Viva La Revolución! Immigrants Take to the Streets

What would this country be like without immigrant workers? How would the absence of undocumented workers raise prices? How does your lifestyle depend on illegal immigration?

Mass protests and walkouts on May 1st, 2006, or, "the day without immigrants," and the mixed reactions from politicians, pundits, and the public illustrate the complexity of the issue that has divided Congress and stalled much-needed legislation. To read more about the debate in Congress click here.

Reaching consensus on immigration is particularly difficult because it crosscuts so many other important issues: economy, security, education, health, etc. However, this is precisely the reason why immigration policy affects not only the estimated 11 million undocumented workers living in the U.S., but each and every U.S. citizen whether they realize it or not.

A Day Without Immigrants?

Organizers of the "day without immigrants" say that that the negative economic effects of millions of Latino’s skipping work and school on May 1, 2006, will demonstrate U.S. economic dependency on immigrant labor and send a powerful message to legislators as they debate immigration policy in Congress.

Critics both within and outside the pro-immigration movement charge pro-immigration activists with using intimidation and say that the protests could backfire by leading to firings and an anti-immigrant backlash. Evening protests and a national day of community service by immigrants have been proposed as alternatives to the strike.

While Mexican lawmakers have issued a declaration of support for the protests and plan to send a delegation to Los Angles, Mexico’s Foreign Department - perhaps more mindful of the importance of U.S. aid to Mexico - has said that it will discipline any consular officials who participate in the protests.

Tied Together

Although the boycott itself is intended to show U.S. dependency on immigrant labor, the controversy that has surrounded it reveals the interdependency between the Mexican economy and our own.

The reason that many immigrants and immigrant advocates have expressed discomfort with the boycott is not just that immigrants want to be part of our economy, but that they already are.

Quite reasonably, many question the wisdom of boycotting mainstream U.S. business, which has in fact been one of the strongest advocates of immigration reform. Similarly, Jorge Ribas president of the Western Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce said that he believes Hispanic immigrants, and especially those who own their own businesses, are "too pragmatic" to shut down for the boycott.

The problem of figuring out where the U.S. economy ends and the Mexican economy begins is illustrated by the problems with Mexican boycott of U.S. products scheduled for May 1: even its organizers are confused about which companies are actually U.S. owned.

U.S. & Mexico- the Economics of Immigration

Despite the fact that the federal government has doubled the number of Border Patrol agents, and tripled the border enforcement budget to over $6 billion over the past decade, the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. has doubled over the same period. These stunning figures emphasize two fundamental economic realities that our immigration policy fails to address adequately.

In the first place, the U.S. is an economic super-power that is bordered by a nation with lots and lots of unemployed and underemployed workers willing to move north for better work, which includes jobs "that no American will do," as Bush famously says. Although the U.S. Agency for International Development gave Mexico $31 billion in 2005, none of the money goes directly to job creation.

Secondly, large sections of the U.S. economy - especially the farming, construction, and hospitality, and restaurant industries - are making illegal immigration possible because they rely heavily on undocumented workers. A recent study by the American Farm Bureau Federation found that a crackdown on illegal immigrant labor could cause production losses to U.S. agriculture between $5 billion and $9 billion in the first 1-3 years.

Weighing Immigration Options: So What’s In It For Me?

Clearly there is no magic bullet in the immigration debate. All Americans benefit from migrant workers - inexpensive labor provides us with the low prices for goods and services that we have come to expect and rely on. All American’s, however, also pick up the cost through taxation of public schools, healthcare, welfare, and housing for workers below or near the poverty line.

In thinking about immigration each of us needs to weigh these factors for ourselves against our own beliefs but also remember that an issue like immigration can give rise to moral disagreements that are not resolvable.

What do you think?

One reason that immigration is important is that the issue raises fundamental questions about citizenship. So what do you think? What does it mean to be an American? Does it mean working on American soil? Paying taxes? Speaking English? Owning land? Contributing to the health and wealth of the nation?

How do you envision immigration reform? How can we update our immigration laws to better fit the global economy? Are there other creative solutions that our legislators don’t see? Brainstorm and send them on to your representatives.

Your input matters

The immigration issue is a clear example of the extent to which our economy is intertwined with Mexico and the wider world. However, because state legislators rely on their constituents to get elected and re-elected they have an incentive to focus on local concerns. It is our responsibility to get informed about the larger context and let them know what we want them to do about this crucial issue.

Your representatives in Congress DO care what you think. Especially now -- 2006 is an election year and many representatives will be looking to reconnect with their constituents. Let your congressmen and women know what you think! Give your senators a piece of your mind! To find your reps, click here.

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Article Posted on: 5/6/2006