It's been a little more than a month now that Arizona Governor, Jan Brewer, introduced sb1070, the state law that would give local authorities the power to prosecute and deport offenders that are determined to be illegal immigrants, and the debate over its Constitutionality has only gotten more heated. Everyone in the country seems to have an opinion about Arizona's decision to even propose such a law, and proponents and opponents alike are hardening their stance on the issue, making the likelihood of the two sides coming together for a logical, practical discussion on the matter dwindle with each passing day.
In my humble opinion, however, I don't think either side has a viable solution to the problem that is illegal immigration. And as long as the focus remains on the rights afforded to each individual and not to the problem as a whole, we'll be no closer to a solution five years from now than we were five years ago. The main talking points have all been debated ad nauseum, so I won't bother to rehash tired issues. Instead, I'd like to look back at how immigration issues were resolved in the past. And they were resolved; how often do you hear people complaining about Irish immigrants these days? Or the Chinese?
Common sense and a little historical perspective indicate to me that the solution is twofold: Make it easier for immigrants to come into this country through legal channels and harder for them to come through illegal channels, and help to stabilize the economy and government of the countries from which they emigrate. In almost every case of "problem immigrants", once their home countries were no longer in financial or political turmoil, the mass exodus slowed. I'm not well versed in international affairs, so aside from educating the young (which will theoretically cause a paradigm shift in values over the course of a generation), I'm not sure how to help countries like Mexico help itself. With all the corruption within their government and law-enforcement agencies, and the raging violence spurred by the drug cartels, the situation seems hopeless.
On this side of the border, though, I think we would be better served to go after the businesses and organizations the openly cater to the undocumented residents in our communities. Everyone is looking to the government to change this law or that regulation, but our elected officials are squabbling over every word uttered by the enemy party at the moment, meaning, that they're not making any progress on anything. So what if states did take matters into their own hands? What if, instead of targeting individuals, police officers conducted stings at the car dealerships who sell cars to people who don't have driver's licenses? Or to the Photo I.D. storefronts that openly advertise that they'll make whatever kind of documentation you want, for a fee? Or the employers who don't check Social Security Numbers against the national database? Or who blatantly leave workers off their taxable payroll altogether? Or the landlords who rent three-bedroom apartments to a "family" of 15, despite zoning laws and housing ordinances? You get my drift.
It's not hard to spot the businesses in this city that cater to undocumented residents. A short drive down Western Avenue takes me past half a dozen car dealerships who boldly state: "No licensia? No problema!" Now, Spanish is not a secret language, and even people who don't speak any Espanol should have a pretty good idea of what that means. If a law-abiding citizen like myself were to try and buy a car without a licensia (or seguros-- that's insurance), I can pretty much guarantee you that it would be a big problema!
I'm not trying to take sides, here. In fact, I think both sides make some valid points. All I'm saying is, we already have laws in place on the issues I cited above. If we spent more time enforcing those laws, maybe we'd have less need for new and controversial ones. Enforcement of existing laws would make it infinitely more difficult for someone who is in the country illegally to get a job, rent an apartment, buy a car, and (most of all!) apply for government aid. And without a source of income, mode of transportation, or a place to live, life in the U.S. suddenly doesn't look so appealing.
But until we stop hiring undocumented workers to do the jobs no one else wants to do, start checking the paperwork of each and every person in the welfare line, and cracking down on under-the-table transactions at car dealerships and the like, we-- as a nation-- will continue to support the cause of the illegal immigrant, now matter how inadvertently we may do so. I'm not saying that we need mass deportations or blanket amnesty, I'm just saying that, in order to make any progress, we need to shift the focus away from individuals, and that this is as good a starting point as any. That is all.
Are you listening, Arizona?
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