Ruben Navarrette says that Americans cannot blame immigration on Mexico and that country’s economic policies.
Oh, it’s true that the United States is a country of immigrants. But in this case, what matters is that this also happens to be a country full of people who hire illegal immigrants. There is only one reason why so many Mexicans want to come to the United States: because there are so many jobs waiting for them here.
Some Americans still prefer to blame Mexico for illegal immigration. Of course, why wouldn’t they? That sure beats taking their share of responsibility for it.
This is a great point. Like drugs, the other illegal import problem the U.S. has with its southern neighbors, the demand for labor creates the northward flow, at least when viewed from a simplistic economic model.
More:
These people are here illegally, and yet you hire them to clean your toilets, reserving the right to bellyache about them and what they’re costing you. It’s the first act — hiring illegal immigrants — that sets the rest of the story in motion. I have a solution: Clean your own toilets, or at least make sure that those who clean them for you are in the country legally. Or, shut up already.
Strong medicine, tastes bad. And this would be good advice except for one little detail - the Bush administration’s new plan to require employers to verify their workers’ Social Security numbers was recently blocked by Federal Judge Charles Breyer of California, a ruling that caused a justifiably exasperated California congressman to wonder:
“What part of ‘illegal’ does Judge Breyer not understand? ” asked Representative Brian P. Bilbray, Republican of California and chairman of the House Immigration Reform Caucus. “Using a Social Security number that does not belong to you is a felony. Judge Breyer is compromising the rule of law principles that he took an oath to uphold.”
Navarette is correct in saying it’s not that simple, especially when a judge like Bilbray decides to take the law into his own hands. How are we supposed to enforce the laws of the land with lawbreakers like this individual sitting on the bench?
While feeling sympathy for the plight of illegal aliens - many of whom have given up everything for the chance at success here - is admirable, it is inappropriate for the judiciary branch to dictate immigration policy with the gavel.
Breyer’s justification for his ruling?
Judge Breyer chastised the Department of Homeland Security for making a policy change with “massive ramifications” for employers, without giving any legal explanation or conducting a required survey of the costs and impact for small businesses.
His concern is for American business’ compliance costs? Right.
The ruling makes me suspect that Judge Breyer’s sympathies are more closely aligned with those of former Mexican President Vincente Fox than the American people’s. Fox, who is currently traveling the U.S. to promote his memoirs, said:
“The xenophoblics, the racists, those who feel they are a superior race…they are deciding the future of this country [the United States].”
…
“What I perceive here is fear in this nation.”
So it has nothing to do with the fact illegal workers driving down wages and creating communities of non-citizens that cannot integrate with American society? It’s all about race? Hardly.
And when queried about what Lou Dobbs says are the 50% of Mexicans who live in poverty - a number disputed by Fox - and why Mexico has a policy of exporting workers, Fox denied that Mexico has such a policy, saying: “We need that talent, that productivity in Mexico.”
That’s very true, as I’ve said before. But that talent has to have opportunity and hope in order to flourish. Mexico’s corrupt leadership and high tax rates are a bad combination that make entrepreneurs’ lives miserable.
Defending Fox, Navarrette said:
It’s not that simple. Mexico has now had just seven years of democracy under the rule of Fox’s National Action Party — following on the heels of more than 70 years of corrupt governance at the hands of the Institutional Revolution Party. The United States has had more than 200 years to get democracy right, and it still has to work out the kinks now and then.
Also true. What Navarrette leaves unsaid is that the PRI’s corruption is still alive and well in Mexico. Until this feature of the government is rooted out Mexico will be unable to provide real economic opportunities for its people.
All of this brings us back to Navarrette’s assertion that illegal immigration is caused by the U.S.’s demand for low cost labor. This is true, of course. But it’s not so simple, Ruben.
Mexico’s failure to create a functional economy means the pay rate in Mexico is unbelievably low (even Fox admits that 18% of Mexicans subsist on < $2 per day). This fact forces Mexican workers to flee their homelands and brave the unknown here in the U.S. in spite of the hazards involved.
Both supply and demand create the problem and it’s time that Mexico’s leaders tell the truth about that.
What Fox neglects to mention is that Mexico polices its southern border as well. It also rounds up and deports illegal immigrants, doesn’t allow them to work, and unlike the US, doesn’t allow them free schooling either. How’s that for racism then?
What Navarette fails to understand is that the vast majority of Americans (myself included) have never hired an illegal immigrant, would never knowlingly hire an illegal immigrant, and have never attempted to do so, or entice them across the border. Particularly if you live far from the border, its just not something that most would even think about.
Forgive my dirty skimming, but I definitely agree with the first few points of this post. If policing the border is a big priority for you, punishing businesses that hire illegals should be #1 on your to do list.
Mexico actively participates in the flow of illegal immigration. They do it as a way to get the hard currency that plays such a real roll in the Mexican economy.
Wrong. I don’t hire them. Somebody else hires them and throws the burden of paying their medical bills, K-12 educational expenditures, and social services onto me.
Yes, I agree that throwing the bums who hire them in prison would be a good start and in2thefray is right: the Mexican government does actively encourage illegal immigration.
Yes and this is why Vincente Fox and others like him favor illegal immigration in spite of his laughable claims that losing low-skilled, uneducated workers who often send remittances home is somehow draining Mexico’s talent. It allows the Mexican plutocracy to siphon off excess labor and political demands for reform of the Mexican economy and maintain the corrupt, inefficient status quo to their own benefit.
Mexico currently has the world’s richest man: Carlos Slim. Here is a guy who essentially made his money not by doing anything particularly innovative or exporting desirable products to other countries but merely by controlling Mexico’s very corrupt and monopolistic telecom industry.
Ok, so who wants to throw up a real solution instead of finger pointing? I think Fox is absolutely correct, which is all of this bickering is causing anger and frustration, instead of providing the “right” solutions for our country. What we need is immigration reform which can be enforced. All the media is doing is causing tension and hatred, which has become evident. We need Washington to step in and fix what has been created. Mexico should be considered a great ally not an enemy. Remember Mexico is the second largest exporter of oil to our great country. Should we ask them to give it to China and India instead, because they are begging at their door steps. Now that would be a REAL national security crisis. The point is simple, lets not create anger but instead solutions, and create peace among our neighbors.
[...] 16, 2007 at 9:23 am · Filed under Uncategorized Post below lifted from Van der Galien. See the original for [...]
Several weeks back, after reading a particularly arrogant piece by Navarette online on the subject of illegal aliens, I had had enough. Googled the telephone number of the paper he works for and called him. We spoke, well, to be honest, I tried to speak, while Navarette shouted over me.
He had been whinging on about illegals being indigenous, being a Native American called him on the lies he was spinning. He had been claiming how the native peoples in the southwest and the Spanish had lived together in peace and justice for 700 years before the nasty English Europeans came and ruined their utopia. Now, I am aware of the history, my ancestry is Wampanoag, however the Spanish were European and far from living in peace and justice, the conquistadores committed genocide, rape and enslavement of the true indigenous peoples of what is now called Mexico, Central and South America, and I’m sure they were doing the same thing to any tribes they ran across in the southwest of what is now called the United States.
I live in the present, and consider myself an American. The US’s history isn’t perfect, but it has attempted to deal with it and tried to right some wrongs. I am spitting mad to hear anyone exploit the histories of the native peoples for personal profit and political agenda. How dare he! It’s not about human or civil rights, were that the case he would be activist on behalf of the peoples of Latin America to raise wages and opportunity. But no, he wants to make excuses for the corrupt and despotic Latin American governments. Vincente Fox is currently under investigation for allegations of profiting from corrupt business dealings during his term in office.
Let’s face it, Navarette feels no loyalty to the US and our constitution, so he is in violation of his citizenship which requires no ties to foreign governments and countries. He is part of the problem that keeps Latin Americans poor and stuck that way.
i’ll get along better with my neighnor when he stops trespassing on my homeland, and stealing from me. And NOT UNTIL THEN!
As a resident of Prince William County in VA, where we recently passed a resolution to cut down on taxfunded benefits to illegal aliens, I am still appalled that counties all over are paying out tax dollars for benefits for people who should not even be in our country! I am further disgusted that advocate groups for illegal aliens feel they can ignore our immigration laws and document fraud laws, yet try and use our other laws to continue gaining benefits to which they are not entitled. What ever happened to “you can’t have it both ways”?
Foreigners and advocates feel free to butt into our business locally, in all states, nationwide, and though they are illegal aliens, feel they have the right to mouth-off in our government functions and all phases of day-to-day life. It would be great if even one elected official would gain guts to tell foreigners and their advocates to mind their own business, that they have no rights other than humane treatment until they are deported! Stop funding for sanctuary cities, for tax paid benefits all over, demand a large fine for hiring illegal aliens, plus a mandatory jail sentence for second offenses and speed up deportations of illegals committing further crimes and there would begin to be fewer illegal aliens all over.
Sure, a lot of it is the fault of greedy employers for cheap labor and citizens subsidizing the illegal’s housing, medical, and other social needs. A lot is the federal government’s fault for allowing the runaway flood of illegal aliens in the first place, for doing little to nothing to stop more from entering illegally and pandering to lobbyists and wealthy corporations down to the small contractor who is too cheap to pay a living wage to American workers.
So the typical American citizen is being screwed over in many ways. Let your representatives know you are sick of partially supporting illegal aliens, business owners and corrupt foreign nations. Write, fax, email, phone all your representatives that you are outraged our laws are being broken by invaders of our nation and you are picking up the tab for it all!