Knowledge. Voice. Action.

Are illegal immigrants the problem?

The illegal immigrant is not a border problem but a business one.  And while it is fair to say the question of illegal immigration brings up all our trauma around race and xenophobia, it is also fair to say it brings out our capitalist as well.  Thus, the “problem” of illegal immigration is not merely a race one, but a business one.  Of course, it is simple to look at a basic jobs argument–that illegal immigrants are taking all the jobs from America. Of course, even when they aren’t actually on our soil, foreigners are “stealing” them through outsourcing. While it may seem racist to blame illegal immigrants for the lack of job availability in America, the very presence of any kind of worker, illegal or not who is willing to do work that is beneath most general employer standards, stifles creativity, growth, and change. Of course, it may be profitable, but only in the short-run. The presence of the illegal immigrant should be expected, when businesses aren’t regulated, when employment standards aren’t uniform, and when employers aren’t held accountable.

Thus while the United Farm Workers of America may prove a point when few individuals apply to the take the low-paying, back-breaking jobs offered by immigrant farmers, they like everyone else, continue to miss the point. The “problem” of the illegal immigrant is actually more about the continued availability of certain types of work in a nation as advanced as America. The “problem” of illegal immigrants is very deeply connected to the lack of regulation and the lack of accountability on the part of businesses, both here and abroad. Take for instance the BP oil spill which happened on our soil. We are outraged by the response and even more outraged that a business could have such sophisticated technology to reach an oil source, but little in the way of cleaning up in the event there was an actual spill. But it was only possible because there was no regulation and a very small punishment ($75 million fine) in the case of error. There was little motivation to actually work towards greater solutions, whether it be clean-up or learning to use a different fuel source. Innovation employs.

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