Immigration

Viewpoints

Immigration reform on the sociological front
By Jenn Prather

Immigration has been a controversial topic since the baby boomers and our parents were young. If we could turn back time about thirty years, and compare our cultural ideals, the western view on immigration has mostly been negative. From the early eighties until now, not much has changed. There seems to be a “labeling theory’ applied to people who want to leave their homeland to better their life and sense of self.

In America, we have the freedom to make money and complain about our expensive mortgages and our overpriced car payments. We don’t bat an eyelash when we go to Walmart and buy the twenty dollar jeans or the two dollar flip flops that would cost fifteen dollars in a well known department store. We have the rights to move freely and have choices in our lives. We can choose religions and sit next to somebody else who may not have the same beliefs, as long as they are Americans. When an immigrant comes to America, there are high percentages of immigrants that are forced into the labor markets as they earn a low wage. Meanwhile, Americans blame the immigrants for taking their jobs. These are the jobs in which most would not work because of unsatisfactory wages.

George W. Bush and his administration believe by spending millions of dollars to keep Mexican immigrants away or out of their borders, it will diffuse the overall population that is getting in. Instead of spending millions of American tax dollars on something that might work, how about a compromise. Let’s give immigrants short visas to work as a legal worker and attach some stipulations to live here full time. Let the immigrants learn the language, get a license, pay taxes and earn just as the average American does.

Americans have been ignoring the problem way too long. It will not go away. There needs to be an intervention. America is known as the melting pot and we claim to stand proud by equality and fairness. If our tactics have not worked, and more and more people are becoming illegal immigrants in this country, then why are we still doing the same thing?

Let’s think of the long term effects on the psyche of an immigrant or their family that has to suffer without their loved one. In addition, illegal immigrants send a check home every week or every month, and may not see their family for years because income is the only survival. It almost seems unbeatable or as if we stopped caring because it cannot change. The biggest change starts with awareness. How do we make different cultures aware? If we increase awareness of immigration, we can increase the reformation it will take to change lives.

I believe it starts by getting the youth involved. The new generation of college grads and local government should get involved. Higher earners and people who pay taxes should get involved. If everyone paid taxes, and we had more people whom make an honest wage, they will need to spend that money they make. Immigrants would be able to buy houses and cars instead of renting overpopulated apartments.

My final thought on immigration is to change fair working policies by stopping companies and corporations illegally transporting immigrants over the border to work in sweatshops, or under the table jobs. There should be networks or assistance for family counseling and work related programs. America needs an intervention because what our policy makers are currently mandating, does not work.

mwalsh @ April 10, 2008