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

[evilmagnus]

It's thorny.

First, there's the term. "undocumented worker". It's an attempt by certain lobbies to steer the conversation away from "illegal immigration", which is what we're talking about. Then there's the specific quote:

"They have a right to seek employement, and employers have a right to hire them."

Whilst I have tremendous sympathy for people who want to come to the US to seek a better life - having done it myself - that's just flat-out wrong. You have no legal right to break the law, either as an employee or an employer. Great for you if you can get away with it, but, like speeding tickets, if yo get caught, take your licks and don't complain.

Yet it's also completely true that the grey economy is vital to US agriculture and, to a lesser extent, the service industry. It's massively hypocritical to bemoan illegal immigrants yet not actually make genuine effort to deal with the issue through enforcement - especially not when your pockets are being lined by Agribusiness.

...that said, anti-immigration, pro-agribusiness concerns are kinda screwed. If Immigration law was enforced, they'd run out of labor. If the guest worker program was enforced, they'd face significant cost increases and would pay more taxes. It's in their best interests, therefore, to prolong the status quo at the expense of the undocumented worker/illegal immigrants.

So, yeah. In conclusion, guest worker program good for government, bad for the people who lobby the government, and kinda a PITA for folks who are doing just fine at the moment being undocumented.