I stared at the copyright date. First printing, April 2008. Copyright © 2008 by Jason L. Riley. The title, Let Them In, obviously shows that the book is pro-immigration. The subtitles, “The Case for Open Borders” and “Six Common Arguments against Immigration and Why They Are Wrong” made me immediately ask, what kind of argument is the author dealing with when SB 1070 hasn’t even been around? I began to wonder if there ever even was a strong hate against immigration like today two years ago.
As I started to search for my answers, I notice that there always was. Ironically, Americans—who in their roots all came from some other country unless they are Native Indians—never really welcomed immigrants. The argument against immigration is still the same. It’s just that the country is in recession and the easiest targets to blame at the hardest times are immigrants, or simply, someone different. It’s just that simple.
The book has six chapters, each dealing with some of the most common negative assumptions of immigrants of United States. General population is convinced by politics and media that the immigration population will bring disaster United States, that they are hurting the economy, taking away welfare programs, cannot assimilate with the rest of the population, and that they may all have criminal records or be terrorists.
The book mentions several things that gave me a deeper understanding of the way immigrant impact American population in a positive manner. It especially gave me a deeper understanding of the economic influence, the most common argument used for those opposing immigration.
Economically speaking, people should know that immigrants aren’t job stealers. Americans should realize that the job market in United States is not confined to a zero-sum game. One person coming in does not necessarily mean that he or she is taking a job of another. It means another person doing the same job, creating a bigger work force. Ultimately, immigrants help out economy as they become additional labor force and contribute for a flexible market. Also, the author points out the important fact that “by expanding the population—and thus demand for housing, cars, clothes, refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, and countless other consumer goods and services—these newcomers expand markets and help business revenues grow.” (pg. 107) Imagine that 12 million illegal immigrants suddenly disappear from United States. Would every single unemployed population of United States be able to fill in those 12 million jobs, most of them poorly paid with unsanitary conditions? And even so, American business will lose money as to what these additional 12 million people would buy as consumers. We might be in recession right now, but if we start kicking everyone out arguing that they are hurting the economy assumably, we will see tangible results economically. Let’s see how much the economy would improve when SB1070 goes into action in Arizona, besides from the fact that government spent $13 billion for border security in 2008 and has increased the funds in years after.
Another common argument is that immigration lowers American standard of living. However, with decreasing number of Americans who are looking to fill low skill jobs (due to a positive fact that more Americans are graduating from high schools and moving on to college), the labor shortage would likely become a big problem. “In much of Europe,” the author Jason L. Riley notes, “dry-cleaning is a luxury, and inflexible labor markets are the reason.” If most Americans have the skill to work on higher level of jobs, not many are going to go for the low skill jobs immigrants take without any complaints. Not many Americans have seen their kids cry of hunger and have nothing to give to eat. These desperate immigrants are earning less than what their labors deserve yet contribute to making the market much more flexible for American business.
There are other arguments that are used against immigrants that are necessary to address. I will get to them in other entries, but as I write this entry, I cannot help but notice how much people talk against immigration without their own research. Opinions of one become facts after multiple redundancy. May be becoming a knowledgeable citizen might be the best way to practice true democracy, another value this country stands for. A true American, in reflection of American values, would find truth on one's own. A true American would make decisions on one's own ethical and knowledgeable background, would look into policies and see what part one plays in, and look for the best solution for the country. In the end, doesn't America ultimately stand for the government of the people, by the people, and for the people?
No comments:
Post a Comment