Good Fences Make Good Neighbors
It is estimated that each day 10,000 illegal immigrants illegally cross the border between the United States and Mexico. In October, 2004 CNN estimated that approximately �7 � 20 million� people were currently �living in this country illegally�.
The Border Patrol, assigned to guard against these illegal entries into the U.S. has approximately 10,000 sworn officers nationwide; almost four times fewer than the number of police officers in New York City alone. Approximately half of these Border Patrol agents are spread along the United States southern border stretching some 1,945 miles from San Diego, California to Brownsville, Texas.
Along this border there are only 16 official Ports of Entry, the only legal crossing points into the U.S. from Mexico. And of the 1,945 miles of the southern border only about 50 miles are actually guarded by the United States Border Patrol. Those 50 miles consist of small areas surrounding the various 16 Ports of Entry. There is also an additional 15 miles of barricade from the Pacific Ocean Eastward. That leaves 1,880 miles of the border with Mexico completely unprotected.
Why should we be worried? The United States is the �melting pot� isn�t it? Yes, we are the �melting pot�, that�s what made our country great. We have made it very easy for immigrants around the world to migrate here. In fact, we encourage it. All an immigrant has to do to come to this country and be a citizen is fallow the simple guidelines set out by our laws and constitution.
These requirements were established by Congress and spelled out in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). They include:
� a period of continuous legal residence and physical presence in the United States;
� residence in a particular USCIS District prior to filing;
� an ability to read, write, and speak English;
� a knowledge and understanding of U.S. history and government;
� good moral character;
� attachment to the principles of the U.S. Constitution; and,
� a favorable disposition toward the United States.
If we are so eager to have immigrants come to the U.S. and be citizens, then again, why should we be worried about illegal immigration? First, illegal immigrants are gaining a larger share of the job market, and hold approximately 12 to 15 million jobs in the United States, 8% of the totaled employed according to a January 3, 2005 study conducted by Bear Stearns Asset Management Inc.
Yeah, but they�re doing jobs no American wants to do, like pick oranges and wash dishes? Contrary to that popular belief, they are not doing jobs Americans do not want to do. They are doing jobs that Americans do not want to do at that low of a wage. Everyone learned about supply and demand in grade school. How if you have something for sale and no one wants it you have to lower your price or if the opposite is true and everyone wants what you have for sale and you don�t have enough to meet the demand your price goes up. Because of the laws of supply and demand, we pay more everyday for gasoline, cars, food, entertainment, etc. Yet, when our corporations come to a labor supply and demand problem, instead of raising wages so that American workers will fill their demand, they choose to go outside the U.S. and find immigrant workers who are willing to fill their needs. Let me ask you this, if you need a prescription drug, can you go outside the U.S. and buy something cheaper? Nope, you can�t.
All employers are required to verify that each employee hired after 1988 is eligible to work in the United States, i.e. here legally. There are fines ranging from $250 to $10,000 for each unauthorized alien and a maximum 6-month prison sentence if violator demonstrates a persistent pattern of hiring illegal immigrants. Yet, despite these penalties, corporate violators are rarely punished. The INS claims a lack of resources, local law enforcement claims it is the responsibility of the INS and a cycle of non-enforcement is perpetuated.
Section 237 (a)(1)(B) of the Immigration and Naturalization Service Act states, �Any alien who is present in the United States in violation of this Act or any other law of the United States, or whose nonimmigrant visa (or other documentation authorizing admission into the United States as a nonimmigrant) has been revoked under section 221(i), is deportable.� So why then, does local law enforcement, not deem it their responsibility to arrest and prosecute these criminals? Again, corporate greed and the agricultural lobby keep our Governmental representatives collective pockets lined with incentives not too.
The Minuteman Project is designed to change that and to urge Americans around the country to take action. The project's organizers claim 416 people from 41 states have volunteered to deploy in the Arizona desert during April to �help� the Border Patrol apprehend illegal immigrants.
These Minutemen have been called �vigilantes� by members of our government and by pro illegal immigration supporters. "We have a no-contact policy. We are acting only as eyes and ears," said Chris Simcox, an organizer of the Minuteman Project. "We work within the law. We spot and find illegal immigrants and report them to the Border Patrol." Sound like some other groups you know of? Sure does to me too, so I guess these pro illegal immigration supporters also believe the National Council for the Prevention of Crime and their spokesman the McGruff Crime Dog are vigilantes. What about the countless neighborhood watch groups across the country are they vigilantes too?
The Minuteman Project is currently based in Arizona where their help is needed the most. Arizona is by far the busiest route on the underground highway of illegal immigration that runs from Mexico into the United States. With about 580,000 arrests last year, Arizona apprehended more illegal immigrants than California, Texas and New Mexico combined. Yet, for every illegal immigrant caught crossing the border, it is believed 3-10 get through.
Why do they come? Quite simply, money. Neither I nor anyone else can fault illegal immigrants from coming to this country. We send them mixed singles. There are at least 48 water stations at various locations along the border that help to ensure the crossing into the U.S. is not a deadly one. These water stations are placed by organizations like Humane Borders, organized and led by the Rev. Robin Hoover. In addition, we provide them with free healthcare and other welfare benefits. Companies like Bank of America pander to illegal immigrants by providing bank accounts, loans that American tax payers are ultimately responsible for when the illegal immigrant defaults on their repayment, and providing multi-lingual services in direct opposition to the stated U.S. naturalization process.
It is estimated that money earned in the U.S. by illegal immigrants and sent back to their families in Mexico is a $15 billion dollar per year industry, which is why companies like Bank of America pander to illegal immigrants. For every dollar sent by an illegal immigrant back to Mexico, Bank of America makes nearly 25 cents in transaction fees. So illegal immigration is big business for the banking industry and they don�t want to see it go away.
It�s also big business for the agricultural industry on the west and east costs, primarily the citrus growers. The biggest employers of illegal immigrants they claim they need them to be able to afford to sell their produce at cheap enough costs to compete. Yet, when I go to the grocery store I can buy produce imported from Australia, who doesn�t have a giant population of illegal immigrants to exploit at or below what I can U.S. based produce. That just doesn�t make sense. I can buy fruit with higher labor costs, additional import costs, and a longer time to market for the same price I can buy fruit in my home state or a few states away. Again, corporate greed rears its ugly head. The produce farms in the U.S. are by-in-large corporate owned, yielding their share holders huge profits, while harming the U.S. job market, the family owned farms, and the foreign labor they enjoy exploiting.
Have fun,
j
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