Should we kick out all the Mexicans? (Part 3)

Here is another common argument against undocumented immigrants.

• "They should have waited in line just like all the other legal immigrants."  

Upon casual glance, nothing seems wrong with this argument.  Some liberals try to weasel their way out of this one and instead attempt to redirect focus onto the humanitarian problems associated with hunting down and deporting undocumented immigrants; however, I acknowledge that a person is in violation of federal immigration laws if he or she enters the U.S. without a visa.
  
Having said that, however, I will base my rebuttal on a policy-oriented view.  As it currently stands, there are two primary methods of immigrating to the United States:

• Family-based (~70%):  A direct or extended family member sponsors a foreign national.

• Employment-based (~30%):  An employer in the U.S. sponsors a foreign national because he or she has particular skill sets or provides certain services not found among the domestic population.    

Every year, Congress sets a quota on the number of visas that will be issued through the Department of State.  The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (i.e. USCIS, formerly known as the INS) is then supposed to process various paperwork and make sure that foreign nationals receive their visas in an orderly fashion from the DOS.  There are also temporary channels through which foreign nationals can enter, such as travel visas and guest worker programs.     

The last time I checked, it takes about 7-10 years or more for Chinese, Filipino, Indian, and Mexican nationals to enter the U.S. through family-based immigration.  Furthermore, officials from renown companies such as Google and Microsoft have complained during Congressional hearings because it takes approximately 2-5 years for a highly skilled immigrant (e.g. mathematicians, professors, software engineers, etc.) to receive his or her green card through employment-based immigration.     

Cost is another huge issue.  Because USCIS receives no appropriation from the federal budget, it funds its entire operation using the fees collected from immigrants.  There are also additional costs associated with employing an immigration attorney.  In my family's case---we're going through the employment-based immigration process---we've probably spent at least $10,000 hiring an attorney, getting our biometric data taken, and filing numerous paperwork.  I would be less annoyed if we actually received good customer service from the USCIS (we've been waiting for close to 4 years now); unfortunately, the agency seems overloaded.  The problem with bureaucracy is further compounded by the fact that multiple government organizations---including the Department of Labor, FBI, and Social Security Administration---must work together to process a given case.         

The factors outlined above, along with Mexico's geographic proximity to the U.S., poverty and unrest south of the border, and the abundance of American employers willing to hire undocumented workers in the black market, all imply that illegal immigration will not simply stop through enforcement measures alone.  

Most Americans simply have no clue how the current federal immigration system works because they were lucky and blessed enough to be born in the most prosperous nation in the world.  Some chauvinist Americans might retort that this is what it takes to live in America; however, they should not forget that the original purpose of the immigration system was to, first and foremost, benefit the U.S. (i.e. promote family values and enhance economic growth).

I sincerely hope that people will consider all angles before placing all the blame on the Latino community.  They are but one piece to a gigantic puzzle.  This is not a simple policy challenge that can be solved through the currently inadequate "catch and deport" strategy.

So what do we do?  I'll give some suggestions in a final entry to come...

Should we kick out all the Mexicans? (Part 2)

Let us continue addressing additional conservative criticisms to undocumented immigration.

• "Illegal immigrants are a net deficit to the American budget because they use our social services without contributing anything."  

This view suggests that Latinos are something akin to a parasitic organism that feeds voraciously upon the American taxpayer.  "Those evil Mexican bloodsuckers!" they scream.  But this argument, I believe, is also fallacious for the following reasons.

First of all, contrary to common misperception, undocumented immigrants do pay taxes.  Surely these people buy things while in the U.S.!  Everyone needs food and a roof over his or her head, for instance.  Let's not conveniently forget that sales tax applies regardless of the form of payment used.  And recent research has shown that many undocumented workers even pay income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes.

Conservative accusations about undocumented immigrants benefiting unduly from American social services, on the other hand, appear dubious.  The only areas where I see them consuming are public education and the occassional emergency room service.  But because undocumented immigrants have no choice but to use fake ID numbers to pay taxes, they do not have access to Social Security or Medicare.  And it is no secret that the Latino community is extremely reluctant to utilize public law enforcement.  Oh, and with all the ongoing talk about cutting teachers' benefits, I'm not even sure whether they would strain the public education budget, if they ever did in the first place.  

It's hard to determine exact numbers since research results are all over the place depending on think tanks' political leaning.  But the observations outlined above strongly suggest that undocumented immigrants are a net surplus (or a break-even, at worst), not a deficit, to the national budget.

• "Illegal immigrants do not learn English and dilute American culture." 

This argument just gets on my nerves because it brings out the ugliest side of prejudiced native-born Americans.  Often uttered by a particular demographic that populates areas like Texas and the Southeast in massive numbers, this criticism paints Latinos as some sort of Spanish-speaking demon spies that covertly attempt to destroy America.

But let us take a moment and picture America in our heads.  The U.S. constitution is based on the ideas of John Locke, an English philosopher.  Spaghetti and pizza are from Italy.  Blues, jazz, and rock 'n' roll all trace their roots to West African musical heritage.  There are plenty more examples.  Need I say more?

The type of people who accuse Latinos of being un-American love dining at Mexican restaurants and dancing to salsa music.  But start talking about diversity and foreign language education and they act like their neuron-deprived heads are about to explode out of their skulls.

In regards to English proficiency, 1st generation immigrants from non-English speaking countries---including places like Germany where the ancestors of those in Texas and the Southeast came from---usually have trouble because they are too busy providing for their families. They often do not have the luxury of attending formal ESL classes, not to mention how learning a new language as an adult is extremely difficult whether you're illegal or not.  But there's hope for the xenophobes.  Research has shown that from the 2nd generation onward, descendants of immigrants speak English perfectly and assimilate fully into mainstream America.

Let me use myself as a direct example.  I noticed that I have a superior command over the English language---both written and spoken---than the vast majority of native-born Americans even though I wasn't born in the U.S.  Call me arrogant, if you will.  But just look at the comment section on websites like YouTube and you'll see what I mean if you're literate.

More to come in the next entry...

Should we kick out all the Mexicans?

In light of the ongoing debate about HB 87, Georgia's knockoff version of the Arizona anti-immigrant legislation, I think that a carefully contemplated rebuttal to the short-sighted reasoning of the conservative argument is well warranted.  The Republicans in this state seem to believe that an enforcement-only approach---that is, catching and kicking out Mexicans and other Latinos---will somehow be the silver bullet that magically solves the immigration problem in this country.  "Pull them over, ask for their papers, and deport them!" they say.  It all sounds simple enough.  But is it really a good idea?  Let's consider some common conservative arguments:

• "Illegal immigrants take jobs away from Americans."    

In an effort to be as unbiased and objective as possible, I am going to diverge slightly from the most extreme liberal defense to this criticism and acknowledge that undocumented immigrants probably do compete unfairly with U.S. citizens in unskilled sectors to a certain degree.  We all know that undocumented immigrants mow our lawns, clean our houses, work in dry cleaners, and perform construction work; they simply do not have the necessary background or credential to work as sophisticated software engineers or doctors.  And yes, they usually get paid in cash under the table and earn below minimum wage.  

However, I would counter that the crux of the problem does not lie with the undocumented immigrant.  A Mexican understands incentives just as well as anyone else and would much rather make more money for his or her services.  But imagine the following conversation taking place:

American Employer:  Jose, I'm gonna have to ask you to work overtime tonight.

Mexican Worker:  Will you pay me extra or at least give me minimum wage? 

American Employer:  Nope, because I can get away with it.  And if you cause trouble, I'll call the authorities and have you deported. 

Mexican Worker:  (Thinking) Wow, really?

One needs to understand that the Mexican worker isn't the one harboring direct malicious intent to screw American workers out of the labor market.  Jose would opt for minimum wage any time if it were offered to him; but the American boss will simply not do so because he has leverage over Jose.  And we all know why Jose is not going to call the cops about this.   

Furthermore, nobody talks about the problems associated with the unskilled American who is competing against someone like our fictional Jose.  It may be harsh but a blogger who goes by the pseudonym "The Korean" phrased it well:

"Even if we were speaking on the low-paying and volatile jobs that illegal immigrants generally take, have you considered, you know, studying hard during school so that you won't have to take those jobs? Or working harder than the guy next to you at your job? Surely, you are not saying you are in a worse position to compete with an illegal immigrant, who is faced with language barrier, cultural gap, poverty and constant persecution from immigration authorities? Even with all that, illegal immigrants apparently find jobs. What's your excuse?"

"Seriously, what entitles you to a job? Don't you generally belong to the political party that does not believe in giving free handouts to people?"

Based on anecdotes, I know that many Korean business owners---who usually run construction companies, dry cleaners, restaurants, etc.---simply refuse to hire American-born workers because they have a bad attitude, perform poorly, and inevitably ask for more pay.  They hire Mexicans because they get the job done.  I do not justify any Korean business owner paying Mexican workers below minimum wage; however, I do think that most business owners would still hire Mexicans immigrants over native-born Americans even if the former group had legal status and demanded a fair wage. 

And let's face it.  More "refined" Americans love having Latinos mow their lawns and clean their homes for a bargain cost.  Also, for example, just look at how this country has enjoyed relatively cheap real estate for a while because Latino construction workers did not receive fair compensation.  Unfortunately, Wall Street decided to gamble with mortgage-backed securities and screwed us all.

At this point, I can just picture a conservative asking, "But all you're doing here is blaming Americans.  Isn't it nonsensical to talk about fair wages for illegals?  They shouldn't even be here in the first place."

Since this entry is getting a bit lengthy, I'll have more in a follow-up...