On immigration

“White Americans, what, nothing better to do? Why don’t you kick yourself out? You’re an immigrant too. Who’s using who? What should we do? Well you can’t be a pimp and a prostitute, too.”

The White Stripes, “Icky Thump”¹

With the presidential election on the horizon, the culture’s attention is turned to the hottest political issues. Among these is immigration, and it seems like every politician on either side of the aisle has some highfalutin ideologies regarding these illegals. They appeal to everything from Americans’ economic worries to their religious viewpoints in an awkward waltz to attain new party members. But immigration is a real social issue, and there are legitimate arguments both for and against amnesty for the migrants. However you look at the issue, whether from a religious moral standpoint or a purely socioeconomic one, it makes sense to first grant amnesty to illegals already living behind our border and, second, to reform the system to make legal immigration easier.

Before reading Enrique’s Journey, I thought I had a pretty good idea of the experiences these illegal immigrants encountered: a tough crossing over the Rio Grande,² outrunning border patrol agents and struggling to find work in their new country. Enrique gave me a much better understanding of the dangers these migrants face on a daily basis during their exodus. Whether it’s corrupt Mexican police robbing them, groups of locals beating them senseless,² or gang members sexually assaulting them, the Central American migrants walk a far more arduous road than I’d originally assumed. This better understanding of their bravery and determination only reinforced my belief that they should be greeted with welcoming arms at the end of their journey.

While I may not be particularly religious, I can still argue in favor of amnesty for immigrants on purely secular ethical grounds. The Catholic, and more broadly, Christian, ideals of the equality of souls and service for those least fortunate among us both apply to the immigration issue. Kevin Appleby, spokesperson for the United States Catholic Bishops, says, “We should understand, however, that above all, immigration is a humanitarian, and, ultimately, a moral issue. Each day, the human consequences of an inadequate immigration system are apparent.”³ That’s exactly why I find it ironic that, while according to Church doctrine Catholics should steadfastly support amnesty for immigrants, many among the faithful choose the policies and platform of the Republican Party over the dogmas of their religious convictions. But I digress.

Economically, immigrants make up a large demographic of underpaid and overworked laborers. Struggling to make ends meet in an unfamiliar new country while simultaneously supporting a family back home, these immigrants toil for hours on end to produce American goods in American factories or harvest American foodstuffs from American fields. They represent the invisible underpinning of our society, the hidden thread that holds our culture together. Without them working tirelessly in the lowliest of positions, the American economy would doubtless collapse. “As our nation benefits from the hard work of these undocumented workers, we fail to extend them basic workplace and legal protections.”³ Our dependence on immigrants and the circumstances under which they provide are tragic and unwanted necessities of the modern American lifestyle.

So what could possibly be done to reform this tragic system? “Work visas for low-skilled workers are absurdly small compared to demand—5,000 permanent and 66,000 temporary ones per year.”³ The point isn’t to deter Central Americans from crossing, because people have always found a way to overcome barriers, both physical and psychological, to get what they direly need. “At the Berlin Wall, [where] guards fired live ammunition […] an estimated 5,000 people [still] managed to cross.”⁴ Immigrants would find a way over a one-hundred-foot wall if they need to, all because of the promise of opportunity on the other side. So if they’re coming anyway, why not make it easier to become documented?

One of the most emotionally charged arguments I’ve heard against medical care for illegal immigrants came from a fellow student in a theology class. He said, “If someone breaks into your house and sleeps in your bed, you don’t make him breakfast in the morning.” He was right; I wouldn’t make him breakfast. But what if the intruder were to help make the base daily operations of my household possible, like my heating and plumbing and electricity? Immigrants do just that, and that’s why I’d make them breakfast.