Thoughts on Immigration Policy
By N. Peter Antone
“America is a nation of immigrants.” Is this an overused cliché or an expression of a monumental experiment in the history of mankind? Which of the two reflects how immigration has been treated by competing parties for power during elections?
The first immigrants were pilgrims who wanted to escape religious persecution. They had the courage to cross oceans and risked their lives to do so, but upon arrival also showed the ambition to build a community governed through democratic means previously unknown to mankind.
This combination of courage to risk it all while escaping a bad situation with the ambition to contribute to a better life is still the theme dominating many of the current arrivals, legal and illegal.
When a skilled immigrant arrives here to work or study, they often are leaving behind a life well known to them in pursuit of a higher goal. This reflects courage and ambition that will contribute to our society and economy. Similarly, when an unskilled person crosses deserts to arrive here only to do jobs Americans are not interested in, they are also exhibiting similar traits.
While some of their jobs might be menial, the courage and ambition in their genes will exhibit itself in their future children who will be entrepreneurs and business builders. A good example is our own community, many of whom arrived from Telkeif decades ago without education, money, nor even language skills. Look where we are today!
So, how have each of our major parties handled immigration? Unfortunately, not very well. Immigration is an issue capable of demagoguery. Many immigrants look different from the locals. It is easy to accuse them of taking American jobs, when many are doing tasks Americans are reluctant to do such as farm, household or construction work.
Illegal immigrants are in the millions, and as in every large group, there are always those who commit crimes. Yet, we have politicians who blame all immigrants for the crimes of the few. The analogy would be to argue that we can reduce crime if we deport the population of a whole city! A true statement, but no one calls for such a drastic solution to reduce crime.
On the other hand, allowing millions to cross the border without authorization gives a bad name to immigration and weakens the support for legal immigration. Imagine if we have another 9/11-type of terrorist attack perpetrated by illegal immigrants who crossed the border. There has even been a case where a serial killer was found to have entered the country illegally. Consider how that might negatively affect the cause of legal immigration.
Labor unions have often been an obstacle to easier immigration policies, suggesting that immigration disadvantages local labor, a claim which has added many bureaucratic obstacles to immigration. When the Democratic Party had control of the White House and the two chambers of Congress, such as the first two years of the Obama Administration, they choose to ignore the opportunity to reform immigration policy.
Our Constitution gives Congress the authority to regulate immigration. But Congress has been paralyzed for many years due to infighting between Republican and Democratic members. Several comprehensive immigration reform bills have been introduced. A few even had bipartisan support, only to be torpedoed by the extreme elements in Congress, who appear more interested in appeasing their base and getting reelected than in solving problems.
We also have had executives unable to take the issue to the nation to seek public pressure for a resolution. The main loser, unfortunately, is our country and its people. Let’s hope for a permanent solution by the next administration. Our nation and immigrants deserve better.