On Tuesday, the Senate will begin two weeks of debate on immigration reform proposals (here, here and here) that would crack down on illegal immigrants and employers who hire them. Critics, including the 500,000 who marched in Los Angeles (and here), denounce the proposals as “inhumane.”
BTW, the “Am I Not a Human Being? signs allude to an iconic image of the abolitionist movement, “Am I Not a Man and a Brother?,” and the “I Am a Man” signs carried during the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike.
Though they work for slave wages, illegal immigrants' humanity is not at issue. Instead, the issue is whether they entered the U.S. with the proper documentation. Period. It drives me loco to hear illegal immigrants say they haven’t done anything wrong; they just want to work. They’re here illegally. Again, what part of illegal immigrant don’t they understand (and here)?
While low-skilled undocumented workers, arguably, are “contributing to the economic vitality of our country,” the high cost of their cheap labor is being paid by American taxpayers. Once they sneak across the border, American citizens pay for the delivery and education of anchor babies, hospital emergency rooms visits, and other government services.
So, I support building a 700-mile security fence along the southern border. As I’ve written before, good fences make good neighbors.
