Musings of Erin

From what I can gather, the united states is trying to do a massive overhaul of the immigration system. And, while I can understand the concern, it’s been something the US has used to grow to its advantage for some time now. I wonder: will immigration reform do much good outside of politics?

First of all, the several thousand illegal immigrants we have in this country do not all come from Mexico (even though that’s the MSM picture). We have immigrants who’ve come to the US to go to school, and stayed past their Visa expiration and are dutifully paying lots of taxes in their high-paying jobs. We have middle-class illegals who are running foodstands and other necessity-businesses (as I like to call them), that (IMO) are enabling the survival of our poor. Then, there are the lower class illegals, who are washing dishes in our local Dennys, picking the grapes for our favorite Sonoma wines, cleaning the hotels we spend so much time in, etc. All of these people are contributing to society - many are working where the ‘normal’ american won’t - so why are we pushing them away?

The Senate’s answer to this: guest-worker cards. From The Albuquerque Tribune:

Two cards in fact, one blue and one gold, the nicknames used in the Senate Judiciary Committee for the guest-worker visas authorized by the bill being considered by the full Senate.

The blue card is for the 1.5 million seasonal agricultural workers the bill would authorize each year.

The gold card is for the 400,000 guest workers the bill would allow annually.

Why do people leave their home country in the first place? Are they looking for amnesty? A chance for a better life? Maybe they’re fleeing Cuban Communism or Asian family regulations. Are they educating themselves? What is their chance of being allowed into the US legally?

I don’t think immigration reform will do much good, whether we ‘build a wall’ between the US and Mexico and fund border patrols, or we require guest-worker cards. You see, what I think, is many people come here out of desperation - they have the hope that the US will bring them a better life. And, usually, they’re right.

I know I’m an idealist - I’d like to have open borders. I know that isn’t feasible. But, our system is in shambles as it is. We have to overhaul the whole thing - from public education to social security to health care. Then, there’s the whole Iraq civil war we’re involved in… Shouldn’t the government recognize there are more pressing matters at hand?

Tags: united states, immigration, immigration reform, politics, guest-worker, border patrol