Celebrate immigration
From the L.A. Times: "A crowd estimated by police at more than 500,000 boisterously marched in Los Angeles on Saturday to protest federal legislation that would crack down on undocumented immigrants, penalize those who help them and build a security wall along the U.S.'s southern border."It should go without saying, but it is often forgotten: America is a nation of immigrants. It is true that many are in America illegally, but, as John F. Kennedy put it in a book with that very title, A Nation of Immigrants: "Immigration policy should be generous; it should be fair; it should be flexible." Most immigrants are in America because they want to be. Some have risked their lives to come to what they see as, in Lincoln's words, "the last, best hope of earth". They came to America because, to them, America represents hope and opportunity, because it offers hope and opportunity to those who simply have neither elsewhere. They now live in America and contribute to America. Indeed, they love America and want to stay.
To be sure, something needs to be done about "illegal" immigrants. I won't address the options here, but I will say this: Let America's policy towards these immigrants be generous, fair, and flexible. Do not punish them for having chosen to come to America. Offer them an opportunity to settle, legally, for good. If they work, if they pay their taxes, if they accept the American way of life and want to be a part of it, indeed, if they are already American, broadly speaking, be generous to them. They only want to live their lives in Lincoln's last, best hope, in a nation of immigrants that has historically welcomed the tired, the poor, the huddled masses who have yearned for the chance to start anew.
These new Americans want to breathe free. Let them.
posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at
1:14 AM
5 Comments:
my grandfather came over from Italy in the early 1900's. My grandmother did also and after a very large earthquake and tsunami devastated southern italy. They waited a long while before being granted legal immigration. They did not come over illegally and were always first and foremost, Americans once given the gift of freedom here. They paid taxes, put up with second class jobs, and never accepted free government medical coverage if needed. They were proud. I don't see this in the Mexican immigrants. They are the single largest group on welfare, Access, and continue to have more childeren without the advantage of income to support them. As you can see my sentiment runs deep about this issue. I am for sending all illegals back and reintroduce them legally if they can show a "sponsor" here in America just as my relatives had to. This sponsor must give reference as to why they should be allowed here. Oh by the way, the Mexican government is far too silent on why they aren't helping their own people. Sorry for the rant.....nice blog though!
By
Anonymous, at 1:45 AM
As one who has spent countless years advoocating on behalf of the working poor, I am ashamed by my fellow progressives. Illegal labor is the biggest threat to the working poor in America.
Shame on anyone who advocates on behalf of illegal immigrants.
By
Anonymous, at 2:33 AM
Thank you for that, Linkmeister.
To the two anonymous commenters: I'm certainly not saying that illegal immigration isn't a problem, and both of you make excellent points. We do need to concern ourselves with our own "working poor" and with immigrants who arrive legally and are only looking to settle down and contribute, whether it's in the United States or up here in Canada. Unfortunately, many who come to our two countries do not contribute and do not assimilate into the broader culture. And, of course, the work they do may hurt those who are here legally, new or old. They both inflate the size of the workforce and provide cheaper labour.
The problem, though, is that the situation is so much more complex than that. It's one thing when, say, a single male sneaks across the border and, say, sets himself up on welfare, becoming a drain on our social services. It's another thing when illegal immigrants pay taxes and support the economy, and when children are involved. What about them? This is why I think that our respective immigration policies need to be "generous, fair, and flexible". We can debate the different options for dealing with illegal immigrants, but there must be a humanitarian solution.
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Michael J.W. Stickings, at 7:50 PM
some of my family were immigrants so i disagree completly with the government. they need to get the stick out of there butt and let people come into the us.
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cicicocuk, at 5:34 PM
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