Crossing The Border

I decided to take a break from watching "Lawrence of Arabia" (yes, all 3 hours and 47 minutes of it) to blog a bit. This is a topic I've been wanting to write about for a LONG time, but recent events have made it much more relevant, so I figured there was no time like the present.
I have often joked that I am so far left on the political spectrum that if I were to try going any further I'd be in the Pacific Ocean. And it's true, I am VERY liberal--I'm most definitely pro-choice, anti-war (in most cases, but particularly in the case of the Iraq War), pro-gay (-marriage, -rights, -etc.), and strongly believe that we pay taxes and elect public officials to represent us and to better our nation (and our states, cities and towns).
However, there is one issue on which I "cross the border" (pun intended) to the other side to a large degree. That would be illegal immigration.
Perhaps the better description of my position on this issue is split or undecided. I think there are good arguments in both camps, but at the end of the day, I tend to fall more heavily on the conservative side. After all, illegal does mean "against the law."
I have had many conversations with friends about illegal immigration issues, and their comments have varied widely. Liberal friends who have not been affected by an influx of illegal immigrants in their communities are strongly supportive of allowing illegals to stay, and even giving them amnesty; refugee friends whose lives were in jeopardy in their own country for political or genocidal reasons wish that illegals would have to wait in line for legal entrance just as they themselves had to; and an ethnically-Mexican friend (who is a U.S. citizen) who disagrees with the way illegals are entering the country, also feels that Mexicans are unfairly carrying the brunt of the blame, considering many illegals are of Asian, hispanic and even European descent.
I feel for many, or even most illegal immigrants. I think a very very few Americans truly know what it is to be destitute, to not know when or if they will be able to feed their kids or put clothes on their back. Even in our current recession-wary economy, where so many people have lost jobs and homes and lifestyles they were accustomed to, a small percentage are actually experiencing anything comparable to a third-world existence. And so, I can appreciate the desperation and the I'll-do-anything-for-my-family determination that people have in order to ensure their loved ones' survival. I'm sure that if I were in a similar situation, I would do anything, break any rule, to make sure my kids were fed and healthy. I know I would.
Add to this argument the fact that illegal immigrants are in many ways the backbone of American industry. They are the ones who work the low-wage fruit-picking jobs. They are the unseen cooks and busboys who work in our restaurants. They are the housekeepers in our hotels and the day laborers constructing our houses and buildings. Illegal immigrants are no doubt part of the American fabric. They not only contribute their work, but also their money; a large percentage of illegals pay taxes, despite not having a Social Security Number. The vast majority are good, hard-working people who are here looking for a better life for themselves and their families.

However, while there are so many reasons to argue for the continued presence of the undocumented (and even for their amnesty), I think there are just as many, if not more reasons to argue against allowing them to stay here.
First, it's hard to argue with the basic terminology. There is a reason they are called illegal immigrants; they are here against the law, whether it's because they have crossed the border illegally, or have stayed past the time marked on their passport.
Second, I can't help but think of the many people who DIE trying to cross the border, whether from exhaustion, heat fatigue or trouble with the law. If border security were enforced to the point that illegals were stopped before they had the opportunity to cross, I can only imagine how many children, pregnant women and many others could be spared a tragic ending that might otherwise occur.
Then, there's the issue of jobs. While we've all heard the battlecry, "Well, illegals work the jobs that no American is willing to take!" I don't know if that is true now, or if it has ever been true. I knew plenty of people in high school and college (including me!) who were willing to serve food, clean houses and work under stressful conditions in order to pay their bills. Nowadays, this pool of willing workers includes folks who were once small business owners, executives, lawyers, etc. So is it realistic to think that our nation's citizens are going to be able to get back on their collective feet when they can't get hired for below-minimum-wage jobs because they are being filled with undocumented workers who will work for less and under poor conditions?
Which brings me to my next point: do we really want to foster a culture where it's okay to treat certain people to a poor work environment and low pay simply because they don't have the legal status to demand more? Right now, undocumented citizens often work long hard days only to be refused their due pay at the end. I have heard cases where employers threaten to report individuals to INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) if they complain about the treatment. This is a form of slavery--making people work for no pay, and holding them hostage by threats of retaliation. I thought we abolished that a long time ago in the U.S.
One of the more recent situations that has arisen from illegal immigration is one that boils my blood, mostly because I fell prey to it myself (although not necessarily at the hands of illegals)--identity theft. Because undocumented people cannot get loans to buy cars, houses or make any other significant purchase, there has been an increase in the rise of stolen identification and stolen social security numbers; this assigns them a "valid i.d." so that they are then eligible for loans, credit cards and other big-ticket items. Problem is, if they default on the loan or purchase payment, they can then disappear, leaving the stolen i.d....with the person they originally stole it from. Often the identity theft victim doesn't even know that their identity was stolen until large amounts of debt have been amassed (and defaulted on), leaving the victim to prove they were not the culprit and thereby having to sort out the mess on their own. Trust me, I've had to do it, and it's a pain...in...the...a^*$%.
So you've probably heard of the recent bill signed by the Arizona governor that allows police in the state to arrest anyone they "suspect" is illegal. Of course it's a dumb law that is never going to work and is going to eventually blow up in their face. Do they realize how many lawsuits are going to ensue because legal citizens are going to be harassed and arrested for seeming illegal simply because of their ethnicity. It seems obvious that this is not going to work, but it's not the law itself that I appreciate; it's the sentiment behind it. While I personally love the Mexican and hispanic culture that is prevalent in the southwest, that doesn't mean that I like the idea of people getting a free pass to cross the border as they wish. The federal government has been promising for years that border control is going to be stepped up, but the feds have failed in every respect. Arizonans have had enough and want to take the matter into their own hands. Are they doing it the right way? In my opinion, I think they are way off the mark. But I can appreciate their frustration and urge to do something, and soon.

So what would I suggest? One of the first big changes I would make is one that other countries have had for many years--remove the instantaneous citizenship that is granted to anyone born in this country. The United States is one of the few countries where a child automatically is a citizen upon birth. A friend of mine who grew up in a bordertown in Texas has memories of teenage Mexican girls sneaking over the border at more than nine months pregnant just to have their babies in this country. This, of course, means their children are legal citizens, and their mothers and therefore entitled to government assistance. The logical change (in my eyes, at least) is that at least one of the parents would have to be a legal citizen in order for the child to be considered a citizen, too. This is the way that things are done amongst many other countries in the world. It seems obvious that at least some of the illegal border crossings would be drastically reduced if citizenship and government assistance incentives were removed.

I was also thinking today about the impacts, namely, to the food industry. One of the constant mantras we hear is "Americans won't pay higher prices for food that has been harvested by American citizens (assuming legal citizens will demand fair pay and work conditions). Perhaps this is true to some extent. But what might also be true is a return to smaller, local, family-operated farms that wouldn't depend on day laborers to exist. Could the removal of illegal workers on large, corporate farms signal a chance for smaller farmers to re-enter the arena and start competing again? This could be a boon for America's small business owners, as well as return to healthy, locavore eating for the American people. I recognize I'm being much too idealistic here and that if any of these situations occurred, it would be at a very small scale, and would likely take many years to come to fruition. But still, it's something to think about.

I'm VERY curious to know what you guys think about all this. I know it's a sensitive topic that is near and dear to many of your hearts, which is why I tried to show that I understand both sides, even if I agree with one side more. I'm always interested in learning more information and feeling connected to people's thoughts and feelings, so please...share!

It's really late and I'm so tired now I can't even take the time to proofread this. Please excuse the spelling and grammatical errors.