The Immigration Mess

For the past few weeks, I've been avoiding the issue of illegal immigration (or undocumented migration, if you prefer). Like Paul Krugman in today's Times (another terrific article), I confess to ambivalence. Those huddled masses that the Statue of Liberty welcomed were my people. My grandparents emigrated to the United States from Lithuania and what is now Belarus; if my parents had somehow met and married in Eastern Europe, they would almost certainly have perished at the hands of the Nazis before I was born.

Yet immigration is a problem, and not just for the United States. Indeed, legal and illegal immigration together are a tremendous asset for the nation. (Krugman is honest enough to point out that unlawful immigration provides a very slight net benefit.) At the same time, the attraction of our nation pulls away many of the brightest people from other nations; our gain is their loss.

The presence of millions of undocumented workers provides American business with a permanent class of low-paid workers who will not--cannot--join unions or agitate for a higher minimum wage. They compete with Americans and drag wages down for citizens and lawful immigrants. Yet the illegals have a claim on our compassion. We attracted them with our high wages; we have been happy to have them to build our homes, take care of our lawns and bus our tables. We have made an implied promise of tolerance; for decades, we have looked the other way as they came across our borders, often bringing spouses and children.

To be frank, I have no pat answer for the immigration issue, although I tend to side with the President (a rare thing, as regular readers will know). I favor a system that would legalize the status of many unlawful entrants and give them a means to acquire permanent residence and citizenship (although their road should be significantly longer than that trod by legal immigrants).

One thing that is clear to me is that no one is talking about the only step that would really reduce illegal immigration: Improving conditions in other nations, so that their citizens have less incentive to come to the United States. Come to think of it, I'm not sure how much that I want that to happen; this nation still relies on a regular infusion of new blood in the form of immigration.