For a long time I’ve been puzzled by the strange coalition that’s
risen in opposition to strictly enforcing our immigration laws and possibly
tightening rules on legal immigration.
Think about it: rarely do you see rich white liberals in bed
with rich white conservatives on the same issue. Or the Koch brothers aligned with liberals. Or small businesses siding
with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Or
small farmers joining with giant agribusiness conglomerates. Or top Republicans
and Democrats working together on the one issue on which they apparently can
agree: letting in more immigrants and giving amnesty to those illegals already
here.
What’s brought all these groups together?
Concern for the plight of poor illegal immigrants? Moral outrage at the separations of children
from their parents at the border? Maybe
the poem on the Statue of Liberty?
Sorry. It’s the
promise of cheap labor.
The reality of the immigration debate for these otherwise
disparate groups is that for them it’s not so much about compassion or morality
as it is about profit. Immigrants work cheaper than comparably-skilled American
citizens. And illegal immigrants work even cheaper.
Just look at the tech industry here – one of the richest
industries we have. It’s a big supporter
of expanding H-1b visas for foreign workers.
It’s also opposed to any efforts to crack down on H-1b abuses, of which
there are many. Does anyone really
believe our tech industry can’t find qualified American citizens to hire for its
tech and customer support jobs?
Of course it can, but not as cheaply as an import.
The food service industry claims it couldn’t survive without
immigrant labor. The hospitality
industry makes similar claims. As does the ag industry. Let’s not forget about the affluent who routinely
employ illegals to be nannies for their kids, cook for their families, clean
their houses, and keep their lawns and shrubs in tip-top shape.
None of these are employing those of uncertain immigration status
because they feel empathy for them, or out of the goodness of their hearts. It’s all about getting cheaper labor. When these employers get caught they always
claim they had no idea they were hiring illegal immigrants; they never thought
to ask about their immigration status. Really?
The truth is they didn’t want to know.
Ever wonder why so many of these groups resist using the
fast and free E-Verify program to vet the immigration status of the workers
they hire? And why the affluent – including many members of Congress on both
sides of the aisle, celebrities, and media hotshots – often turn a blind eye to
the immigration status of the domestics they hire to work at their own homes?
Trust me, none of them will admit it but it’s always about
the money. Even the richy-rich and
powerful can’t resist the lure of cheap labor.
A central argument against tougher immigration enforcement
is that those who come here illegally aren’t doing any real harm. They are simply seeking a safer, more secure
future for themselves and their families.
But by keeping them out – or kicking them out – we cause much more harm
to them and their families. They are far
better off here than they’d be in the country they fled.
Besides, we’re told if we do crack down on illegal
immigration and deport those illegals here already then who will harvest our
crops, cook our food, clean our houses and hotel rooms, cut our lawns and do
all those jobs American citizens don’t want anyway?
I love when someone brings all that up. Especially the part about the willingness of
illegals to do jobs no one else wants. That’s
always the supposed trump card; illegals are necessary because they do jobs
American citizens aren’t willing to do. Plus
they keep costs down for consumers.
Flash back a couple of hundred years or so. Those arguments are eerily similar to the
justifications for slavery cited by American slave owners in the 1800s.
Go ahead, look it up.
The only real difference is that mostly Southern slave
owners were talking about the economic merits of slavery using Africans, not
people from Central America and Mexico. The
rationalization then was that foreign slaves were necessary because there weren’t
enough Americans to handle all the work, and even when there were, Americans
weren’t interested in doing those jobs anyway.
Oh, and the Africans they brought in worked cheaper and
complained less, too.
Some slave owners also claimed they had a moral imperative
to employ slaves, who they considered simple, hardworking folk generally happy with
their lot in life and actually better off – and safer – here than where they
came from. If they weren’t employed here, how would they survive? How would
they feed their families, without their benevolent American employers?
The slaves they employed were thankful to have a job that fed,
clothed, and housed them and their families.
And to be in a better place than where they were from.
If all that sounds like complete nonsense back then, it’s
also complete nonsense today.
I’m sure there are many who look on stopping illegal
immigration as a moral stain on our heritage.
But there also those – behind the scenes – masquerading as compassionate
crusaders who have a much baser motive for encouraging unfettered illegal
immigration.
Yes, I’m pointing the finger at the unholy alliance of
business groups advocating for less stringent immigration policies. I know what
they really want. Now you do as
well.
More legal immigrants can help us and are needed, but more illegals depress wages for American citizens. More
illegals also put a much greater strain on our limited resources to support
schools, healthcare, public safety, and public assistance programs.
That’s a big price to pay over time for cheaper labor in the
short term.
Much as there eventually was for slavery here.
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