Immigration Shaping Up As Wedge Issue

04/23/2007

Paul Munnis


The emerging 2008 Campaign wedge issue appears to be “Immigration.”

There are several aspects to the issue. The hottest aspect is "illegal immigration." Other aspects of immigration deal with the U.S. demographics for our domestic workforce plus a need to continue to attract the best and the brightest from other nations while encouraging them to immigrate to America and to become U.S. citizens.

The illegal immigrant issue has both opponents and proponents of letting them stay on here in America. There are some trying to find a middle way - letting illegals stay in America if conditions are met such as long-term employment, tax payment, studies for naturalization, and other such conditions.

President Bush has weighed-in on plugging the illegal immigration leak with improved policing of borders including erecting a fence. He wants to institute a guest worker program as well mainly to meet the needs of agricultural companies wanting to hire temporary help for harvesting and planting of crops.

The Bush plan has not been strong on specifics though. For example would this be a program run by the day, week, month, year, or controlled by some sort of contract? Then questions of enforcement for program violations arise. There is also the problem of the round-up for those who bolt from the program. Contract law enforcement then becomes a cross-border issue.

Another concern is with employers who violate the laws and the concern extends even to current law. For example, should they be prosecuted when they hire illegal alien workers? If so, are the penalties stiff enough?

Politicians of both Parties note that when one votes in Congress for support of illegal alien workers then they lose votes in downstream elections. This makes immigration a hot-potato issue.

When one looks at retiring Baby Boomers and the U.S. workforce there is a desire to salvage a certain mass of jobs for our own work-at-home seniors to perform using computers and the Internet. But when we look at farm labor, agricultural, and packing plant work there are few seniors up to the rigors of sustained work in those jobs. That means some sort of younger workforce will be needed. Here in the Midwest with a new emphasis on ethanol there will be a need for farm labor as the crops are planted and harvested.

As we rebuild our military we are going to want to attract new recruits to serve in the American Armed Forces. That means recruiting foreign mercenaries. Some want to use U.S. citizenship as a recruting tool.

America is a nation in need of constantly attracting good brains to our shores. We need people who can help us run computers, perform bio-science, manage our food chain, provide medical services and oversee technical operations all across our land. These are high-tech people and we use our University system, foreign exchange programs, and other mechanisms to bring these folks to the American Experience. We need to actively recruit the best and brightest from other nations and we have done this historically by offering them opportunity not found in their own land. Thus we are giving the come-on to some immigrants even as we push others back over our borders.

The immigration matter at this point is not a partisan issue but there are forces seeking to make it partisan, hence it has a good chance of becoming a Party wedge issue for 2008.

All agree that we do not want criminals, deviants, rapists, sex-offenders, pedophiles, and mentally-ill people immigrating into America.

At a time when we need to come together as a nation over immigration policies we need it to become a wedge-issue like we need a hole in the head.

A settlement over the War in Iraq is also likely to produce a large influx of Iraqi’s seeking political asylum.

Those of us lucky enough to be born in America take our citizenship for granted while those born outside of the U.S. spend much time plotting a way to enter America as immigrants and in seeking U.S. citizenship.