I was reading a blog where the person was frustrated that a murderer wasn't identified as being a legal or illegal immigrant. I was puzzled because I am just viscerally offended by murderers period. It really is unimportant to me where they are from, how they got here, or if they are there legally. I realize the blogger was reacting to much of what is spewed on the media and throughout home in America regarding immigrants.
One of the things I hear alot when the issue of immigration comes up is that so many of them are criminals. When I hear this argument I think of Chicken Little running around looking at the sky having misinterpreted something hitting her in the head as the sky is falling/world is ending. Of course there are immigrants who commit crimes and I would agree to sending them back to their homeland in the most uncomfortable manner possible - burro, bus, boat - rather than put them in our overcrowded prisons. (Don't get me started on that subject.)
But don't base your ideas of immigration on the premise all immigrants are here committing crimes. I live in Southern California so I know many immigrants - Mexican, Vietnamese, Cambodians, El Salvadoreno, Columbian, Iranian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, you get the picture. In fact, Long Beach, where I live, has a Cambodia Town in its center. This was justified by the fact that there are more Cambodians living in Long Beach than anywhere else outside of Cambodia. I don't know all the immigrants in So.Cal. (smile) but the ones I know are hardworking people who want a better life, even the ones who came here illegally many years ago.
Then there is the one about them taking our jobs. Outsourcing and consummate greed of big business couldn't be a contributor; it is Jose or Kim or Rajeed that cause Americans to be jobless. Big tax cuts given to big businesses for countless reasons, none of them benefitting the US? No that can't be it. Gotta be Maria working illegally in that big house in Beverly Hills watching the children and cleaning the house of the wealthy, yeah, she's the reason I can't get a job. It's much easier to blame an anonymous foreigner than to deal with an elected official at any level of government.
What I rarely hear is what I believe to be the case, and that is if the government enforced the laws we currently have we wouldn't have nearly as many issues. If each employer required each employee to provide official documentation to complete and submit the I-9 Form as required by the Federal Government there would be no work for them to do. Form I-9 requires employers to confirm new employees eligibility to work in the USA using specified documents such as driver's license, passport, etc. The goal of the I-9 was to prevent illegal workers. Without the proper document they officially cannot work here. Unfortunately, we have many business that are happy to issue a fake social security number for an employee. And who check on them? Apparently no one.
One change that would make a difference would be to have laws regarding immigrants similar to those of Mexico and other countries. If I decided to move to Mexico I could not buy property because I'm not Mexican. If I decided to move to Europe or Canada I would have to prove I had a skill that would benefit the country before they would let me live there. If you're too old you can't move to Australia. These are just the ones I know off the top of my head and all of them would be good ideas for us to adopt as our own.
On a final note, the writer who inspired this blog was wailing about wanting the whole truth to be able to make an informed decision. Must be someone young, huh? Very rarely in life will you get the whole, unvarnished truth. Most people only think they want it. To paraphrase Jack Nicholson, they can't handle the truth. I wish for it everyday and cringe when I hear it. And always remember, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.
