I can smell election season brewing, and the fancy rhetoric is viciously spewing from the nation’s capital. The hot topic is illegal immigration, and neither party will let it cool. The 2006 elections will probably be won and lost on the immigration platform.
And Democrats are licking their chops.
This election can’t come soon enough for liberals. President Bush and the GOP have dug themselves into a hole as big as an elephant, and their approval ratings are in the gutter. Yet, certain conservative members of Congress are refusing to budge on their stringent views concerning illegal immigrants. While the conflict within the conservative wing of the party continues to grow, hundreds of thousands of people are protesting against right-wing legislation that targets illegal immigrants.
It’s easy to say “illegal is illegal” but take a minute to reflect and look at the root of the problem.
People enter the United States illegally for a higher standard of living. Men and women cross the border without their families and brave death in search of opportunities they may never receive. Financial prosperity is so bleak in some parts of Mexico that many residents would rather risk death than reside in disappointment.
I don’t harbor ill feelings toward these people; I admire them, and it annoys me to hear callous people criticize them.
The illegals’ only “wrongdoing” is circumventing the current immigration laws in order to find a better way of life for themselves and their families. This offense is not akin to murder, rape or thievery, as many would have you believe.
The people I choose to listen to in the immigration debate are not affluent white men and women who were born and raised in the United States – people who were raised with infinitely more than illegal immigrants will probably ever have. I listen to the immigrants who came from Mexico legally and eventually gained citizenship.
These Americans overwhelmingly support the guest-worker plan, as demonstrated by a poll conducted by Sergio Bendixen, which provided statistics on legal immigrants’ sentiment toward those who entered illegally. An astonishing 81 percent said they believe illegals are taking jobs that Americans won’t, and 73 percent believe illegals aid the economy via low-cost employment. Additionally, 80 percent supported granting citizenship to illegals after a fine was imposed and mandatory English classes were taken, according to The Washington Post.
In U.S. politics, most Democrats are smart enough to realize that unselfishly helping others isn’t as bad as it’s often made out to be, while many Republicans don’t. Take the welfare system, for example. Most Republicans despise having to pay taxes for people who are on welfare, whereas Democrats shrug it off because buying an impoverished child a meal and putting roofs over families’ heads really isn’t the worst thing you can do.
It’s never fun to pay taxes, especially if you’re paying for someone else. However, relinquishing my right to work minimum-wage jobs – the kind of jobs most illegals are working – is a sacrifice I’m willing to make. Honestly, I’m willing to give up my opportunity to work outdoors all day long in the full heat of summer.
Everyone knows an open border is not a feasible solution but neither is mass deportation or triple fencing.
A guest-worker plan is the perfect compromise. Democrats and a handful of Republicans – including Bush – have been working to appease everyone with a pragmatic solution. These elected officials deserve our respect, and we must reward reasonable policy by voting for those with progressive minds – remember these politicians this November.
We should all be able to share in the American dream and not limit it to just those born into this great nation.
-Conor Shapiro is a political science junior.
-This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed – include your full name, major and year in school.
