The main issue of contention we hear, not only with this bill, but with the immigration debate in general is the idea of giving "amnesty" (or "legalization" as it is being called now) to the 11 million or so illegal immigrants already in country. Furthermore, some are worried that committing such an act will do nothing but swell the ranks of the Democratic party. That is assuming these newly minted American citizens will suddenly don blue and that the "country is over" once that occurs. As absurd as that sounds, it is the very argument Ann Coulter made just recently, to an unconvinced Sean Hannity no less.
There are so many things wrong that argument, it is hard to find a place to start. But, as I often do with this blog, I will address this argument and this immigration issue with a business hat on. The fact is we have an immigration problem due to a variety of reasons, but we cannot ignore that our previous efforts have failed and we have roughly 11 million people here illegally. Considering the issues with our economy and deficit from a business perspective, it is in our best interest to find a way to get these illegal immigrants integrated into the system to ultimately become tax-paying citizens. Compared to the status quo where illegal immigrants are not contributing to our tax base and continue to be a drain on our economy, this is a logical, business-savvy choice. Businesses often have to re-evaluate strategy in the face of adversity and cut their losses when need be, selecting a new vision going forward. This is precisely one of those occasions.
Furthermore, the fallacy of Coulter's rhetoric is automatically assuming these immigrants are lost to the Republican party. Why is that? Here in Texas, many people of Hispanic/Latino descent vote Republican (GW Bush carried 44% percent in 2004), as is the same in Florida. The worst part about such an argument is that if Coulter thinks these immigrants are automatically lost to the GOP, isn't that an indictment on the GOP? These people are migrating from a country wracked with violence and government corruption and one would think a small government message from Republicans might reverberate with such a people. If nothing else, it sounds like we conservatives have an image problem in regards to immigration.
Let us not forget the immigration bill penned by the "Gang of Eight" senators is a direct result of the 2012 election. In the wake of Obama's victory, Republican leadership quickly realized that a change in tune was needed, as stated by Rubio (from NPR):
"It's really hard to get people to listen to you on economic growth, on tax rates, on health care, if they think you want to deport their grandmother. It's very difficult to get people to listen to anything else you're saying," Rubio said. "So I think it's critical. There's just common sense involved here in terms of how you portray it. Policy matters, too, but rhetoric is important."The fact is, pundits like Coulter are crying that the sky is falling if we implement a path to citizenship (one that will take a whopping 13 years) instead of viewing it as a logical business opportunity. All of these 11 million immigrants should be viewed as potential customers, not automatic competitors. Sure, currently the Democrats do have more to gain from implementing immigration reform initially, but if the Republicans truly embrace it, they can market their message to these immigrants who came here for merely the chance of a better life. Not to mention, in the face of already losing the immigrant vote in 2012, to do nothing would even be more disastrous. One thing is for sure, immigration reform is coming and it is best to embrace it than to be run over by it.
A path to citizenship is only one aspect of immigration reform. As is mentioned in the Senate bill, the former will only be on the table until border security has reached a comfortable level, which is the right thing to do. But let's be honest, even these measures fall short of the glaring reality that until this drug war is solved, which is the source of Mexico's current woes, this immigration issue will not go away as the people of Mexico will aspire to seek better lives elsewhere. But a bill such as the one proposed by the Senate is a step in the right direction.
At the end of the day, however, I really do not care about the initial affect on the political parties that this immigration reform may have. We need this reform as a country. For our economy and for our future. This issue transcends political boundaries. All too often are we burdened with thinking about the selfish impacts of a decision on our beloved political parties instead of putting country first, and we wonder why so many things are not not working in America.
Perhaps it is best to invoke the knowledge of one of the most logical beings in the universe, the almighty Spock (Live Long And Prosper):
Creating a path for immigrants to become taxpayers is logical. LLAP
— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) July 9, 2013
So let's embrace logic and business sense by supporting a path to citizenship. Sure, it may not be the most ideal situation, but due to the shortcomings of our current system and political structure, it is definitely the most logical one.
References:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/11/politics/immigration-reform-5-things/index.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQfwOne_1rU
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/opinion/2013/07/08/ann-coulter-is-wrong-about-latinos/
http://www.npr.org/2012/11/28/166054170/post-election-republicans-immigration-message-evolves
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/07/11/immigration-goodlatte-pathway-citizenship/2510021/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323368704578595733476062490.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_AboveLEFTTop
https://twitter.com/TheRealNimoy/status/354663510581587969
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