Si me voy

[cyrano]

I am once again exposing my White Privelege. Because I need somebody to explain in small words something about the immigration issue. I understand why many in labor feel that the guest worker plan is a bad one--the idea that a corporation can basically blackmail employees by threatening to fire them and get them deported if they do anything inconvenient. But in an article I read today, UNITE HERE president Bruce Raynor says "There are 12 million undocumented people living here, who are important to the economy." So far, so good. I understand that. "They have a right to seek employement, and employers have a right to hire them." This is where I get confused. 'Undocumented' often means that they're in the country illegally, which I think would restrict some of their rights.
I don't understand the idea that somebody has gained entry to the country by breaking the law and therefore should be allowed to stay because they're already here. As a left wing socialist, I feel like I'm missing something.

Comments

[technocowboy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm with you. "Undocumented", for the most part, means "illegal". People who are here illegally get no rights. If they had documentation to get here, then fine, they can have the same rights every other person in the country legally has. People who seem to think that everyone in the world has the same rights need to wake up.

[evilmagnus]

Well, they have certain statutory rights in Immigration Court, but yeah, broadly speaking, they certainly /don't/ get the right to legally work. :-)