Immigration....Isn't it Simple???

Of course immigration is a simple issue, if by simple you mean incredibly complex, controversial, and without an easy solution. I have to say that my thoughts on this issue have evolved the more that I step back and look at all perspectives and angles.

When I initially saw the thousands of people demonstrating across the country I had a hard time coming to grips with what they were protesting. Illegal immigration is just that, illegal. What is there to protest when one is breaking the law. Yes, I had heard all of the arguments about how crucial this group of people is to our economy. How in many cases they take the jobs that others won't do. How they work for less which helps American businesses earn more and therefore grow the economy. Still I thought to myself, if I broke the law I would most certainly be punished for it. Why should immigrants who break the law be treated any differently.

I continued to hear the arguments against immigration; the strain on social services, the fear of terrorism, and my favorite, the issue of language. All of these are compelling arguments against allowing foreign persons to enter our country.

Then I stepped back for a minute and was hit with a whole new perspective. Who's country was this? Where did the current 300 million US citizens come from? To be sure, that majority were born here in this wonderful country, but what about their parents? Grandparents? Great Grand Parents? In case I need to give anyone a history lesson, almost all of us trace our family tree across an ocean. America was built on the backs of immigrants and slaves. The quintessential American tale is that of an immigrant who came to our shores with nothing, only to build a business and become a huge success. So what has changed? Has our nation become so large that we can no longer accommodate any more people? Hardly.

What has changed is our view of our country and what it means to be an American. It was okay for millions of Europeans to come through Ellis Island looking for a better life, but is it not okay for Mexicans and others from south of our border to cross the Rio Grande on the same quest?

The answer lies in what our nation has become, what we value, and how we view the rest of the world. We are the Bad-News-Bear's team that grew up to win the championship and then forgot what it meant to struggle, to be mocked, and to grow from it. We no longer see the value of nations outside of our own, and most certainly don't value their cultures or peoples. America is no doubt the greatest nation on the globe, unchallenged be it technologically, economically, or militarily. In our climb to the top we have forgotten where we came from and what helped our nation grow. The Irish and Chinese immigrants who built the railroad, the many eastern European scientist that helped us end the Second World War, and thousands of others who came to our country, built their businesses, and in the process made this nation the most powerful in the world.

All of the reasons why we are hearing to keep people out are simply there to mask the xenophoebic fears of an elitist society. The social argument is bunk. Any economist will tell you that the work performed by illegals more than outweighs any social drain. Plus, many of these illegal workers pay into social security and Medicare and will never be able to take advantage of these programs because of their illegal status.

The argument for securing the borders because of possible terrorist infiltration is a valid one. However, closing our border to the south will not make America any safer. To date no foreign alien charged or convicted of terrorist activities has entered the United States via Mexico, and none of the 9-11 hijackers entered the country illegally.

Lastly, the belief that by opening our southern border we would be overrun by Spanish speaking peoples and therefore loose English as our predominant language is completely ignorant . A recent article published in Time (March 20th, 2006. p. 89) points out that over seventy percent of all third generation Mexican-Americans speak only one language; English. America has demonstrated for over 200 years that we are a nation who takes the best from our immigrants and then assimilates the rest.

As I said, it is a complicated issue with no easy solution. However, in the increasingly globalized world, we must realize the impact of our domestic policy not only within, but also outside of our borders. Yes, we must always protect the interest of American citizens first and foremost, for that is the job of our government. However, we cannot be short-sided in our analysis of how our decisions effect the rest of the world. People must have the most basic necessities to survive and nations must have strong economies to be politically stable. It is time that we practice the principle that our parents taught us; do to others as you would like them to do to you. Think about yourself on the outside looking in, and then decide what policy you would choose.