Bush's immigration plan will spur more problems

By Lori Nakaguchi

Once upon a time, people came to the United States legally, worked hard, learned English and saved money to send for their families to come to this country. Their main aspiration was assimilation, American citizenship and all the opportunities it afforded. Each immigrant was required to go through a medical exam, and those with communicable diseases or who were likely to become indigent were excluded from entry.

There was no public welfare, life was hard, and subsequent generations improved their lot, following in the footsteps of their hardworking, law-abiding predecessors. To the cheers of some, and to the detriment of America, those days are over.

Experts estimate there are more than 8 million illegal immigrants living in this country, with approximately 1.5 million more arriving each year.

Illegal aliens are significant users of the welfare system. It is often stated that immigrants put more back into the economy than they take out, but research has shown this to be a faulty premise.

One thing that cannot be disputed is that the costs to taxpayers for health, education, and welfare services for illegal immigrants (and legal immigrants as well) and their families are enormous, not to mention the costs of incarceration for the 25 percent of aliens in the criminal justice system. After considering the taxes that illegal aliens do pay —and many of them work for cash and pay no taxes— American taxpayers are left with a net loss in the tens of billions of dollars.

Those who hire unskilled alien workers for low wages are the real winners, while native-born low-skilled workers lose big time. The hiring of low-skilled alien workers at sub-standard wages is thought to account for about 1/3 of the wage-loss for similarly skilled American workers, according to Harvard University researcher George Borjas. The consumption of public services by low-income immigrant populations at the expense of taxpayers is essentially a subsidy to those who hire them.

American immigration policy tramples on a long tradition of self-reliance and the rule of law. President Bush’s immigration reform may be good for Mexico and businesses that want cheap labor, but it is bad for America. If illegal aliens have not respected the law in the past, what makes anyone think they will abide by the rules of the new law if it doesn’t suit them?

Legalizing large numbers of illegal immigrants will make them eligible for even more government services. Citizens of Mexico make up about half of this illegal population, and while they send $10 billion back to their home country per year, hospitals are going bankrupt and schools are struggling to keep up with the growing influx of their children, many of whom require expensive special services.

Those who stay for long periods of time tend to consume more welfare services—not less, and are creating large pockets of poverty in the areas where they settle.

Assimilation does not seem to be a priority. It is common to find non-citizens, especially those from Latin America, who have been in the country for long periods of time but cannot communicate in English. Unfortunately, there are so-called immigrant advocates who encourage this kind of self-defeating behavior.

The best immigration policy for America right now would be to place a moratorium on further immigration, enforce the standing laws and secure the borders. A Constitutional amendment tying the citizenship of America-born children to that of their parents is in order as well.

Enforcing the law means deporting illegal aliens and levying significant financial penalties on employers who hire them. Access to cheap labor stifles innovation and depresses wages for the native born. Employers will find an adequate workforce when they invest in current technology and offer appropriate wages.

The constant influx of third-world poverty we are experiencing is creating a culture of dependency, which is not consistent with the history of immigration that made this country great.

The American dream depends upon swift, appropriate action which respects the law and is consistent with American tradition.

— Responses to this column may be sent to collegian@csufresno.edu