Immigration

The president addressed the nation last night regarding illegal immigration last night. This has quietly become “the” issue. In his speech, there seemed to be many mentionings of illegal immigration from “many countries”, and of course he mentioned the “terrorists” that are or would be able to come in, and blah blah blah…frankly, we all know we’re just talking about poor people coming over from Mexico. Please let’s just be candid about it.

On some philosophical level I’m against illegal immigration because it’s breaking the law, but that’s just the goody-goody in me talking. I really think the law needs to be changed, but I hesitate to sound off before I know more of the details which are probably important. Why aren’t these people being let it that they have to sneak across the border? How does current immigration compare to the gold Ellis Island days? Less? The same? No one wants criminals entering the country, but other than that, I am in favor of fully opening the borders to anyone who wants to enter.

I think at least some are adverse to Mexican immigration due to semi-racism (if you want to call it that) or fear of jobs being taken. They seriously need to get over the first, especially when none of them appear to be Native American to me. Regarding the second, everything I’ve learned in school tells me the economic gains to open borders (to trade and labor) are irrefutable.

From the recent protests I think we’re already seeing the dawn of a new Hispanic power bloc in the country. I think it’s great. My favor things about this country mainly come out of its migrant nation status. This particular affair with Hispanic immigration is so much like the Irish, Italian, or Asian countries’ immigration stories of the past. I’m not a historian, but it seems that the waves of Hispanics are even relatively larger than those of past immigrants. I think they are going to wield a significant portion of political power in the next century of this country, and I’m happy for them, given the discrimination they are currently facing. So, in fifty years, when they are frustrated with this crazy old man’s broken Spanish, I hope they remember I was on their side way back when.