By Robert Creamer, political organizer, strategist and author. Originally published at the Huffington Post.
In his State of the Union speech, President Obama committed his Administration to pass comprehensive immigration reform. There are those who claim that this year immigration reform is a diversion from the priority task of fixing the economy — and also politically impossible to achieve.
In fact, comprehensive immigration reform is critical for America’s long term economic success and is one of the few political initiatives that could receive genuine bipartisan support in the current Congress.
The immigration system is broken — and it costs the American economy billions in lost productivity, wasted resources, underdeveloped human capital, depressed wages, and uncollected tax revenue.
The immigration reform issue is also very acutely and personally important to the many recent immigrants to America, their families, friends and communities. The way it is addressed in Congress will have profound long-term political consequences.
The Current Immigration System is an Economic Albatross
The roughly twelve million undocumented immigrants in the United States create a permanent underclass of workers who exist in the shadows of our society. Their lack of legal status makes them easy prey for economic exploitation by unscrupulous employers that drag down wages and working conditions for everyone.
Read the full post at Huffington Post>>
Categories: comprehensive immigration reform, economy
American citizens do not think that those who are violating the immigration law should tell us how to “fix” it. There are many other laws being broken as well. Workers must show documents to prove a legal right to work. Do you not see that as stealing? What do you call it when someone takes something that is not rightfully theirs? Do you know that presenting false documents for work or bank loans is FRAUD? Did you know that claiming income on a tax form under a social security number that is not yours is tax fraud?
Try for one moment putting yourself in the American workers shoes. Our government has betrayed us by letting so many illegal workers come and stay here. The statement that illegal immigrants only do the jobs that Americans won’t do is a lie. Older Americans remember a time when construction workers were not all Latino. We remember a time when bilingual teachers were not needed. We remember cutting our neighbor’s grass for extra money to save for a car or for school. Do you think that fast food workers and housemaids did not exist before the recent flood of low skilled illegal immigrants?
How many illegal workers is enough? We have 15 million+ American citizens out of work. Please explain, so they can understand, WHY you should have a legal right to jobs in this country?
Please explain to legal immigrants why you deserve legal status. A 500.00 fine will not even cover the cost to process applications and do background checks. Legal immigrants pay thousands to do things right and respect the laws of our country. Why do illegal immigrants demand a better deal?
Lets get the name calling and hateful labels out of the way and try to have a reasoned debate. All the studies and reports are meaningless unless all the facts are considered.
I think it’s time to fix our broken immigracion laws. ilegals are being treated like criminals and most of them are NOT! Alot of them are just normal hard working people like us americans. The only reason why these people come from other country is to work and to provide there families everthing that they can’t do in there own country. I’m a US citizen but I’m 100% MEXICAN AND VERY PROUD OF IT. I can assure you if Mexico had better paying jobs that paid enough to support there families ilegals wouldn’t even think of coming here and leaving there loves ones behind. These people are not asking for anything free from anybody they just want to be able to work legally and are willing to pay a fine. They also pay taxes. So it’s time to FIX OUR BROKEN LAWS.
Who are you to judge what is best for America? They are already here and tell me do you really think USA wants to deport 12 millions of these undocumented immigrants!!!Cheap labor that always has boosted this economy! May be u need to go back to school cause a lot of these people have come here to work on those job than people like you don’t want! Cause any American who said that a person that comes from another country that has to learn English and does not have a High School diploma is going to take someone’s job!!! Come on that been a LOSER!!!!
http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/chappelles_show/index.jhtml
Frontline – Clayton Bigsby
I am an illegal immigrant and I think unless you promise american people the border security first they are not going to want any reform.
The LAST thing this country needs is ANY sort of amnesty for law-breakers. What needs to happen is heavy fines and imprisonment for businesses that hire illegals. If illegals have no jobs, then they will go home. They need to take their anchors with them. Unemployed Americans need work, and adding more people in this country is the last thing that we need. Common sense people.
I want to se this article in one of the most important newspaper of USA such as Washington Post, NEw York times Los Angeles Times, Chicago, Florida, Texas, Arizona, . Where all the people can see what is happening. And the white Amrican can realize the situation of their country without immigrants