Thursday, July 06, 2006
No Fence is Going to Keep Desperate People Out of the United States
The Republican election year rally of racists over illegal immigration from Latin America is entirely political. They don't have any more intention of stopping illegal entry than they do of preventing abortion (about which later). This is one of several evergreen political issues for them that is a proven winner. They don't want it to be solved and to go away.
How do we know that they don't want illegal immigration from Latin America to stop? NOTHING is going to stop people who are starving, who have starving children and parents from risking their lives and the enormous hardships of illegal immigration from trying. Nothing is going to stop many of them from succeeding to get in and work here. Nothing except improved living conditions for them AT HOME. If they could live a decent life at home, with their families and friends, in the place they know, they would do what almost everyone does and stay with them.
For decades conservatives in the United States have done just about everything possible to make life in Latin America hell for their own profit. Illegal immigration is the entirely predictable result. And, as an added incentive for them to keep doing just what they have been, unprotected illegal workers can help them suppress wages and benefits in the U.S. too.
Illegal immigration, it works for them
The Republican election year rally of racists over illegal immigration from Latin America is entirely political. They don't have any more intention of stopping illegal entry than they do of preventing abortion (about which later). This is one of several evergreen political issues for them that is a proven winner. They don't want it to be solved and to go away.
How do we know that they don't want illegal immigration from Latin America to stop? NOTHING is going to stop people who are starving, who have starving children and parents from risking their lives and the enormous hardships of illegal immigration from trying. Nothing is going to stop many of them from succeeding to get in and work here. Nothing except improved living conditions for them AT HOME. If they could live a decent life at home, with their families and friends, in the place they know, they would do what almost everyone does and stay with them.
For decades conservatives in the United States have done just about everything possible to make life in Latin America hell for their own profit. Illegal immigration is the entirely predictable result. And, as an added incentive for them to keep doing just what they have been, unprotected illegal workers can help them suppress wages and benefits in the U.S. too.
Illegal immigration, it works for them
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I cannot believe people as dedicated to "market explanations" as Republicans have been (purposefully) fail to understand (because in reality they understand full well) that illegal immigration exists because there is a supply (destitution and under-employment in other countries creates a pool of immigrants ... and imbalances in currency markets, due in large part to the under-capitalization of 3rd world economies which would be alleviated if we'd loan these countries money in good faith rather than using loans as tools with which to drain capital from them, not to mention that we, from Allende to Chavez have done all we can to block meaningful economic reform in the 3rd world -- and people wonder why they hate us?) and a demand (for cheap labor).
If we really wanted to end illegal immigration, we'd address both the supply and the demand and nothing else: we'd push the World Bank, WTO, et al., to reform; we'd support rather than undermine economic reforms in 3rd world countries and allow them to be nurtured behind walls of tarrifs instead of forcing "free trade" down everyone's throught (and, in general, we'd apply the same standards of proof to the safety and effectiveness of the economic prescriptions we give that we expect from medicines prescribed by our physicians); we'd require that all employees be paid certain minimum wages; we'd provide certain care services for the children of single mothers and certain two parent families (to deal with the illegal nanny problem); etc.
But are these things going to happen any time soon? For various reasons, ranging from principled economic conservativism to self-interested behavior by those seeking cheap labor, the answer is, not surprisingly, no.
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If we really wanted to end illegal immigration, we'd address both the supply and the demand and nothing else: we'd push the World Bank, WTO, et al., to reform; we'd support rather than undermine economic reforms in 3rd world countries and allow them to be nurtured behind walls of tarrifs instead of forcing "free trade" down everyone's throught (and, in general, we'd apply the same standards of proof to the safety and effectiveness of the economic prescriptions we give that we expect from medicines prescribed by our physicians); we'd require that all employees be paid certain minimum wages; we'd provide certain care services for the children of single mothers and certain two parent families (to deal with the illegal nanny problem); etc.
But are these things going to happen any time soon? For various reasons, ranging from principled economic conservativism to self-interested behavior by those seeking cheap labor, the answer is, not surprisingly, no.
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