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Why we can't have a real immigration debate....

This so-called symposium on illegal immigration conducted by FrontpageMag.com exemplifies the difficulty in having a genuine dialogue about the issue.

It's not a real symposium of different views, but three co-authors shilling for their new book. So you're not going to find anybody raising different opinions during the discussion.

Those authors mix carefully cherry-picked statistics with supposedly representative anecdotes to reach a conclusion not limited to illegal immigrants. According to Manhattan Institute fellow Heather McDonald:

While many immigrants continue to thrive and to enrich our country, too many from the second and third generation of Hispanics are developing behaviors that will fray the social fabric and cost taxpayers millions in welfare and criminal justice outlays.


The entire piece is aimed at presenting the image of thoughtful scholars in deep consideration of a serious national problem.

The reality, when you wade through it all, is that here we have three people attempting to move the whole issue to a new level: from anti-illegal immigration to anti-Hispanic.

That's arguably scarier that the image of poor people wading the Rio Grande.
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Brian Shields said…
The more I think about this issue, the more I'm thinking it's a human rights issue instead of a legal one.

Would our ancestors be any different if they came from south of the border? There's no big Ellis Island type place there that could be the beacon of hope and a symbol of entry into this land of opportunity.

Lately, I'm looking at this issue like it's about human rights. Underground black market wages, the fear of authority, the factory and field treatment of these people are not controlled or cared about, and the human rights abuses could be astronomical.

Ok, I'm done having my democrat moment. On the other hand...

Law enforcement is important, but are we, as a state, staffed enough to handle it? As a nation I know INS is not able to handle it, or else we wouldn't be in this mess.
February 1, 2008 at 8:17 AM
Hube said…
No, Brian, we're not currently equipped to handle it. That's b/c there's no political will, even though there is popular will. But, certainly, we can't seek out and deport 12 million people nor should we. Some sort of guest worker program is probably the best solution to the illegal immigrant issue, but it will take political will on both sides of the Rio Grande.

I tend to curl up the corner of my mouth when I hear terms like "human rights issue" etc. when discussing illegals. Not b/c I disrespect the term, certainly, but b/c illegals in the US probably have more rights and are safer than they would be any on other place on the planet. In addition, merely contrast how Mexico treats its illegal residents to how the US does. Then, when you hear Mexican officials lamenting how their citizens in the US illegally are treated, you can only but guffaw.
February 2, 2008 at 10:40 AM
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