[Mb-civic] A dose of reality on illegal immigration - John Tenhula - Boston Globe Op-Ed

[William Swiggard]

  A dose of reality on illegal immigration

By John Tenhula  |  April 14, 2006  |  The Boston Globe

THE SHOUTS of protest in Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., 
Chicago, Phoenix, and Los Angeles were loud and clear: ''We can do it! 
We can do it!"

But, can we?

Can we create a fair and humane immigration policy given the current 
political landscape at the end of an administration that is consumed 
with security issues, the budget, and an unpopular war? A policy that 
deals with an estimated 11 million undocumented people already within 
our borders? And, at the same time, can we address the economic factors 
that make coming to America so desirable?

I say no. Not without a lot more legislative work and political 
compromises, and not without including the people being affected in the 
conversation, the immigrants themselves. The recent attempt in the 
Senate fell apart in partisan bickering.

Hospitality and hostility are our twin themes. Millions want a piece of 
the American dream: a better life, security, and a future for their 
children. That is no more than what our forefathers wanted. We can build 
concrete walls on the Mexican border higher than those on the West Bank, 
but we are fighting a losing battle. And at what cost to the taxpayer?

A good immigration policy needs to begin with the essentials, and 
remember, laws are made to be amended.

We cannot now or in the future completely secure our borders. Take a 
boat trip along the St. Lawrence Seaway on the Canadian border and try 
to find where the border lies. It isn't marked, and only those who grew 
up there know where it is. If we commit the resources needed to control 
land, water, and air entry into this country, we would become a fascist 
state that would hurt everyone here. We must make laws that are fair and 
equitable and not based on past biases. The laws must also be respectful 
of our economic needs.

We need a tamper-proof national identity card that respects our privacy 
but can identify our legal status here. Certainly some grad student at 
MIT can come up with one. I am told that the going rate for ''losing" 
your American passport in several European countries is $5,000. Document 
forgery is a big business.

We cannot promote the myth that immigration does not take jobs from 
Americans. That was 30 years ago. Disadvantaged, underemployed, and 
unemployed Americans are scared for their own economic security, and we 
need to recognize that fear. We need to address that fear with the kind 
of promised post-Katrina job training funded by the federal government. 
Immigration, after all, is a federal responsibility.

The 11 million people living in this country illegally will not leave 
voluntarily. We need to deal with this fact by creating an amnesty 
program that sorts out the criminals and starts fresh. We need a 
selective process to admit those who qualify through family 
reunification or labor market needs and do it in a consistent and humane 
manner. Let's move past the idea that we are rewarding lawbreakers by 
granting amnesty and try to work with these hard-working, soon-to-be 
Americans.

The real law breakers are the US employers: individuals and companies, 
both large and small, that do not respect our current documentation 
verification laws. They exploit immigrants with low pay and they reduce 
human dignity -- precious values all Americans want to believe this 
country stands for. Immigrants deserve basic education and healthcare 
services and most do pay taxes. We gain nothing from denying public 
healthcare to someone with tuberculosis.

No policy will work unless employer sanctions are enforced. Too many 
winks and light slaps on the wrists have taken place since the 1986 
immigration reform legislation. Take fines to a higher level. Start this 
with a mass education program with all local chambers of commerce.

It is a new chapter for the United States. We need to value the skill, 
talent, and energy immigrants bring and not degrade them for seeking 
freedom and a better life. To do so is to degrade our own immigrant 
history and those who willingly took enormous risks in the hope of a 
brighter future.

John Tenhula is an immigration specialist and a student at the Episcopal 
Divinity School in Cambridge.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/04/14/a_dose_of_reality_on_illegal_immigration/
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