They Do More than You Think
Let me begin by saying I'm not a big fan of illegal immigrants, primarily because the rest are playing by the rules. Also, it's "nice" to do some kind of screening.
However, valid arguments, in my mind, have been made for their presence and the benefits thereof:
- Our farming system was and is still highly dependent on low skill, even lower pay labor - essentially illegal immigrants we have tacitly been encouraging and using for decades. It’s estimated that almost 80% of farm workers are foreign born, 60% are undocumented. ** Guess who picks most of our apples?
- The same is true of many really back-breaking construction jobs (not a lot of US citizens to be found roofing all summer long, for instance).
- Plus there’s a whole lot of houses that are cleaned, windows washed, gardens tended and children raised by illegal immigrants…not all of them for nasty rich white people who could afford to pay more. It is fun, however, to kick out the occasional Secretary of Labor nominee for employing such.
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| BTW, each one of those shingle packs weighs 100 lbs |
Basically, the three points above are saying:
Undocumented workers do the jobs Americans
don't want
4. Many of the people who overstay their work visas
frequently made it here by virtue of their work ethic and/or superior STEM
(Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) skills.
They are usually assets.
Localities and politicians influenced by the farm and technology sector lobbyists have looked the other way for years. Who do we blame for a system we have essentially installed? Is it really entirely their fault that they are here and have established themselves?
As an aside, it is my opinion that the people who have "snuck" into the US worked hard and sacrificed to do it (maybe multiple times). They don’t get all kinds of government assistance contrary to what may be thought, and scratch out a living. It’s more than an administrative hazing; they are probably a lot tougher than your average legal immigrant.
Ok, so where do we go from here? Even if you agree with the points above, political decisions going forward aren’t crystal clear.
First, there is that pesky “legal” thing. You can’t really promote that the US has a valid, secure immigration process if you just keep letting anyone in through the servants’ entrance. That flow has to be constricted.
Second, what do you do with the 10-14 million illegal aliens that are settled here? President Reagan gave a one-time amnesty to 8 million or so back in the 80’s as part of a package, yet here we are again. Sure, make them work for it – they’ll go to the “back of the line,” take classes or possibly move ahead through military/other service to the country. Personally, I am against making them return to their country of origin – I’d rather they just be made to work harder to become good American citizens. But, once more, the flow of illegal immigration has to be severely restricted or we’ll be right here again in 2050.
Lastly, how is America going to make due without its shadow workforce? Not only that, but the age demographics are getting towards the crotchety side, and certain skills (like STEM) are retiring fast. I think the solution comes down to two factors: who comes in and how many.
If we choose wisely, not just for humanitarian reasons (although there’s room enough for this too), the government can replace/supplement this hard-working labor and entrepreneurial class by strategically allowing certain amounts of people from select countries while screening for useful skills. We have to be more judicious in selecting who deserves to be an American citizen. And, if we are as effective as we want to be protecting our border, we must open the spigots.
It will definitely cost more when we stop paying marginal wages to undocumented workers. But abuses will be reduced, taxes will be paid, and the reduced competitiveness of American businesses can partially be offset by the increased availability of labor for these particular markets.
After all, who’s going to pay for all that Social Security and Medicare down the road?
Postscript
It seems like it should be possible to offer criminals convicted of non-violent offenses the opportunity to be taught and work at some of the lower skill types of jobs also - various construction and infrastructure jobs come to mind. Not only would that reduce the level of incarceration, as this would be an alternative to imprisonment, but it could be a source of labor at reasonable costs.
