“For peace and trust can win the day despite of all your losing.”
The Tampa Tribune justified yesterday’s front-page spread about so-called immigration reform because Tampa has so many affected immigrants.
That rationalization is weak.
I’d like to see their numbers compared to uninsured children, senior citizens who cannot afford prescription medication, or students forced into crowded schools and tested instead of taught. Focusing on immigration laws in Congress diverts attention away from what’s really affecting most Americans and gets us talking about something other than civil war in Iraq or a growing deficit at home.
And here I am. Playing along.
Reports say as many as twelve million illegal immigrants may be living in this country. Some lawmakers want to make it even more difficult for them to get in. Right. As if crossing the Rio Grande is easy. Let’s make it harder. That’ll stop them!
Immigrants risk everything to get out of their own dire circumstances because life might be better for them and their children in America. Sound familiar? Your own grandparents or great-grandparents probably felt the same way. Putting up a fence isn’t going to make freedom a deterrent. Perhaps halting unfair trade practices and promoting reform in the countries of origin might help.
I know. It’s easier to punish those poor folks yearning to breathe free. The bastards.
And let’s not forget bigotry inherent in such reform talk. Who are we trying to keep out - white Europeans? Canadians? Please. When legislators talk immigrant, they mean Hispanic. Watch out, though. Latinos are a formidable voting bloc and, as a rule, do not support punitive legislation such as the disgraceful House bill passed last December. Our representatives voted to make illegal immigration a felony and punish employers who hire such “guest workers”.
Men and women who come here without proper papers, or stay once such paperwork expires, want to work and contribute to our community. At least the current Senate bill provides a path to permanent residency - the ultimate dream for all who make it inside. Once these immigrants prove themselves and pass a criminal background check - our newest guests can be permanent members of our American family.
We do immigration fine here and even Reagan supported amnesty. Republicans should get behind any effort to help those fleeing poverty and despair - especially if it helps the American economy at the same time. After all, it’s the compassionate thing to do. At any rate, let’s get off our newest scapegoats and let them return to the business of contributing the way my not-so-distant ancestors did.
Their grandchildren will thank you for it.
***Cross-Posted at Out in Left Field***
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