Dear Mr. President Barack Obama:
Recently, Arizona has propelled itself to the forefront of the illegal immigration issue with a new law passed by Governor Jan Brewer that allows police officers to investigate the immigration status of people stopped for other unrelated issues. Racial profiling concerns were thrust forward as the main concern with the law. You probably noticed.
Unfortunately, this law has cost taxpayers thousands of dollars in a ridiculous legal battle and had been completely ineffective in prohibiting illegal immigration, which continues to be misunderstood. Regardless if the law is to go forward, it doesn’t get to the heart of the problem, which has been putting Americans against Americans for many years. Good try Jan – maybe next time.
Consider for just a moment the confusion with the term “illegal” immigration. Has the term really been appropriately defined to properly grasp what American’s are really concerned with? Not!
Do the majority of American’s believe that an illegal immigrant is someone who speaks fluently in English with an American accent, maintains their own company, employs other American’s, participates on the same fantasy football team and goes to the same Church, but, doesn’t have a work Visa?
Clearly, the current law does consider them illegal immigrants because they don’t have the proper documentation. But, again ,would 90% of American’s feel this way? In my experience they would not.
Also, whether the individual is blue, green or purple is of no consequence. Instead, language, culture and community involvement are much more relevant to the issue.
If a British, white, illegal immigrant approached an American family and (while filling out a DMV form with a pencil) asked for a rubber (a pencil eraser) in front of their teenage children, I highly doubt that any American would want the Brit to stay in the country.
On the other hand, if a Mexican, illegal immigrant were dressed in a Hugo Boss suit and tie, speaking fluently in English, with an American accent driving a BMW discussing allowable tax right-offs to any redneck American, would the redneck American even bring up the slightest concern of illegal immigration?
Unfortunately, the focus on illegal immigrants has completely avoided the real problem and has American’s spending useless millions either building walls or fighting legal battles over who’s blue, green or purple without solving the issues.
Main Issues
So, what are some of the main issues at the forefront of American’s concerns?
1. The potential for criminal activity that comes along with illegal immigration is more than likely the major concern of most Americans.
2. The additional burden on the taxpayers to care for illegal immigrants is also a real concern.
3. The inability to speak the English language and the overwhelming feeling of losing your own culture in your own country is also more than likely a major concern for Americans.
There are potentially other issues but these three issues appear to be the major issues that are brought up when speaking with most Americans. Oddly enough these concerns are brought up in Mexico when speaking of Guatemalans, in Germany when speaking of Slovaks, and more than likely in all more developed countries that border on less developed countries. And, in that discovery is where the true problem of illegal immigration lies – poverty!
The solution to the illegal immigration issues, in our opinion, lies partly in properly identifying different sections of the illegal immigrant population; and in working more closely with poverty stricken countries to resolve the issues of poverty.
For example, when an officer arrests an individual that doesn’t have papers and has committed a crime or has a prior criminal record, instead of identifying them an illegal immigrant, these individuals should be clearly labeled as criminals. There should be no further entry into the US for these criminals and they should be required to compensate the US for the manpower required to imprison them.
More importantly, for individuals that are arrested for not having proper documentation but whom are impoverished (very very poor), these individuals should be identified as refugees seeking asylum from an oppressive foreign government. This should be brought to the public’s attention in both the foreign government and the US.
This change in perception should help initiate foreign government involvement in the immigration issues of the poor.
More than likely, although the affects of illegal immigration are felt in the US, the issues are of Mexican origin. By changing the perception that American’s are the “bad guys” and identifying that the immigrants are really fleeing poverty from an oppressive country, all American’s can unite together behind helping fix the Mexican government issues – mainly extreme poverty.
The US should then begin more aggressively working with Mexico in Mexico- with Mexican law enforcement (through law enforcement exchanges in Mexico) and the Mexican government to solve the criminal activity and the extreme poverty. Law enforcement exchange programs and other further involvement with Mexico would considerably help.
But hey, that’s just our opinion.
California Bums, Inc. we look at life from a different angle!
