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Volume 71, Issue 117,
Friday, March 31, 2006
Opinion Give immigrant issue another look Karen Klucznik
What illegal immigrants do is illegal. There is no denying that. We must admit it. Many say their actions were taken because that's what they had to for their children. In their position, many parents would do the same. If you thought education reform was going to be tough -- think again. Sure, it would be much easier to "build a wall" and deport the millions of illegal immigrants already here if they were all thieves, drug dealers and murderers. But they're not -- the majority are hard-working individuals whose only desire is that of a better life for their families. According to the Urban Institute and the Pew Hispanic Center, undocumented workers make up about 5% of the nation's workforce. Of that number, 24% are in farming, 17% in cleaning and 14% in construction. These immigrants should be eligible for citizenship and under the Senate Judiciary Committee bill, they would be -- after working for six years, paying a $2,000 fine, clearing a background check, paying back taxes and having learned English. It may seem like a lot for becoming an American citizen, but considering the alternative -- deportation -- and the fact that they did come over illegally, it isn't a bad price to pay. Other points of the Senate's bill include the addition of 14,000 new Border Patrol agents over the course of five years as well as the authorization of a "virtual wall" of unmanned vehicles, cameras and sensors to monitor the U.S.-Mexico border. Fantastic ideas -- it provides the much-needed help for agents already stretched to the brink and replaces the 700-mile wall idea passed by the House last December, which would have been a complete waste of money. If my dogs can figure out how to jump over and dig under our fence in the backyard, then humans will have no problem. Also proposed is a special guest worker program for the estimated 1.5 million immigrant farm workers who may also earn permanent residency and allows for illegal immigrant students who, upon receiving a high school diploma or GED, with no criminal record, to enroll in college or enlist in the military. Again, a great idea. We are in dire need of military personnel, future physicians and educated writers. And if we want to keep eating our daily veggies, we need those individuals who work so very hard in agriculture. Some may believe by doing all of these things we are rewarding illegal behavior. But we do that everyday in our courtrooms when we fail to convict someone of murder or embezzlement. So why punish those who work hard, immerse themselves in our culture and help us continue down our path of prosperity? Deportation is simply unrealistic -- if we can't find Osama bin Laden (and he's just one man), we certainly can't track down millions of illegal immigrants unless they are in our jails and prisons. For those immigrants, such as Rafael Resendez-Ramirez (the railway killer), who decide to commit violent crimes against our citizens — the Center of Immigration Studies puts that number at roughly 17% -- deportation is the only answer. Our prison system is overcrowded as it is with our own criminals. Immigration reform is necessary -- student protests demanding it are not. The children from states including California, Nevada, Arizona and our beloved Texas need to get their behinds back into the classroom and take advantage of one of the things many of their parents risked life and limb for -- an education. The task set before the politicians in Washington is not an easy one — regardless of what decision is made, someone will be offended. But one thing all Americans need to keep in mind is this: if Native Americans had an immigration policy back in the 1400s, we would not be here to discuss it. Klucznik, an opinion columnist for The Daily Cougar,
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