After the terrorist attack of September, the war on illegal immigrants has become one very vital and controversial issue. It has been driving massive public debates among government officials, Civil Rights leaders, church leaders, business leaders, family members, and the media. To escape poverty, religious or political persecution legally or illegally, millions are still leaving their mother countries to come immigrate into the United of America. Tremendous efforts by government officials to curb it have not done anything to slow the pace. Despite all controversies, illegal immigration simply means fortune for many. Who are those many?
In his article dated May 17, 2006, Lou Dobbs of CNN television network commented that illegal immigration hurts the U.S. in so many ways. According to his judgment, not only millions of illegal aliens are entering the United States each year across the borders, but so are illegal drugs. More cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana flood across the Mexican border than from any other place, more than three decades into the war on drugs. He openly conceived them as criminals, smugglers, drug traffickers and serious threat to homeland security.
Those observations are completely different from many other critics including the positions of United States Senator John Mccain (R-AZ) and President George Walker Bush. In one of his statements on border security and immigration reform legislation, Senator John Mccain referred to the majority of illegal immigrants as hard working people contributing to our economy and society…who have come here only in search of better lives for themselves and their families. On the other hand, in his address from the Oval Office on border security and illegal immigration of May 15, 2006, the president acknowledged that the vast majority of illegal immigrants are decent people who work hard, support their families, practice their, and lead responsible lives and they are part of American life....
A news report from Population Reference Bureau claimed that unauthorized immigrants made up 24 percent of hired farm workers, 17 percent of cleaners, 14 percent of construction workers and 12 percent of food preparation workers. Drew Sesilver, a Seattle Times business reporter, in his column dated September, 19, 2006 documented that more than 7 million illegal immigrants are working. They build houses, pick crops, slaughter cattle, stitch clothes, mow lawns, clean hotel rooms, cook restaurant meals and wash the dishes that come back . The American Farm Bureau Federation claimed that a crack down on illegal immigrant labor could cause production losses in U.S. agriculture of $5 to $9 billion in the first one to three years and up to $12 billion over four or more years.
It seems to be all good for the illegal immigrants. However, a CBS news report dated March 18, 2005 concluded that since 1998, federal authorities have uncovered the cases of at least 250 illegal immigrants employed by janitor contracting services. They were hired by the giant retailing chain in 21 states. In that report, attorney James L. Linsey claimed that those people work seven days or nights a week without overtime pay, or injury compensation and they were locked in the store until the next morning.
Some called it exploitation; others acknowledged it as means for illegal immigrants to take care of themselves and their family here or back in their home country.
Exploiting illegal immigrants constitute flagrant violation of the law, it is also an injustice against documented or citizen workers. Because according to their judgment hiring illegal immigrants force others to work for less, or even make it harder on them to find a job. By having the opportunity to pay very much less to illegal immigrants, business owners really do not have to worry about documented and qualified laborers.
All through the month of May 2005, illegal immigration stirred even more intense emotions. Millions have rallied all over the major states in support of or against presence of illegal immigrants. Pressure was so high that government officials including the U.S. president and U.S. congress worked long hours to come up with a solution.
Even after days of emotional protests, and multiple congressional debates, people are still making it to the U.S. either with fraudulent documents or by crossing the borders and documented workers are still paying the consequences of hiring illegal immigrants.
Those who are asking for deportation and others who are in support of a general amnesty are as divided as the president, the house of representative and the senate. Most importantly, in his address to the nation on May 15, 2006 about illegal immigration and security border issues cited earlier, the president proposed what he called a comprehensive plan with a guest worker program.
That plan would create opportunities for foreigners to come to America legally for limited period of time. Under that proposition, once they make it to America, they would have to be doing jobs that American workers refuse to do. Later on, they will have to pass a criminal background check, fingerprint test they will pay their taxes and a fine for entering the nation illegally, and learn to speak English. Then they will be on their way to become U.S. citizens.
All that happened just months after a group of Senators including Arlen Specter (R-PA), Mel Martinez (R-FL) and others introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2611), and Senators John Mccain (R-AZ) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) introduced The Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act which fell short of being approved. Under the provisions of those bills, employers would hire foreigners to fill jobs that cannot be filled with United States laborers. Government officials do sound so much alike but so divided. Lou Dobbs noted that both political parties are complicit with corporate America and special interests in placing so-called immigration reform ahead of border and port security. That mindlessness speaks volume about our elected officials’ commitment to the national interest and the weight and influence of corporate America over both parties.
For years, it has been proven imperative for policy makers to stop playing politics with such serious issues like unsecured borders, inhumane treatments and exploitation of illegal immigrants. But reality keeps teaching us that government officials are becoming even more divided over the issue.
Arthur Boyer
arthur_boyer2005@yahoo.fr
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