It was President Bill Clinton who used the campaign slogan, “It’s the economy, stupid.” A similar slogan could be applied to immigration reform in very simple terminology even Congress can understand: “It’s the border, stupid.” We cannot discuss comprehensive immigration reform and its affect on any industry until the porous, sieve-like border is addressed.
Many industries claim Americans won’t do the work of immigrants, but the fact is those industries want cheap labor and are not willing to pay competitive wages. They complain they will not be able to stay in business paying wages Americans want, but we cannot be in the business of circumventing the legal system because an industry pays substandard wages.
There are those who want to just “ship them back.” This isn’t a practical solution for many reasons. First, deportation does not work until the border is closed. Undocumented immigrants are deported daily by the hundreds and return within days. Second, undocumented immigrants may have U.S. citizen children — those who are automatically citizens because they are born in the United States. Birthright citizenship is a topic that may need to be addressed, but the reality is deportations of families with some documented and/or citizen relatives makes for a messy legal situation.
Unfortunately, politicians are not hearing the outrage from American citizens of all races and ethnic backgrounds. Millions of taxpayer dollars are spent each year in court systems to provide interpreters for immigration cases. Various programs, such as food stamps, are advertised in foreign countries to entice people to enter the U.S — not to work, but to take advantage of a system created for poor and struggling Americans. Most recently, a new program at the federal level provides free legal services to those here illegally at U.S. taxpayer expense.
If you don’t think citizens are outraged, just look to Virginia. Republican House majority leader Eric Cantor was just unseated by economics professor Dave Brat. Cantor spent more than $5 million versus Brat, who spent $123,000. The main reason for the defeat was Cantor’s support for what many consider to be de facto amnesty. Cantor says he is against amnesty, but pushed for comprehensive immigration reform that would result in the same thing. Spanish-language newspapers inside and out of the United States have sounded a call to come and stay because of such talk.
Everyone is terrified to express their opinion for fear of being labeled “anti-immigrant.” The left cannot debate the issue on facts without resorting to name-calling and mudslinging, and that is just ridiculous. We are a nation of laws that apply to all. Address it, but remember where the problem is perpetuating itself and solve that issue first — at the border. Only then can we move on to real solutions that help America return to being the most thriving, vibrant economy in the world.
Julianne Thompson is co-chair of the Atlanta Tea Party.
