While many UCLA students were relaxing over spring break,
hundreds of thousands of protesters hit the streets in cities
across the country such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, Chicago
and New York.
Their target: the infamous immigration bill passed by the House
of Representatives. The protests are understandable, as the bill
includes a provision that makes illegal immigrants and anyone who
helps them ““ including employers ““ felons. The bill has
also been criticized for its plan to cover the 2,000-mile
U.S.-Mexico border with a fence only 700 miles long.
This isn’t the first time Congress has tried to find a
quick fix for immigration. In 1986, at a time when many believed
illegal immigration threatened national security and taxed public
services and benefits (sound familiar?), Congress passed a bill
that granted those already here amnesty while promising to toughen
border security. The bill also required employers to get documents
from their workers.
According to a Pew Hispanic Center figure cited by The
Associated Press, the number of illegal immigrants has grown by at
least 7 million since then. The failure, experts said, was that
enforcement of security measures was too lax.
While the current House bill’s enforcement-only method
seems drastically different from the 1986 bill, it repeats a core
mistake: It promises unrealistic security measures that are hard to
implement.
In response to the House bill, the Senate Judiciary Committee
has come up with its own plan. It has its own tough enforcement
provisions ““ including fortified fences and the use of
satellites. But the Senate bill also leaves wiggle room for those
who arrived illegally. Under the Senate’s plan, the
agricultural industry can more easily (and legally) employ these
immigrants seasonally. It also lets undocumented students stay in
school and unites families.
One of the more controversial aspects of this plan is that it
allows these undocumented individuals to eventually gain legal
status in the United States. Provided that the individual kept tax
payments current, passed a criminal background check, proved
continuous employment, learned English, and paid a $2,000 fine,
that undocumented worker could apply for legal status after 11
years.
Currently, there are about 11 million undocumented workers in
the country. They make up 5 percent of our workforce. Their
children grow up knowing only life in the United States. Nothing
about this issue is black and white. For every cost that
undocumented workers create in the country, they also afford us
benefits.
For example, the documents illegal immigrants use to gain
employment have a valid Social Security number, so they are
subjected to the same taxation and contribution to Social Security
as any legal workers ““ a contribution of which they will
never see the benefits. According to The New York Times, last year
alone these immigrants were responsible for 10 percent of the
Social Security surplus.
Congress ““ and the American people in general ““ must
tread carefully through this issue and not get caught up in the
firestorm of political rhetoric. Because the wrong fix can end up
costing the country.
It is obvious the House bill is one of these temporary
solutions. Is the Senate bill any better? A little. But it’s
going to hinge on the federal government actually implementing its
provisions. And, considering this is an election year, you’ll
pardon us for our skepticism that this is being treated as the
issue of the week, rather than the vital matter it actually is.