Today, Scott confronts his own feelings on the immigration debate and is snagged by his personal demons. I think most of those demons are fed by the rhetoric of the immigration debate propogated by the fear-mongers of the right. Part of what Scott says:
As a gay man, one of my core values is to respect diversity... That is precisely why I hate the debate over immigration so much. I am afraid it might be turning me into a bigot.
Let me start by pointing out the elephant in the room here. When politicians and other public figures rant about illegal immigration, they by and large mean Hispanics from Mexico and other Latin American countries... I have no doubt when people like Jerry Falwell and Rush Limbaugh preach against illegal immigration, it is directly related to protecting their "white" America. They use the issue of immigration to mask the racism they harbor...
The repercussions of out-of-control illegal immigration are felt very strongly here in Arizona. Because they lack the proper documents to get higher paying jobs, many border-crossers are forced to be day laborers which keeps them at or below the poverty level. Pass by my local Home Depot any given morning and you’re likely to see fifty or more Hispanic men looking for day work. Because of their illegal status, these families can’t enroll their children in schools easily (although some have succeeded) so many Hispanic children are unable to get a proper education. I would guess that life is hard, very hard, for these people.
I would tend to sympathize more with their plight, but then I see demonstrations on my local news where hundreds are protesting new border laws saying they have a right to be in this county. I always think to myself, "What right? Did you not cross the border illegally? How does that give you any rights in our country?" It shames me to think that way, but logically it’s true.
Three recent stories in the news have further caused me to struggle with my stance on this issue. The first was from last summer when some local high school students were being threatened with deportation because it was discovered that both they and their parents were illegal aliens. The family had been in the country for many years however and the students had been attending U.S. schools just as long. People were fighting to allow the kids to remain in the country to finish high school. I found my view on the situation to be not about the kids themselves, but rather how the parents had probably paid no U.S. or Arizona taxes which fund our schools. Why should their kids get a free ride, I thought. I don’t have any kids, yet I have to pay taxes that support schools. Was this bigoted thinking on my part, or just my sense of fairness in play?
The second story has made national headlines. A pizza chain with stores here in Arizona, Pizza Patrón, has begun accepting pesos as payment... Buckaroo asked me what my opinion on it was... He was surprised when I told him I was completely against it. I defended my stance with three arguments: 1) It might hurt the already weak dollar (which I have no idea if that’s actually true); 2) it might put a hardship on small businesses who can’t deal in two currencies; and 3) the primary benefactors of this would be illegal immigrants...
The third story is in this morning’s Arizona Republic. The largest credit union in Arizona has announced that it is going to start targeting marketing towards undocumented immigrants... Furthermore a spokesperson for the credit union said that in regards to these potential new customers being illegal immigrants, "We’re not going to be required to notify an agency if we find out they’re undocumented. We’re not required by law to do that." My take on what the credit union is doing is they’re not above skirting the law if it can make them a buck. I was upset that they would do this because it will only assist people staying here in the country illegally.
So I find myself wondering, do my harsh views on illegal immigrants hide some sort of inner prejudice against Hispanics, or am I merely concerned about upholding the immigration laws? Do illegals really place a strain on our city and state resources, or is it just a convenient excuse to justify racism towards these people? I honestly don’t know the answer.
I do know that I want to have an open mind and tolerance for all people. Illegal immigration sometimes makes that difficult for me. Forgive me, but I really am trying my best not to become a bigot.
A few points.
Undocumented immigrants DO pay taxes. They pay sales tax -- the most regressive tax in our complicated tax system. They pay property tax -- landlords build property taxes into rents, they don't just "eat" that expense. And many pay payroll taxes because they work on fraudulent documents. (Plus, it is well known that if you are gonna break the law, still pay your taxes. The IRS is much better at enforcement than ICE. It's the IRS that brings down the mob!) Because they are here illegally, even though they pay payroll taxes, including Social Security, disability, etc., they will likely never collect on these benefits. They are also not likely to file return to collect overpaid taxes. Undocumented immigrants do pay taxes.
Also, many countries have economies that run on multiple currencies. My family vacations in Aruba often. There, stores, gas stations and restaurants will accept US dollars, the island's Florin, the Venezualen bolivar, and the Euro. The economy has not collapsed and the workers probably have better math skills than most Americans. I bought a soda and candy bar that is priced in Florin but I pay in US dollars. I get my change back in US paper money and
Florin coinage. They do the exchanges all in their heads. The world keeps spinning.
As to the Credit Union, if you don't want immigrants to be a drain on society, than you need to help them access our banking system. Most immigrants from Central and South America have little confiendence in banking systems. In their home countries, they may have experienced a bank that just closed up shop, taking all their money. Our system is far superior and the services provided will help lift people out of poverty. The predatory check cashing / money wiring businesses prey on ignorance and walk away with massive fees. Credit Unions -- which are non-profits -- will help people manage their money better and be a lesser drain on the rest of us.
Finally, a commenter says: "It would seem the real problem is why can’t thier own countries create opporturnities for them at home. Most of us don’t mind immigrants who want to come here in a legal way as our own forefathers did." Their own countries don't have good opportunities because AMERICAN companies, all full of red white and blue patriotism, close their American factories where much of the middle class rose out of and export the jobs south at miserable slave wages and exploit weak political systems and oligarchies created to make a few VERY rich.
Yes, we should control the flow of people over our border. It's a human rights issue. Undocumented immigrants are more likely to live in poverty in the US and have their labor exploited to drive down wages. But for those here, who want to work, there is enough wealth, enough need, and enough resources for them to contribute to the economy.
What there is not enough of is political will to address the issue compassionately and honestly. The Federal goverment should protect the border and dedicate resources to border states to help those living in this country to get out of and stay out of poverty. Poverty only costs us more. Those living in poverty suffer worse health. The children preform worse in school. They are less likely to raise themselves up. And unless we all become Social Darwinists and are willing to watch people die in the street, then we should do something -- something besides blaming an immigrant class. Rather, we should focus on real solutions.
Special Bonus Non-Immigration Point: Scott says, "I don’t have any kids, yet I have to pay taxes that support schools." You pay to support schools because you reap major benefits from an educated class in the community in which you live. If you are a manager or business owner, it's in your best interest to have an educated applicant pool. That will improve your business. In your day to day business, you'd much rather deal with educated people who can read and write. You know how frustrating it is when you go to McDonald's and they can't seem to get a simple order right? Imagine if your mechanic, bank teller, housing contractor, computer salesman, or copier repairman were all as "dumb." A public education system is considered by most to seperate apart the first and third world economies. Many experts will agree that it was our public education system that helped catapult the United States to a superpower.
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