challenging all Americans to get behind such a process.

On immigration reform, Americans should get behind their president.

Peter Morici is a professor at the Smith School of Business, University of Maryland School, and former chief economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/opinion ... 56310.html

"The only thing broke, is the American taxpayer!"

Residential construction, until recently, was a well paying field of work for American citizens. After the illegal alien invasion, it has been very difficult for Americans to stay afloat in this business as illegals now get most of the jobs.

Originally Posted by hattiecat

Residential construction, until recently, was a well paying field of work for American citizens. After the illegal alien invasion, it has been very difficult for Americans to stay afloat in this business as illegals now get most of the jobs.

And it would be a lot better for American young people to learn some skills like that....instead of sedentary, ruin-your-health careers, like "social work." All they're doing is perpetuating a completely stupid system, of training people for careers that wouldn't even be there if we weren't allowing illegals to stream across our border.

Originally Posted by hattiecat

Residential construction, until recently, was a well paying field of work for American citizens. After the illegal alien invasion, it has been very difficult for Americans to stay afloat in this business as illegals now get most of the jobs.

You're right, at one time most folks working in the construction industry were holding down what was considered, middle income jobs. Folks working in the industry used to make $30,000 - $40,000 a year, now a lot of illegals are doing the same jobs for $8.00 - $11.00 an hour without benefits. The contractors using illegal labor can consistently under bid legitimate contractors who are following the law. By doing this they have effectively run many small business owners in the construction industry out of business.

This Peter Morici who wrote this article is an idiot. He claims on the one hand the only reason Americans whether openly or quietly condone illegal immigration is because they do the jobs "native born Americans won't do". Yet he supports the Dream Act on the other which prepares illegal aliens for college graduate work and military service which are top of the line jobs "native born" Americans have always done.

Peter, you're a liar, liar pants on fire. There is no job an American won't do and most Americans mow their own lawn, clean their own houses, take care of their own kids, work in their own gardens and cook their own food.

Judy wrote:

Peter, you're a liar, liar pants on fire. There is no job an American won't do and most Americans mow their own lawn, clean their own houses, take care of their own kids, work in their own gardens and cook their own food.

You're right, Judy, most of us don't live in gated communities and we certainly don't live in Hollywood.

Blah, Blah, Blah!!!!!!!!!! The "poor me" excuse is not flying with me! The illegal alien who wrecked my car last week is an example of their disrespect for American law and it's citizens ! THEY chose to have their kids here and use them for welfare, so they can TAKE them back to their OWN Country and support them! My tax dollars are for MY kids, not foreign invaders and their anchors! They can whine and moan all they want, but their kids are NOT American citizen's responsibility!! They expect us to pick up the tab for their own shady way of lives, and I don't feel sorry for ANY of them. The illegal that wrecked my car last we didn't feel sorry for me, and they want respect and rewards?? They can go back to their own Country and bit** at their own president!!!

On immigration reform, Americans should get behind their president.

I am 100% behind President Obama, not only on Illegal Immigration issues, but also on Health Care, taxes, raising the debt and his complete agenda. The reason I am behind him is that I am doing all I can to push him out the door.

Originally Posted by 4thHorseman

On immigration reform, Americans should get behind their president.

I am 100% behind President Obama, not only on Illegal Immigration issues, but also on Health Care, taxes, raising the debt and his complete agenda. The reason I am behind him is that I am doing all I can to push him out the door.

Good one, 4thHorseman!