We’re having immigration demonstrations in downtown Portland today and we had an impromptu debate about it in my office. I think people are resentful of illegal immigrants and fear that they are taking part of America from each of us, whether it be jobs, services, etc. I think those are valid concerns if those things are being taken away. I’m actually not sure that is the case. Don’t most government services require some sort of proof of citizenship? For example, when I recently renewed my license, I had to have two different pieces of citizenship proof. And doesn’t everybody agree that most of the jobs in question are low-paying jobs that most Americans don’t really want?
Here’s a couple of things to think about:
- Jon Stewart joked about how he was going to have a hard time telling his son that he wouldn’t be able to live out his lifelong dream of becoming a hedge-trimmer or the guy who hands out towels in the men’s bathroom.
- The local news interviewed a couple of illegal immigrants at a rally in Salem. One had been here for 25 years and the other had been here for 18. They have tried for years to become citizens.
- When we talk about building a wall along 700 miles of the Mexican border, do we consider whether the cost of building/maintaining that wall is roughly equal to however much illegal immigrants are costing us in government services now?
- Although illegal immigrants don’t always pay income taxes, they definitely pay other taxes like sales and property taxes. Also, those who are paid by legitimate employers put in social security and medicaid money that is a gift to us – they will never collect.
- There are approximately 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. today. Does anybody deny that most of them are among the hardest working, yet lowest paid people in our country? Does anybody consider the economic impact of removing these people from the economy? What if lettuce farmers and meat packers and landscapers had to start paying real wages? Higher prices is what it means.
- Without a local and cheap workforce, I’m pretty sure that more jobs would be moved overseas. While the loss of those jobs doesn’t directly impact American workers (since the jobs are currently occupied by illegal immigrants), there is an ancilliary economic impact.
- Liberals tend to throw out the racism accusations a bit too easily. While I think there is an undercurrent of that, I don’t think wanting to limit immigration automatically makes you a racist.
- WWJD?