Immigration

Disclaimer: Allison asked me to write about this some six weeks ago, so this painfully long post is all her fault :P

I've just watched three hours of news (CNN, FOX, and network television), and interviews with Mexico's ex-president, Vicente Fox, on Bill Mahr and on Hannity's America. The issue in each case was immigration.

In today's highly charged environment, it seems you can't discuss immigration without being labeled a racist - that is, unless you're of Hispanic descent. For the record, this is the result of the violence to which Mexicans, who are Native-Americans colonized by the Spanish, have been subjected to since the U.S. appropriated Northern Mexico, or what is now known as the Southwest. The Texas-Rangers hunted, hung, tortured, and shot Mexicans. Legal immigrants were, at random, rounded up by police, thrown onto train cars and sent to Mexico and further south. U.S. sailors beat, killed, and raped Mexicans without facing repercussions. And, like African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, particularly in the Southwest, were forbidden from entering white schools, public areas, shops, and restaurants.

Fortunately, as someone of Hispanic origin, I can speak out against unchecked immigration without being labeled a racist. As far as I can tell, it's destroying California.

What we have in California are two distinct classes of Mexicans - legal and illegal immigrants. But, while this seems, on the face of it, purely a legal distinction, it points to vast cultural and economic differences. Those who immigrate legally tend to come from the country's middle and upper classes. They bring with them a respect for education, authority and proper language, proficiency in at least two languages, an appreciation for classical music and great literature, and traditional family values. However, an overwhelming number of immigrants, those who come here illegally, are the impoverished and uneducated. They hail from small mountain villages, border towns, or the jungle. They come with antiquated ideas about the importance of physical labor, education, medicine, child-rearing, a woman's role, drinking, and manliness. Moreover, many have limited literacy in even Spanish. It's best to think of this group as the hillbillies of Mexico.

While complaining about illegal immigrants based purely on cultural factors would smack of racism, there's more to it than just that. Although most work terribly hard for the little money they make, their rural background ill-equips them to raise children in the urban setting of California. The lack of emphasis they place on attaining a quality education, especially in regards to their daughters, produces children who not only resent school, but also have unrealistic expectations about the quality of life they will enjoy. At some point, reality comes crashing down on these children and they realize they have but two options: commit to a life of backbreaking, low-paying jobs, or enter into a life of crime. Often, the choice is crime.

Having said that, I'd like to suggest that the problem with illegal immigration is two-fold: the spread of violence and the loss of a unified American identity. Some would suggest that it's about the drain on social services and national security, but that's really more of a rallying call for racists than actual reality. Economists not only trumpet forth the positive influence of immigrants on the economy, they suggest that more immigration would be preferable. Others have shown that the savings immigrants provide corporations and consumers far outweigh what they take back in social services. As for national security, more terrorists have been caught trying to enter the country through our unprotected border with Canada than at Mexico's. But, by far the most common complaint against illegal immigrants is that they're taking away jobs from hard-working Americans. I have two thoughts on this: 1) How many Americans are willing to pick hundreds of strawberries a day, and 2) If Americans can't take advantage of their educational opportunities to the extent that they can't compete against immigrants from the jungle, it's their own fault.

Anyone who doubts that violence stems from the vicious cycle of poverty, a lack of education, and poverty again, which coincidentally is the cycle many immigrants' children perpetuate, need only visit several of the communities in which I have lived. We can, for example, look at Pomona, the nice middle and upper class community in which I lived while growing up. This city, referenced in an old Disney cartoon, and once famous for its orange groves, theatre houses, and stellar school system, is now primarily a Hispanic community plagued by poverty and violence. Its upscale areas refuse to refer to themselves as part of the city and have adopted nicknames: Phillip's Ranch and the Ganesha Hills. And, the school system has fallen in such disrepair that some of the schools have been taken over by the state.

We need to do our best to preserve what little sense of national identity we still have left. Although the children and grandchildren of immigrants eventually assimilate in the mainstream American culture, right now we have so many people immigrating to this country that they are able to establish cultural enclaves, where there is heavy pressure against assimilation. And, if what has happened in the former Soviet Union, Rome, Spain, Iraq, and other countries is any indication, losing a sense of national pride and unity leads to sectarianism, mistrust, violence, and even the potential division of a country. Personally, I'm offended when I attend events or watch rallies where the flag of another country is waved rather than ours. Unless, you moved here recently, and have affection for your homeland, there's no excuse for this. And yet, many second generation immigrants engage in this. Besides, I would hope that people be grateful to be here and proud of this country which has given them so many opportunities. And, although my father has endured vicious racism, especially when he first came here decades ago, he's proud enough of this country that he's attended Air Shows, worn a motorcycle helmet with the American flag, and wanted to serve in Vietnam.

Beyond the issues of violence and a unified national identity, I oppose illegal immigration simply on the grounds that it's diminishing the quality of education in this country and strengthening insulting stereotypes of Mexicans. With so many students who either have limited literacy in English or resent schooling altogether, it has become difficult to serve those students who both want to learn and have the literacy to do so. In the past, those students with limited literacy in English were tracked into special courses, but, as an unintended result of a racist bill passed a decade ago, those students are now in mainstream college-preparatory courses where everyone now suffers. The best students are forced to learn at a slower pace, while the weaker students struggle just to hang on and earn a D. And, as for the stereotypes, I'd rather not be portrayed as an uneducated hillbilly with antiquated ideas about how the world operates. People often tell me I'm different from other Mexicans they know, but that's just because Mexicans like me tend to live south of the border.

As for the question of how to put an end to illegal immigration, I have to agree with the often outrageous Ann Coulter. We need to make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to come here, and easier for qualified immigrants to come through the proper channels. (As companies, such as California Edison will tell you, we are experiencing a shortage of qualified workers in the technology industry, and it costs a significant deal of money to locate, train, and import workers from outside the country.) There are several things that can be done to eliminate the rampant immigration.

First, employers of illegal immigrants should be fined and threatened with jail time - this includes farmers, corporations, and people who just want someone to mow their lawns.

Second, deny access to social services such as hospital care. But, keep access to education open as a lack of education begets poverty, which in turn begets violence.

Third, police should run background checks of each person they arrest. If the person committing the crime happens to be here illegally, deport them. This is being done in Texas right now, much to the chagrin of the Mexican community there. Unfortunately for them, I don't want criminals from other countries living here, and I don't think anyone else does either.

Apartment complexes and housing developments that admit illegal immigrants should also be fined heavily and threatened with the possibility of a jail term for obstruction of justice.

Finally, for those who want to take extreme measures, we can either outlaw or limit the use of other languages in professional settings, on business placards, and in the media (television, radio, and advertisements). Under such conditions, immigrants who don't already know English would be forced to acquire it. To sum it up, if you want immigration under control, you have to be willing to take away the incentives for it.