Hope is a universal language: the case for "illegal" immigrants in America

I have focused on feminist issues the past few weeks, largely because they have been dominating the media. Please remember that this site is dedicated to everyone's rights, not just those of women. Today I will discuss a group that is so vilified and scape-goated that most would quickly trade places with an American woman listening to the GOP debate which parts of her body she is intelligent/civilized/moral enough to control herself.

I am referring, of course, to "illegal" immigrants. Because the vitriol is not aimed at those rogue Canadians who have overstayed their travel visas by a few days, we are specifically talking about immigrants of Hispanic origin.

This is an issue on which 9/10 (or more) of you will completely disagree with me. I recognize that my view is considered radical, and I therefore understand that there may be some backlash to what I write. I feel it is absolutely critical, however, that someone (even just a small-time blogger like me) stands up for a group that most people write off as criminal and sub-human without even pausing to consider its circumstances.

Let me begin by saying that I do not really believe in "illegal" immigration and neither have our greatest leaders. The poem in the base of our Statue of Liberty proudly declares, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" This sentiment is the foundation of what it means to be an American. Our country was built upon the notion that all people (not just citizens) are entitled to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," as proclaimed by the Declaration of Independence. Further, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (the US was an author) clearly outlines the rights of people to live where they choose, including:

Article 13. (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14. (1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. 

Article 15. (1) Everyone has the right to a nationality. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Clearly it was not the intention of this great country to purposefully deny immigration rights to a specific group of people, yet that is what has happened. We can debate the basis for this discrimination all day--race, language, culture, educational attainment, etc. I argue, however, that the reason we focus our hatred on Hispanics is the same exact reason that we previously assigned it to the Irish, Italians, Polish, Chinese, Africans, and every other despised group in this country: money, or lack thereof.  Because while our political system may be democratic, our economic system (capitalism) is what really runs this country.

If you live in another country and you have wealth, power, or advanced education, you can come to the US. You can come here quite easily, without having to wait in line or jump through endless bureaucratic hoops. But what if you are one of those forgotten souls mentioned on our Statue of Liberty? What if you are one of the poor, the tired, the homeless, the oppressed? Unlike the rich and well-connected, you are told to take a ticket and find your place at the back of the line. We hope you brought your life savings for the visa charge and something to do because the wait could last a few decades.

Consider the lives of farm workers in this country. These are the people who harvest your produce. 85% are immigrants, most of whom are undocumented. Why? They work in brutal, slave-like conditions for 16+ hours per day, 6-7 days per week. They frequently make less than half minimum wage and they have no legal protections, no health care, and no job security. Yet this dehumanizing, destitute life is preferable to what they faced in their home countries. Take one second to truly process these circumstances: picking strawberries for a few dollars a day in the summer heat, without days off or medical care, is an upgrade for these people. They come from countries with rampant poverty and violence and no hope of upward mobility. So they do what anyone would do, and move to a place with education, the rule of law, and the opportunity to work to provide for their families.

This is the story of millions of people. They mow your lawn, pick your food, and clean your dishes at the local diner. They want what you want, what everyone wants--the opportunity to make their families' lives better. You gladly pay them to do your yard work twice as well as the teenager down the street and you complain when the price of strawberries rises above $4/pound. You then turn on the TV and nod along in agreement as Sean Hannity interviews Newt Gingrich on the damage done to our society by the "illegal" aliens. You vote Republican and decry the Dream Act. You call the local police when too many Spanish-speaking men are hanging around the Home Depot (after, of course, you pay a few of them $2/hour to come and paint your new deck). You treat this new group of immigrants the same way your Irish grandmother was treated nearly a century ago.

This is the most disgusting, un-American behavior I have seen in my 24 years on this earth.

What crime are these people committing by escaping hell in search of a better life? They are not asking for government handouts or a free ride. What would you do? Would you stay in a place where the lives of you and your children were threatened every day? No, you would not. If you claim otherwise, you are lying to yourself. And if you feel other people should bear such suffering rather than cross an invisible, man-made line in the ground without permission, you do not deserve the rights and privileges of this country that was created so that forgotten people like these would have a place to which they could escape. Remember what our Declaration of Independence says, what we wrote in the UDHR, what is inscribed in the Statue of Liberty. This country was founded on the principle of freedom, opportunity, and equality for all people.

Why do you and I deserve to live here, but not others? I did not earn my citizenship through a merit-based system, I simply won the genetic lottery. Who am I to face another human being and deny them the same protections and opportunities that I demand for myself?

That is the emotional, moral, humanitarian appeal. Here is the logical, fact-based argument for immigration. They not only have little to no impact on American wages and unemployment rates, they actually have a "net positive" effect on the US economy--increasing the average American's wealth by about 1% according to a Harvard economist. Numerous reports show that "certain businesses would not exist" without the immigrant labor force, and companies are "generating jobs that would not otherwise be there." Contrary to what most politicians and news pundits would have you believe, "most economists say that economic growth would be a half a percentage point to 2 points lower without immigrant workers."

When immigrants come here, they utilize the same goods and services as everyone else. They buy food, pay rent, and purchase clothing, all of which contribute to the growth of the economy. They are also net contributors to the government--when many undocumented workers share the same social security number, they all pay into the system yet reap no benefits for fear of getting caught. A White House report under President W. Bush found that the children of illegal immigrants "pay more in taxes than they consume in benefits."  It seems that every analysis comes to the same conclusion: immigrants are good for the economy.

Even so, we have spent $90 billion in the last decade to secure the US-Mexico border. Please note this figure only covers border security, not the cost of rooting out or deporting illegal immigrants. If we do not want these people to come here, we need to provide them with a viable alternative, preferably in their home countries. What if instead of shelling out money for failed border security, we invested that money in Mexico and Central America? What if we agreed to change our drug policies and offered financial support to the Mexican government to help them abolish the drug cartels? How many fewer people would cross the border if we helped build schools, roads, and hospitals in the countries from which immigrants come? What if we gave these people opportunities to succeed in their own countries, so they wouldn't have to become slaves in ours?

Ridiculous, most people would say. We are in a recession and can't afford to invest in Mexico instead of America. My response is that we have a choice. We can either provide a sustainable future for people where they already live, or we can allow them to come here to seek what they are currently denied. It is the human imperative to alleviate our suffering and attempt to better the lives of our families. People will continue to flow wherever such an opportunity exists, so we can create it in Central America and Mexico, or they will come here. This is an unavoidable truth, one that persists no matter how much money we dump into border patrols and fences.

Why then, is this never discussed by candidates in their stump speeches? Why doesn't Fox News report on this boon to the US economy? Why do we blindly push the failed policy of increased border security rather than solve the problem that pushes people into the US illegally? Because we need a boogey man. This country is in the midst of financial meltdown, social unrest, and record dissatisfaction with those who govern us. Like every civilization before us, we have found it easier to blame the dark-skinned stranger with a funny accent for all our problems than to look in the mirror and take responsibility for our failings. Hispanics who come here illegally are poor, disenfranchised people who cannot defend themselves from becoming our social, political, and economic prey. It is time we have an honest discussion about immigration in this country, based on facts and principles rather than jingoistic vitriol and beliefs divorced from reality. If you disagree, please don't just talk the talk, but walk the walk: stop buying commercial produce, eating at restaurants, and hiring a landscaping company. Don't build an addition onto your house or fix your car. In fact, drop off the grid entirely and see how well you get along by yourself, immigrant-free. I will see you in a few days, and will make sure to greet you appropriately. ¡Hola, amigo!