Illegal Immigration Problems Far From Over
 The August 8, 2005 edition of USA Today featured a story about a crackdown on illegal immigration in the Long Island community of Farmingdale. The USA Today article stated that LI had become an “unlikely flashpoint” in the national illegal immigration debate. According to the article, part of the LI controversy included “ Hispanics beaten, harassed and evicted from Farmingville.” In some cases the complaints reported were, if substantiated, clear cases of abusive behavior. In other cases, it was ‘official business’ as police evicted people from overcrowded homes, citing health hazards and other issues.
In spite of the lack of headlines on illegal immigration since late summer in 2005, the controversey continues not only on Long Island, but all across the country. During election years, politicians compound the issue by sidestepping the term “illegal immigrants” in favor of the phrase “undocumented immigrants.” This kind of election-time pandering to political correctness undermines serious discussion of an problem that has long been a concern for those on both sides of the border crossings in both Mexico and Canada.
Regardless of their country of origin, an “undocumented alien” or “undocumented immigrant” is, after all, an illegal alien. On a global scale, citizenship is defined by the local government, and the rules for traveling to, and remaining in, foreign countries is set up by those governments. No country on the planet has a problem ejecting, deporting or even incarcerating those who attempt to remain in-country with expired, forged or nonexistent papers such as a travel visa or passport.
So why the kid gloves? It is certainly not racist to investigate or deport someone for attempting to enter, work and operate a motor vehicle in the USA illegally. It’s never been frowned upon to enforce existing laws for regular citizens; Americans are required to maintain a complicated series of papers, licenses and identification numbers in order to be compliant with state and federal laws. Your driver’s license, social security number, federal tax identification numbers for small business owners and self-employed people are all part of the equation. The Internal Revenue Service penalizes Americans who work, earn money and buy goods without paying state and local taxes. You can be punished for driving without a license. Citizens can be penalized for lack of documentation. What’s the first thing a police officer asks for when you are pulled over? Identification.
So again, what is the problem with the phrase “illegal alien”? The undocumented immigrant does not pay taxes on the money earned during a stint in the US. And let’s not forget about the potential for those “undocumented” who may be tempted to operate motor vehicles illegally in the U.S. Where it is mandatory to carry liability insurance in case of an accident, the illegal operation of a car or truck increases the likelihood of an “uninsured” accident.
Of course, that’s only one side of the issue. None of these factors is cause to discriminate, harass or detain people based soley on ethnicity, background or other factors that some mistakenly lump in with the immigration issue. The real problem is a question of legality, not country of origin. Besides, the real problem is not “those damn foreigners.” The problem is “those damn AMERICANS.”
Lest we forget, the people who enter and live in America without going through proper immigration channels are still human beings. In spite of being treated as sub-humans in some cases by employers, law enforcement, and citizens of the communities affected by this issue, illegal aliens are people. The founding fathers stated clearly that humans have certain inalienable rights. Those rights do not cease for want of a passport, visa or green card.
Those who immigrate-legally or not--have many reasons for wanting to come to America. Many are exploited on the way here and beyond. Illegal immigrants are often subject to the same types of hateful practices perpetrated on convicted criminals who are released or paroled; they are employed by those who demand kickbacks, bribes or special consideration. They are also often underpaid because the workers can’t lodge a complaint. They wouldn’t dare, and those who exploit them take full advantage.
“Undocumented immigrants”? You bet—undocumented, unfairly compensated and unfairly targeted by employers. These are people who have no voice and no representation in the system. Along with those who break the laws, the federal agencies charged with enforcing the existing laws regarding illegal immigration are also part of the problem. They are understaffed, under funded and faced with a near-impossible mission. Controlling the virtually wide-open borders in Texas and California is impractical in spite of being absolutely necessary. That said, the situation is not completely hopeless.
There are some ways to add teeth to the United States’ immigration policies. For starters, the government should seriously increase the punishments for abuse, exploitation and trafficking in illegal aliens. These offenses should be felonies with serious fines and/or jail time. Businesses that are found to employ and/or underpay illegal workers should not only be forced to pay larger fines per infraction; they should be forced to pay additional taxes on the wages paid to the illegal laborers and bear all costs of returning these people to their homelands. The current punishments are clearly not enough to deter employers—a more effective system of detection, enforcement, and punishment is in order.
While it’s tempting to make scapegoats out of the illegals, the bulk of the blame really can’t be laid at their feet. While Americans are perfectly right to be angry about the large numbers of people who remain in the U.S. with no intent on becoming legitimate citizens, much of the anger over this issue should be directed at those who repeatedly violate U.S. labor laws by hiring--and exploiting-- undocumented immigrants. These employers created the supply of jobs that keeps those who profit from trafficking in illegal aliens in business. These employers also give financial hope to those tempted to enter the U.S. illegally—the incentives for illegal immigration comes from the employers. Are the undocumented workers really to blame to answering the call?
When a company hires laborers illegally, they go outside the usual governmental controls and restrictions for safe labor practices, fair compensation and worker equity. By willingly hiring illegals and paying them reduced wages, these companies are in effect saying that they are happy to exploit anyone who allows themselves to be exploited—or who doesn’t know any better. If you are willing to tolerate employers willing to carry out this kind of exploitation in your community, having hostility towards the undocumented immigrants who accept such employment is not only misguided, it’s pure hypocrisy.
There are no easy answers. The Long Island headlines from last summer are only the local version of a nationwide problem. Our leaders may as well admit they can’t do anything to effectively control the borders. But they can do something about employers who are perfectly willing to entice people from outside the U.S., exploit them and reap large profits from the fruits of illegal labor.
Joe Wallace
joe@longislandexchange.com
January 26, 2006 6:01 PM Eastern
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