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Immigration
issue not so simple, needs reform
Our
view
Immigration
is a sizzling topic these days. This
potato is so hot that no election-conscious
politician dares touch it, for fear its
scorching surface might scar the very
hands needed to pursue an alternate agenda.
So what’s the problem with immigration, anyway? What’s the big
deal? The dilemma is not immigration necessarily, but illegal immigration,
namely the exodus crossing the Mexican-American border. And depending on whom
you talk to, this is either one of America’s biggest emergencies or one
of its most fundamental, deeply-rooted strengths.
Thousands cross the Mexican-American boundaries each day, often unlawfully,
and manage to elude the eyes of the understaffed Border Patrol. Some perceive
this as a problem because of security concerns; potential destructive-ridden
terrorists can use it to enter the United States and blow something up.
Maybe so, but listen to any conservative radio for at least an hour and you’ll
hear another redundant, well-intentioned but drastically oversimplified argument:
Those who cross the border illegally should not be admitted into the U.S. because
they have broken the laws they should have followed.
If only it were that simple. If only black and white pervaded our vision we
might be able to be content with such a statement. But things are not that
simple, and for every black and every white there is a gray to complement them
both, further meddling and complicating this crazy existence we call life.
The truth is not about race or ethnicity. The truth is not about illegal immigrants
taking jobs away from so-called real Americans. The empty rhetoric from staunch
detractors bitching about how illegal immigrants are criminals is not the truth
either.
The truth is that people will go to any means for a better life and to escape
oppression of all forms. The truth is that instincts of survival, to provide
for oneself and family, will override any laws created by immigration political
bureaucrats.
But the most beautiful truth of all is that America is a place that gives a
prospect for a better life, an opportunity for survival and even prosperity.
And we should all, within the realms of compassion, never deny any person such
a chance.
America has room for many from sea to shining sea, illegal or not. That truth
marches on every day. This is a pretty darn big place. Our economy is so large
that $17 billion in remittances go to Mexico alone, making it that country’s
second largest economic contributor behind oil.
What we need is a fair politician to stand up to immigration reform, turn former
illegal workers into legal ones who are just trying to make a living like anyone
else. As Jack Kennedy might have put it, we need another profile in courage.
For all of America’s shortcomings, it will still be the place where parents
make sacrifices for the chance their children may someday live a better life.
To quote Kennedy once more, “Our most basic common link is that we all
inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our
children’s futures, and we are all mortal.” |
