Immigration Talk

The debate over immigration reform within Congress and the mainstream media is now coming to the boiling point again. You have those from the "anti-immigrant" side spouting mindless rhetoric in an attempt to get people to align with them. You also see many "pro-immigrant" persons trying to get the facts out to the general public, facts that are often skewed by the media and by vote-seeking lawmakers.

The following is an excerpt from an op-ed I wrote (Debate on Immigration Should Consider Underlying Issues) amidst last year's public demonstrations across the country - demonstrations both for and against immigration reform - in response to the immigration debate ensuing in the United States:

"In recent years the xenophobes of this nation have made themselves known through their vehement attacks on anyone or anything “different” from themselves or what they know. Attacks on immigrant businesses, local government officials making life difficult for immigrants – documented or otherwise – as well as the so called minutemen who seek to take the law into their own hands by situating themselves on the southern border, are but a mere sampling of the uninformed actions that have taken place. However, many forget that our country is one formed, for the most part, by immigration. People who think with an “us” vs. “them” mentality seem to pose a danger to our country. This way of thinking is both saddening and dangerous. As of 2004, there were over 34 million foreign born persons residing within the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Therefore, our country’s immigrant population does play an influential role.

Immigrants come to the United States to perform jobs vital to our society, economy, and way of life – jobs that have to be done. Americans crave low-cost goods and services while at the same time demanding higher wages for themselves. But the current nature of the U.S. economy, as a product of globalization and our interconnectedness with the global economy, absolutely requires low-wage labor to produce those economical goods and services. People increasingly come to the United States because there are jobs available here for them. There is a demand for labor, and immigrants come here to supply that demand.

Globalization and the globalizing economy, with the economic restructuring in post-industrial societies such as the U.S., are some of the underlying factors behind the increase of people moving here. Push factors such as economic hardship in their homeland plant the notion for people to move. At the same time, pull factors here in the U.S., such as the possibility of earning higher wages than in a person’s home country, serve to draw people here. After people begin arriving in an area, a migration network typically forms. Migration networks help to reduce the hardships of migrating, with finding work in a new land, and with reducing the problem of language barriers. Networks also serve to increase the likelihood of migration in the future."

I've found the following articles interesting and helpful toward the process and dialogue of the immigration debate currently ensuing within the United States:

Meeting Our Immigration Needs by Tamar Jacoby, May 14, 2007 - RealClearPolitics.com

Lazy, Job-Stealing Immigrants? by Sebastian Mallaby, April 29, 2007 - Washington Post

Immigration Misery, Editorial, March 15, 2007 - New York Times

Immigration Nation by Tamar Jacoby, Nov/Dec 2006 - Foreign Affairs

And here are some interesting articles from Wikipedia:

Immigration

Human Migration

Immigration to the United States