The Immigration Issue

Although the issue of immigration reform has, of necessity, taken a back seat to the collapsing economy, it is a problem very much in need of fixing. Twelve million undocumented immigrants live in the United States today (source: Pew Hispanic Foundation). In most case they have come here to reunte with family members already here or to find work which will provide support for their families back home. The existing system forces them to live in the shadows as they work in jobs that would go unfilled.



Unfortunately, this situation has divided the country along conservative/liberal lines. The ultra Conservatives, apparently fearing the "brown people" will take over, want to send the 12 million immigrants back to where they came from, and to build a Berlin-type wall to prevent any more from entering the US. The ultra liberals apparently want to welcome and grant US citizenship to every person able to cross our southern border. Neither of these positions is going to solve the problem.



Recently I came across the the reccommendations of the US Catholic bishops in reference to comprehensive immigration reform. It includes:

A. Legalize permanent residency of the undocumented of all nationalities.

B. Develope a system to allow family members to reunite with loved ones in the United States.

C. Provide legal pathways for migrants to come and work in a safe, humane, and orderly manner.

D. Abandon the border "blockade" enforcement strategy.

E. Restore due process protections for the immigrants.



The document also addresses some of the distortions about who undocumented immigrants are and what they want. The oft-repeated propoganda is that undocu'mented workers don't pay taxes. As a matter of fact, they pay billions of dollars in sales, income, and property taxes yearly--directly if they own and indirectly if they rent. According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), undocumented workers pay as much as $7 billion in Social Security and Medicare taxes each year and have contributed as much as a half-trillion dollars since 1984.

Some say immigrants don't want to learn English. The fact is 91% of second-generation immigrants are fluent or near fluent English speakers. 3rd generation is 97% fluent. These rates are similar to those of Italian and German immigrants.

Many say we must close our borders to prevent another 9/11. Seventeen of the 19 terrorists were here legally. If we create an organized system for workers to enter legally. we will at least know who is coming in, resulting in a much safer nation.

Perhaps the ideas of the US Catholic bishops can provide a basis for real immigration reform.