By: Brian Whelter
Immigration laws geared towards the prevention of illegal immigration in the United States have failed. Why? Well, because there are still illegal immigrants. It’s a simple concept. America has been on a virtual war path to locate, detain, and deport all illegal immigrants, and yet there are still some 12 million living here today. It is an illusion to think that a nation can somehow enforce any sort of viable law or legislation that would force people out of their country with the expectation that they’ll stay out without completely cutting off any and all ways into the country. This, of course, would also mean that no one in the country would be able to get out, either. And so the only way to stop illegal immigration would be to limit liberty until America is one big hermetic, cut-off island (not in the literal sense) in which there is no way in or out. Without such implementations, there will always be a means for people to enter the country illegally—essentially, if you want to be clichéd about it, where there’s a will (and there is), there’s a way.
But no such legislation would ever pass because, as you’re probably thinking right now, it would be widely unpopular, and the politicians that did try to enact such a law would not have a job for much longer. So what’s the point of having these half-assed attempts at keeping our nation free of illegal immigration? All they do is give the illusion of safety—from what, I don’t know—and cost exorbitant amounts of tax payers’ money, while not actually solving anything. (Just to note: I’ve always found it strange that it’s usually the right-wing that supports illegal immigration restriction/prevention and less taxes. When you take into account that the former requires taxes, then it seems just silly and stupid and riddled with logical fallacy purely based on an economic perspective—let alone an ethical and rational one, as well.) Essentially, illegal immigration laws are giant toilets that we throw our money in and flush—or, if you didn’t like that metaphor, they’re wishing wells which, as we did with the toilets, throw our money into and receive nothing in return.
To be honest, illegal immigrants seem to be one of the most essential parts of our economy, taking jobs that most Americans don’t want. And to those that do want them? No they don’t. If they say they do, it’s because they think they don’t have any opportunity to achieve any better station for themselves, when, in fact, natural born citizens have plenty of opportunity at any given time if they wake up, analyze the situation, and realize that their desperation could lead to the next innovation (just to be corny about it). The problem, though, isn’t that immigrants are coming over and taking our jobs, as so erroneously assumed, but the fact that they’re coming here, taking jobs way under the mandated minimum wage, and being generally victimized by a system unwilling to help or support them. A system, might I add, that willingly accepts, according to a study by the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, the $11.2 billion that illegal immigrants pay in taxes—coming from the nigh unavoidable, even for undocumented citizens, sales and property taxes.
In a country that, for the most part, accepts corporate greed, the affluent populations’ general evasion of taxes, and government bailouts for companies that don’t deserve them, it would seem that $11.2 billion would be helpful. And any country in dire economic strife, as we are now, should be grateful that there’s even a fraction of the population, despite their gross mistreatment, willing to give their hard-earned money—which, I might add, is toiled from menial labor with ridiculously unregulated work hours and conditions all so that we might live under the sadistic delusion that everything is fine and dandy—to a government bending to a population that’s partially (maybe mostly) racist that have some weird, convoluted ideas that illegal immigrants are stealing from the system. The statistics and facts seem to indicate that they’re not stealing. No, instead, they’re largely a contributing faction of the population that came over here for the exact same reasons that our forefathers did: hope, prosperity, change, and freedom. Who the fuck are we to deny them? Because some of us have the grandiose illusions that we’re somehow better than them doesn’t actually will the illusion into fact. It kind of just makes us look pathetic.
There is a problem, I’m not doubting that, with the entirety of how the system works (just in regards to the illegal immigration, for now). But it’s not that illegal immigrants, or legal immigrants for that matter, are coming here. It’s that we’re turning them away. The only way to stop illegal immigration is, as I’ve stated at the beginning, either cut us (and them) off entirely or, and this might be hard to accept, allow people to come over here while making the process to become a citizen a little easier. Some might have different experiences in regards to immigration, but from what I’ve witnessed the bureaucracy and regulations behind the process of becoming a citizen doesn’t seem to be helping the country so much as just making it one giant tax-splurge of a headache for those wanting to be a part of America. A process that takes up to fifteen years plus is not helpful. That’s why, more than likely, most immigrants don’t even try and are content with their illegal status. But if we took the taxes that we’re giving to these federal and state agencies established to “protect” the country from illegal immigrants and instead rechanneled that money into agencies that helped illegal’s become legal, and thus even more contributable than they already are, then it would be a win-win, for the most part. Immigrants would be allowed to come to this country without being harassed by big thugs that resemble the police in their countries, and they would pay even more taxes, start buying more, have better wages, not be exploited by corrupt employers willing to cut corners for their own solipsistic profit and gain, and thus America could attain a semblance of responsibility when it came to worker’s rights, as well as human rights for these immigrants. Right now, by demonizing their existence as human beings, we force illegal immigrants to live in vulnerable stations that inevitably lead to a progression of internally imperial exploitation. It’s absolutely ridiculous, and at the end of the day makes no sense to bar these people from entering our country based on false information campaigns coming from a juggernaut of populist ideologues willing to sacrifice everything for nothing in return.
Illegal Immigration: Keeping 'Them' Out, or Locking Ourselves In?,
G. H.
30 Jul 2011“I agree. We should be protecting our borders more stringently to prevent not only an influx of illegals from coming in, but also to prevent enemies of The United States taking advantage of a weak border. I am in favor wholly of legal immigration, and maybe we need to revisit our immigration policies. But to blindly allow people of any foreign nation into our country through a the bypassing of our laws weakens our nation.”
Michael D.
30 Jul 2011“If we make it unfriendly enough through laws based on illegal aliens they will self deport and stop coming in the first place. The first thing to do is cut them off from all entitlements and drop the anchor baby bit. There is no such thing as an achor baby, only another illegal born to illegals.”
Rob
30 Jul 2011“LoL… Yes! Look at Georgia…. Illegals are AFRAID to go there… So now they are having a tough time finding people to pick peaches…. Because “Unemployed Americans” are too “proud” to do it and get Govt Assistance so why should they?”
Ray
30 Jul 2011“Rob, I love that, people complain there are no jobs but then you have places like Georgia that can’t get workers. People need to change their attitudes, no one is above a job if they are unemployed.”
Larry
30 Jul 2011Give it time , those jobs in Georgia will be filled .
Rob
30 Jul 2011“It has only failed on the FEDERAL Level…. State Immigration Laws? GIANT Success!!!”
Larry
30 Jul 2011“The reason it hasn’t worked in the past is because of the “half-assed attempts ” . Now states are passing laws with teeth in them .They seem to be working , since there is a migration from the “red states” to the “blue” states . Let’s see how these states handle the problem when they are overruned.”
Scott Smith
30 Jul 2011this is a stupid post, we have one of the largest populations of legal immigrants in the world if not the highest, and they make up the population of this country, but criminal illegals have no place in this country because they have shown thier lack of respect for the citizens and laws of this country
Angela
29 Feb 2012Reality is that we, with the exemption of Native Americans, are all children of immigrants. Back then it was easier to become a citizen and now the fight, I believe, is more to prevent people from becoming citizens. I believe that the steps to becoming a citizen should be made easier.
Issa
29 Feb 2012hand out work visa’s an all proper documentation so they can work an pay taxes. our nation was founded by immigrants. we who grew up here sometimes forget how great our nation is. B’c we’re sheltered from most of the chaos of the world. Hell we barely learn anything about th rest of the world in our educational system. we need New blood to remind us how great our country is in comparison to others.