So today is supposed to be a big Immigrants Rights and Boycott and Street Protests Day. The biggest problem with the whole system right now is that it’s not a system, it’s a political and economic convenience built on lies and unadmitted half-truths. As long as that’s the case, the situation will only get worse.<\/p>\n
The fact is, folks outside the US need US jobs. Employers within the US need immigrant labor. The US needs to maintain a cultural unity-within-diversity (e pluribus unum). Mexico (as the main example) needs to not feel held hostage by the Yanquis.<\/p>\n
My two-cent solution, utterly impractical because it requires hard political decisions, spending a lot of money, and inconveniencing folks who can take advantage of the current situation:<\/p>\n
Folks could apply for this from within the country (i.e., if you’re currently illegal, here’s your chance to get on the right side of the law). Yes, that’s an “amnesty.” Suck it up. <\/p>\n
Once this program is in place for six months, then the following items would kick in.<\/p>\n
What does this all mean? Folks outside the country who need jobs here have a reasonable way to ask for them (and reaonabloe protections and restrictions around doing so), with the prospect of citizenship if all goes well. Businesses inside the country get access to the people they need to keep those jobs in the US (which, even if some of the workers are from outside, sitll benefits the nation). An subculture of illegal immigrants is defused and brought into the open, where they can participate with the rest of society. Mexico gets an above-board economic safety valve, in a way that doesn’t taint it as being the home of illegal immigrants.<\/p>\n
It would cost money. Administering a guest worker program well would take a lot. Providing prison space for illegals who second\/third-time offenders would likely cost a lot. Enforcement and prosecutions of businesses would cost a lot. And business expenses to monitor and do due dilligence of their workforce would do a lot as well.<\/p>\n
But those costs are occuring in other ways, now, as well as other costs, the cost of building an economy based on deceit and illegality. It’s a cost in dollars and in lives, and continuing to be dishonest about it will only delay the pain of rectifying the problem.<\/p>\n
UPDATE<\/u>: Rrg. Comments were inadvertently turned off on this. Sorry about that. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
So today is supposed to be a big Immigrants Rights and Boycott and Street Protests Day. 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