I am the first one to admit that the American immigration policy does not work. It is too long, expensive and cumbersome for those people trying to come here legally, and it does not successfully deal with those who come here illegally just to find a way to earn a living. However, it is unfortunate that because of the politics of an election year, decisions regarding immigration are being made on a political basis rather than a practical basis.
On Friday the Washington Post posted an article about the impact the changes President Obama has announced to the immigration law will have on the unemployment rate of Americans.
The article reports:
“I see a tidal wave coming,” said Brad Botwin, president of Help Save Maryland, a group that opposes legalization for undocumented immigrants. “Half of our college graduates today can’t find jobs, and the unemployment rate for high-school-aged Americans is extremely high. This is unfair to U.S. citizens and legal immigrants who are out there struggling to get ahead.
He does have a point. One of the reasons for the change is the belief that by putting these workers on the books instead of under the table, new tax revenue will be generated. That may be true, but if the illegals immigrants with work permits are taking jobs from Americans and legal immigrants, what have we actually accomplished?
The article concludes:
But Steven Camarota, a researcher with the nonprofit Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, said that the Obama administration was not taking into account the new measure’s probable impact on competition for jobs at the low end of the economic scale, where chronic unemployment is highest. Among Americans with less than a high school education, he said, the jobless rate is 13 percent.
“It doesn’t seem the administration is considering the cascading consequences,” Camarota said. “What does this mean for unemployed Americans who will be competing for jobs with a million-plus people who can now apply for work authorization? Is this really a good idea?”
This was a political decision–not a practical one. What we need is for Congress to get along long enough to come up with a practical, legal solution to immigration. That solution should include cutting the red tape for those who want to come here legally (and shortening the length of time it takes to come here legally) and finding a fair way to deal with those who are here illegally through no decision of their own.
