In June of 2006, Robert Morison, the co-author of the book Workforce Crisis made an appearance on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. This is what he said, "Don't let the current hubbub about illegal border crossing from Mexico give immigration a bad name. The U.S. economy needs immigrants, because the growth rate of the native-born workforce is slowing to a trickle. There will be a period during the next decade when all of our workforce growth will be thanks to immigration. We also need skilled immigrants, people who come to America either already skilled or seeking education. That's because the economy continues to add jobs requiring technical training or a college degree, while the aggregate demand for unskilled labor is nearly flat." (see the rest of Mr. Morison's comments here).
I would be interested to know what Mr. Morison would say today. Since June the un-employment rate has dropped again and crackdowns on illegal immigration have caused labor shortages in farm labor and other areas. The April 9, 2007 issue of Business Week reported, "In agriculture, the crackdown on illegal immigration has dried up farm labor so much that crops were left rotting in the fields last year. Even Michigan, which has the nation's highest unemployment rate, is reaching out to migrant farmworkers from Texas and, soon, Florida. Its slogan is "Venga a Michigan"--Spanish for "Come to Michigan." (see the full article from Business Week here)
"Come to Michigan," seems to be the only place where the welcome mat is still out on the porch, but what about The Statue of Liberty, you know the phrase, "Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free..."
There are groups in the news who like to loudly proclaim, "Yes, we believe in immigration, but these people need to come here legally." The reality of the situation is that we allow far fewer immigrants into this country than we need to support our economy. There is also the reality that some who come from Canada and Mexico have no interest in becoming U.S. citizens, they just want to be able to come here to work and then leave.
Dr. Wayne Conelius of the University of California was interviewed for a 60 Minutes story about illegal immigration at the U.S. / Mexican border. He said, "They can earn more in an hour of work in the United States then they could in an entire day in Mexico-- if they had a job. The government says crossing the border through the desert is breaking the law... The message that we're sending them is if you can get past the obstacle course at the border, you're essentially home free. You have pretty much unrestricted access to our labor market and there are employers out there eager for your labor." That story aired in December of 2005. Since then border control has been tightened and the need for immigrant labor and the opportunities available for those who are willing to take that risk have become better. (read the very compelling 60 Minutes report here)
It is difficult for anyone to see issue beyond their own perspective and mine is that of a mother. If I were living in poverty and wondering if I would be able to provide for my child the things that every child should have, would I be willing to break the speed limit, (illegal immigration is classified as a misdemeanor) the answer. Yes! Would I have the courage and take the risks that so many Mexican mothers have taken to give their children a better life? I hope that I would. Over eight million illegal immigrants live in the United States. We need them to be here. If we did not need them, there would be no work for them and they would not come.
There are those that claim that we need to build a fence across our southern border, and I have to say that I see something ugly in that. If we are not talking about racism, then why don't we build a fence across our northern border as well.
There is not a perfect solution to illegal immigration that I can see, but I believe in The Guest Worker Program as the only solution that has some humanity and fairness, not to mention responsible economic sense in it, and I pray for its adoption.
My sister-in-law once said to me, "When we lift anyone, we lift everyone," and that is something I truly believe. I also believe that we must spread liberty, we must promote freedom, we must share prosperity and freedom with others, or we must lose it.
15 comments:
I know you have very strong feelings about this and I appreciate that. Having worked with high school kids that are illegals, I feel like although we need illegal immigrants to fill certain jobs, we really need to secure our border and make it more reasonable for immigrants to get legal status. It isn't good for young kids to go around feeling like they are a second class citizen and that is how they feel when their families are illegal immigrants. Packing the schools with ESL students, who are not immersed in English because after school hours they are surrounded by Spanish speaking friends and family is not fair to English speaking students who are, per the tax dollars their parents pay, entitled to a free public education where English is the primary language. Schools in Salt Lake and especially Utah County are overpopulated with students who don't feel like speaking English is a necessity because all of their friends are Spanish speaking. If it's a matter of having a bilingual school, then that is a different issue and getting there would be very difficult for teachers and students. The ESL students at Hillcrest were especially difficult students to work with. It may have been that I was not highly qualified to teach them and that the rules were stretched because we just don't have enough teachers as is, but especially teachers with the ESL endorsement. These kids were more troubled than my white students. They were poor. They were often working long hours after school. There was not really a realistic chance to teach them with the language barrier and their coming to school completely exhausted. Many of them just feel into gang activity. An alarming conversation with the campus officer revealed to me that I had a serious gang problem in my ESL classes. I don't blame these kids. What other choice do they have? Their parents are gone working all day. As a soverign nation, we have every right and responsibility to our own people to secure the border. We haven't done that. The fact that we have so many illegal immigrants is our own fault, not Mexico's fault. I don't blame illegals for coming over and searching for a better life one bit, but the policy is not right. We do need them. We should make it more doable for them to get legal status. We should also secure our borders so that desperate families and children are not put into danger by thinking that they can get across the border without getting hurt. It's very dangerous and we make it that way by making it a halfbaked border. It should be secure. The argument is that it is cruel and unusual to build a giant wall, but just look at the danger if we don't. People think they can just skip across the border and that is when people get hurt. They send their brave men meanwhile, they're wives and children cower in a hovel in Mexico. Students who attend public schools in the U.S. do so with the objective of getting good paying jobs so they can send the money back to Mexico. This is only a slightly better way of life. I suggest they make it easier for immigrants to come in legally. Then I say, bring the whole family and get everyone a job. The U.S. and Mexico are not joint-nations. We don't owe them anything, just like they don't owe us anything. It isn't a matter of hate or not having compassion-it simply is not good policy. Secure the border, and let immigrants come legally. Extend work visas on good merit. There are good arguments on both sides. People who don't want illegal immigrants to come in freely are not all bigots and spoiled Americans. Many of them are patriotic and hard-working citizens living paycheck to paycheck themselves. They don't appreciate the idea of having to support illegal immigrants financially. I am terrified of getting in a car accident with an illegal immigrant who doesn't have auto insurance and so drives off leaving me to foot the bill. I think that would be terribly unfair. Let alone speaking of our already over-crowded Utah schools without enough money to properly educate each student, unless you consider classes with 40 students and 1 teacher in a 1st grade class a decent ratio. I understand our economy depends on immigrants who are willing to take on difficult agricultural jobs. That is why I think a more open front door would be prudent. While U.S. is partly to blame for its loose border and beurocratic immigrant policy, the Mexican government as well owes more to its people. People who suggest that this is solely the U.S.'s problem are unfair. What is Mexico doing to help its people? The U.S. needs to secure its border, create a more open front door policy for immigration. But we can't solve Mexico, just like we can't obliterate AIDS in Africa, save all the orphans in China and save Russia's economy. We can't do it all by ourselves. I think that most people who are against illegal immigration are not your loud, obnoxious racist. Those people speak up because they are just dumb. I think for the most part, people welcome immigrants because we are all immigrants to this young country. I think the concern comes from a feeling of "Will I have to learn Spanish?" "How much will it cost my family?" "Without a secure border, what about the drug problem?" Etc.
We don't need a Northern border because Canadians are happy. And that is a credit to their government. In your view of the problems with the U.S., I think it would be a good idea to include Mexico. In my view, I feel like the Mexican government just robs their people and is lazy and doesn't fix their own economy. If Mexico was happy, they wouldn't be so desperate to come here. I really don't think that most people who are in favor of the fence are racists. At least I'm a non-racist and I'm in favor of a secure border.
I truly appreciate your point of view Tiffany, however I have to agree with pineapple snow. I'm not a racist and am very in favor of secure borders.
As I have looked at it, I don't think it is really possible to secure the borders and attempts at it cause what I believe is innocent death. Because of the ups, downs and arounds the southern border is more than 5,000 miles of land. You can't post a sentry every 10 feet. If you put up a wall spending billions in the process, a hole can be dug under or punched through. If you put up miles and miles of barbed wire... snip, snip. Land mines might be effective, but is that the kind of road we want to go down? I hope not. Remember, everyone of the 9/11 terrorists came here legally. We have a porous border.
Boo, I appreciate your concerns about schools, but I think that is just a sacrifice that has to be made to assimilate immigration. In Florida it might be immigrants from Cuba. In the North East it might be immigrants from the orient.. even more difficult I would think. I will agree with you that those things are not easy problems to overcome. I dismiss the comment about tax-payer vs non because we are not allowing these people to pay personal income tax, but there employers still for the most part pay tax in the form of Social Security and other Employment taxes.
People need to realize that this land was built on the strength of immigrants. My ancestors came here speaking Danish and had to learn a new language and how to be part of a new country. While the problems were different, I believe that took some time as well.
Your comment about the Mexican government. I agree with quite a lot of that. I think corruption has kept that country from developing the infrastructure that it needs to be able to provide the jobs there citizens need to live the good life. And, I think sadly many, many nations are losing their best and brightest to the United States because of simple things like the fact that it is necessary to have a reliable and honest postal system in place and well as well maintained roads for a person to be able to start a company which would provide jobs in that country.
All that said, during the next ten years the baby boomer generation is going to start to retire. Americans will be desperate to fill jobs in every sector.
Well said Tiff! This was very informative.
I am in favor of allowing immigration to the US, legal immigration. It may be that the immigration laws need to be reviewed and amended.
I appreciate your compassion for the Mexican people, but allowing these people to subvert our society, they put undo burdens on the American citizens by increasing the drain on the family income as more and more tax dollars are required by the US Government as it tries to provide services to the undeserving.
The immigration laws were designed so that people who wanted to come to this country could and by having a sponsor, would not be dependent upon the government to provide for them. They would have a support system already here to help them assimilate into our society, to learn the language, customs, laws and become productive, tax paying, law abiding citizens. This is not the case when illegals steal into the country. They develop a subculture that relies on others within that community to survive. How positive is the existence of an immigrant family that continually looks over their shoulder for fear of deportation? How can these people not feel like second-class citizens? How can these people be considered good, productive, law abiding citizens?
There will always be a less educated sector of our society that only qualify to fill the mundane jobs in this country. We do not need to fall into the trap where by the government funds, subsidizes or otherwise manufactures the means for a comfortable existence for all people with in our borders, legal or illegal or we will bankrupt the country and ultimately lose our free choices to achieve the American Dream.
The American people have made great sacrifices over the years since the founding of the USA. We must learn that we cannot be the World's provider. There are limits to the extent of a helping hand.
I strongly believe that Americans are kind hearted and compassionate people. We have shown this time and time again when called upon. However given the circumstances of the current illegal alien situation, the only thing that can come from it is contempt.
Good quote from Mr. Morison. I had the chance to attend a speech given by the Director of Human Rights from Mexico. If I could speak publicly, I wish I could speak like him. I'll have to think of some good books to recommend for you. I wish I had made that fabric with the dresses on it. I actually bought it that way. The background looks like dress patterns, then the dresses in the foreground, AND it is completely covered in glitter. I love it!
Skewed.. I agree with some of what you said. Laws are not working for immigrants or the American people. If we had a guest worker program, it would be better for both groups. Companies would have to pay for health care rather than tax payers.. etc... etc.. I agree that illegals are treated as second-class citizens and that would be awful to experience however, many must prefer their experiences here to the alternative or they wouldn't come. I think though when you make statements like "manufacture a comfortable existence" you are discounting the essential contribution immigrants make. We eat cheap produce because these people are here picking it. We sleep in clean hotel rooms because these people are here cleaning them. Every group of immigrants that has come to this country.. be it Irish, Scandanavian or Chinese makes these same sacrifices, does this same kind of labor often to begin with and then go on to assimilate and take advantage of education and make greater and greater contributions. We need that to continue on a large scale. I think some of those are the sacrifices you were mentioning. Our country was built on these types of sacrifices and on immigration. We don't need to justify fixing the illegal immigration problem simply by saying we are doing it to help immigrants from Mexico, we can justify it by saying that we are doing it to keep our own economy stable. In plainer words, it will be impossible within 10 years to have the dream of building a business if you don't have the employees on every level to fill the jobs. As the baby boomers retire, if we don't change our immigration policy, the American dream won't be possible for any of us.
I hear you, but I strongly disagree with Illegal Immigration and any type of amnesty program for those already here sets the wrong precedent.
As far as the contributions of these illegal immigrant workers to the economy, I think any they do is far exceeding by the cost to the government and taxpayers.
I have worked with a few people who aren't residents or citizens of this wonderful country. It's called a visa. Employers who want to hire laborers from whatever country can use legal means by which they can bring people in from other countries to work.
And if they want to apply for residency, then they can (I think the process should be a little easier, but I'm not sure how to do that).
But, I'm definitely not for people disobeying the laws of the land.
And ps, there is a form called a 1040NR for nonresident aliens to file their taxes.
I am not recommending amnesty, I don't think that a guest worker program equals amnesty because it does not grant citizenship.
Cardine, H2 visas are issued for that purpose, but the paper work involved is unbelievable. Companies are required to prove that they cannot fill the positions domestically, which sounds nice, but a farmer, rancher and small businessman (small businesses still employ most people in the US) simply do not have the resources to accomplish this and so they look the other way.
Realize that if there were no companies willing to hire illegals, there would be no jobs for them and they wouldn't come seeking jobs. Our economy needs immigrants and we need to find a fair way for them to come and work. I am not saying grant amnesty or citizenship, just a legal way for them cross back and forth across the border without the human tragedy that is occuring on our border daily.
Mexico produces about 700,000 new jobs per year just over half the number needed to accommodate new entrants into the labor force.
As far as the value that illegals put into the community.. I can't really convince you of that. I guess that may depend a lot on where you are living, but where I live in the west there are just a lot of important, nay vital jobs that would not get done without Mexican workers.
Tiffany, I have very strong opinions on both sides of this issue. Been trying to make time to sit down and get them organized in print. Living in South Florida, I experience this issue up close daily with dear friends and those I do not know. I am not a racist and love people from every walk of life, however, imigrants from every are need to be here legally for their benefit as well as this country and those who live here legally. I could write an epistle.
I'm not as educated about this subject as I'd like to be, but I do know that improvements can be made in all areas as far as how we handle the immigrant workforce. My husband works in the office of a landscaping company here in Texas, so he deals with a majority of immigrant employees. He despises the work visa process. First, after 9/11 the government restricted the amount of work visas they will issue. They are also issued on a yearly basis, so depending on the time of year you really need your workforce, it can be very difficult to obtain visas for your employees. Second, the work visas are practically a form of servitude. A company sponsors a worker, pays for the visa, and then the employee is only allowed to work for that company, with the cost of their visa being deducted from their pay over the year. Both of those aspects make illegal immigration more appealing to both the employer and employee. Third, the bottom line is that the immigrant population is by far much more willing to do the type of manual labor that is required. Many average American workers feel that work like this is below them, the pay is not high enough for them, etc. Large portions of our economy would crumble without immigrant workers, while American citizens wouldn't consider those sectors viable employment for themselves.
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