Our take on immigration reform
Tuesday's main editorial offers our position on immigration. This long-simmering issue has finally exploded just as Congress begins debating how best to protect our borders, meet the labor needs of employers who must rely on illegal workers and deal fairly with the 12 million people living in the United States illegally.
Opponents of tougher immigration laws rallied over the past few days and several local schools experienced student walkouts. The reaction to immigration reform underscores the problem in creating laws acceptable to the many factions weighing in on the issue.
We believe that changes are needed. We have said before that those changes should iinclude raising quotas for the legal flow of immigrants to provide needed workers and to reduce the backlog of immigration applicants. We don't believe erecting a border fence will solve the problem. Border security should be increased, though. There also should be a sensible guest worker program that allows undocumented immigrants to live and work in this country legally.
This is a divisive issue and there is no easy answer to the problem. There must be a balanced approach to any solution. Unfortunately, few have patience when it comes to immigration reform.
Comments
Maia, guest posting at Alas, a Blog, has an excellent post about the weekend's protests. Since she's from New Zealand, her point of view is an interesting one.
By making immigration a tap that gets turned on and off to suit the labour market, employers can try and drive down wages and conditions by treating workers in other countries as a reserve army of labour.
Other people have pointed out the deleterious effects of guest worker programs, particularly citing Germany's problems with Turkish guest workers.
Posted by: ScottM | March 27, 2006 5:37 PM
This is a huge problem. As attorney for the Mexican Counsel, Carlos Troyo, in Fresno for many years I saw incredible abuses of the illegals including unreported murders and frequent financial abuse. So the workers must be brought in from the cold and made legal. Yet, the USA can only take so many immigrants, and it does undercut our own employment structure including those who are already here: yesterday's immigrants. And, yes, the borders are also a huge security risk. One thing is clear: we must do something and decades of neglect must come to an end.
Posted by: Phil Fullerton | March 27, 2006 8:22 PM
I am one who is informed by the way of news and the paper. My opinion is based on the information I have. When it comes to gangs, if an illegal immigrant is caught and put in jail, send them back to their own country. This is one area that Fresno is out of control and this seems like a start to get some control over the gangs.
Posted by: Donna | March 28, 2006 9:34 AM
While that sounds appealing, Donna, the practical effect of your plan has been cropping up. The gang members who are exiled wind up often returning to their home countries, but retaining their ties to the gang that got them tossed out. They become a solid conduit for drugs -- and devastate the countries they're returned to, bringing big city criminality to countries that aren't prepared for it.
Posted by: ScottM | March 28, 2006 1:18 PM
Scott's comments raise the ultimate question: What should we do about drugs?
Clearly the existing drug policies are failing. How much longer can we tolerate this drug war? Forever? With all of the gangs Scott refers to correctly?
Posted by: Phil Fullerton | March 28, 2006 4:43 PM
scott, you are so right. president bush is so wrong, when he says "immigrants are doing and taking the jobs americans won't do. "if the president, can appoint his own judges,by stepping around congress, start a war,with false information,etc.then he can make americans do the jobs immigrants are taking.if he can make americans pay their taxes,then he can certainly take people off welfare rolls,jails, prisons,and put them to work. perhaps then we will have social justice for all.
Posted by: jimmie rodriguez | March 30, 2006 9:18 AM