1. Illegal immigration has created a huge powerless workforce in the United States. This huge powerless workforce equals huge profit for CEO's and stockholders of giant corporations. Today nearly 10% of our workforce is illegal and cheap. True to basic supply and demand economic principals, this large powerless workforce drives down the price of labor. Cheap labor increases productivity and profits for employers and illegals, who are in no position to demand minimum wage, guarantee that it stays cheap. A workforce with no voice, no union, no legality, no rights and no problem working for sustenance wages is ideal for profiteering. The wealthy conservative elite wants immigrants here whether they are illegal or marginally legal because a cheap workforce equals huge profit. And even though the super rich benefit most, the upper middle class also enjoys reaping the benefits of cheap labor. States like California have literally become addicted to the cheap labor provided by illegals.2. We are, for the most part, guided by a national dialogue monopolized by conservatives. While the rich keep getting richer, we regular voters stumble around issues such as decriminalization, amnesty or even building a fence (a fence that would no doubt tremendously profit big contractors) to keep out illegals. Conservatives have spent 3 and a half billion dollars just on think tanks to drive the conservative message machine and idea factory. Just calling it an immigration problem completely controls the way we see these people. The illegal framing suggests criminality and otherness. The term illegal alien is dehumanizing. Congress even conflates the war on terror with illegal immigration implying that these immigrants are a physical threat. These frames overlook the immense contributions these immigrants make by working hard for low wages. If Congress really wanted Illegal Immigration to stop, it could pass legislation that put the CEO of any business caught employing illegals into jail for a year, no exception. That would end illegal immigration. But conservatives won't lift a finger in the halls of congress to pass any such legislation. Instead, the conservative elite support fines to businesses which may sound like a lot to the average person but is nothing more than the cost of business for large corporations. Since Bush has been elected corporate profits have doubled but there has been no increase in wages. The Reagan revolution effectively reduced the bargaining power of union members and number of unions. There was a time in our country's history when the middle class was pretty strong. That is no longer the case, the middle class is slowly disolving leaving behind a wide divide between the upper class and the disenfranchised working class. Both political parties are controlled by funding (republicans more conspicuously) from the wealthy, so we witness no real push for change.
3. Our country's inability to understand the real issues surrounding illegal immigration has resulted in nothing short of a humanitarian crisis. These immigrants are not a physical threat, but rather a vital part of our economy that helps America function. They don't want to shoot us or kill us or blow us up. They only want to weed our gardens, clean our houses and cook our meals in search of the American dream. Due to the 1996 welfare reform bill, they are disqualified from nearly all means of government programs. Also in 1996 the IRS began issuing id numbers to enable illegal immigrants who don't have social security numbers to file taxes. Close to 8 million of the 12 million or so illegal immigrants in the country today file personal income taxes. No doubt they hope that one day it will help them acquire legal status. Of course they automatically pay sales taxes. They work hard and contribute to society and are worthy of basic human rights and dignity. They are here pursuing a better life for their children because Mexico is a corrupt oligarchy run by a corrupt former coca cola executive. Unknown numbers of these people are dying trekking across deserts of Arizona and New Mexico. Daddies are leaving their babies in hopes of finding work to support their families. They are forced to live underground and in the shadows because of their legal status. While this country is built on legal immigration, the illegal immigration occurring in our country today amounts to nothing short of modern day slavery.
