Illegal immigrants

Emma Lazarus' poem The New Colossus, the words which now are found at the Statue of Liberty declare to the world the historical invitation of the United States to those who would join the idea of democracy by becoming citizens of the USA:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

The Statue of Liberty was to symbolize to all of those nations, so proud of their royalty and nobility and history of medieval pomp and circumstance, that America invited anyone who felt themselves oppressed, homeless, and treated by their "superiors" as "refuse" could come to America, where they could breathe free.

At one point, nearly all who call themselves "Americans" have to acknowledge that their ancestors were immigrants. Certainly the Indian population is not "immigrant," and the forced relocation of Africans via the slave trade was not an immigration in the commonly understood sense of the word. All others, however, came to America from another nation because they either felt oppressed and longed for freedom (religious, speech, or otherwise) or because they wanted to own land or find their fortune.

Despite this history, America has also had a long-standing tradition of nativism, if not outright xenophobia. For example, the Know-Nothing movement was originally motivated out of the fear that Irish Catholic immigrants were going to become so politically powerful that they would take their marching orders from the Pope. This type of public anti-Catholicism even found its way into presidential politics, when the candidacy of John F. Kennedy, a Roman Catholic, was cast under the same aspersions.

One of today's hottest political issues is that of illegal immigration. It is estimated that nearly 12 million people reside in this country illegally, that is, without documentation certifying that they are here to work and are on the path to American citizenship. Most are from Mexico or Central America. Most are migrant farm workers, hotel service personnel, nannies or housekeepers, or work in construction or roofing for seriously low wages. They enroll their children in American schools and receive American medical and other social services. Some of them obtain fake ID's and cast fraudulent ballots in American elections. Among their number are drug dealers, smugglers, and possible terrorists. The vast majority earn their money in the US but send it to Mexico, and have no intention of becoming American citizens. In fact, there have been pro-illegal immigrant rallies in southwestern cities involving hundreds of thousands of people who proudly wave their Mexican flags. Some openly express the sentiment that the US took by conquest the states of California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah via the Treaty of Guadaulpe Hidalgo in 1848, so waves of Mexican immigrants are merely preparing the way for a Reconquista. So Americans, now ranking immigration as one of their greatest concerns, have demanded that Congress address the issue of illegal immigration, both from a security perspective as well as an economic one. What have our elected officials come up with?

The House of Representatives (HR 4437) has passed a bill that is very heavy on security. It basically says that we must strengthen the borders and deport illegal aliens.

The Senate adjourned for a two-week recess without reaching a compromise. The Senate Bills that have been advanced bear little similarity to the House bill. In fact, there have been four of them produced with different co-sponsors. Most of them try to make it possible for those who are illegally in this country to remain as guest workers, if they agree to return after three years (the Bush plan). This is an attempt to acknowledge the economic reality that there are many jobs that Americans "won't do" (see above) and that these illegal aliens are necessary for the American economy.

Both Republicans and Democrats sense great political danger, considering these opinion poll numbers. Most Americans are not of the economic status that they hire Mexican maids or nannies, and many low-income Americans, especially African-Americans, resent the competition for jobs that the illegal immigrants present (see this Houston opinion piece for a sampling). If Congress fails to take action to stem the tide of immigration, then legitimate voters will hold them accountable. On the other hand, there seems to be something quite un-American about closing the door to people who want to come here and stay. And to round up 12 million people and put them on the next train to Guadalajara would present some interesting logistical difficulties, to say the least. It would have a serious impact on the economy of states like California and Florida as well, both with high numbers of electoral votes. It seems to be political suicide to antagonize the "Latino vote" by asserting a strong anti-Mexican position; likewise, the Democrats' 90+ percentage of the African-American vote seems likely to drastically shrink if they appear to be avidly pro-immigrant.

It is certainly desirable in this instance, as with so many issues confronting our nation and the world's security, that senators and representatives would lay aside their political concerns and try to do the right thing. Unfortunately, it seems as though winning elections and getting or keeping power often takes priority. When one party refuses to allow the majority party to take action by using parliamentary procedure to obstruct and delay, just so that they can later accuse the majority party of "doing nothing," is it any wonder that may Americans justifiably are cynical about their elected officials?

Use the comments section to express your opinion regarding our country's immigration policy and what should be done about the problem of illegal aliens.