Opening Doors, Changing Minds
February 23, 2007
A little over a year ago, Congress was preoccupied with the issue of what is loosely referred to as immigration reform. Out of the House came a GOP-written bill that advocated a tough stance on immigration that included a felony crime for being an illegal immigrant. A Senate bill, endorsed by President Bush, proposed a process in which illegal immigrants could become American citizens by clearing certain benchmarks, including paying back taxes. As was the norm then and at present in Washington, the political considerations, including the then-upcoming federal elections, precluded any sort of compromise and no bill was passed. Despite the ample talk with no action a year ago, immigration reform remains an issue in need of political resolution.
Illustration by Matthew Miller.
However, as contended in the February 18, 2007 New York Times editorial, since the pre-election inaction by Congress in 2006, the Bush administration has taken a hard-line stance in its immigration policy. The administration’s current budget allocates another one billion dollars to the proposed 700-mile fence on the United States-Mexico border, although previous attempts at militarizing the 2,000-mile border have been ineffective at stemming the flow of illegal immigrants into the country. Illegal immigrants are now increasingly detained without bond, denied access to an attorney, and deported without appeal. Local legislation proposed in Texas would deny citizenship to children born in the United States to undocumented parents. Even President Bush failed to mention his support of an earned path to citizenship in his latest State of the Union address.
This tough stance on immigration reform continues the current insular trend of American policies and attitudes towards foreigners. Since the September 11th attacks, foreigners hoping to acquire visas to enter the country, either for work, tourism, or education, have found it increasingly difficult. The February 8 edition of The Economist noted that the number of overseas visitors (excluding Canada and Mexico) to the United States has fallen 17 percent since 2000. This not only spells trouble for American businesses reliant on visitors—especially those in the tourism industry—but also for America’s image abroad. With the current war in Iraq dominating world affairs, and the possibility of a showdown with Iran just over the horizon, it is the American military that frequently comes to represent the United States overseas. That is not to say that the men and women in uniform are not performing admirably, as they continue to bravely serve their country in difficult situations. But the fact remains that fewer and fewer foreigners are experiencing the less belligerent, more benevolent, side of America. By becoming insular at home and militaristic abroad, the United States is losing the global public relations campaign that is crucial in our current struggle against extremism.
Improving America’s image can start with its immigration policy. Politicians and legislators need to address immigration reform as a matter of balancing law enforcement and America’s historic pledge of openness to others throughout the world. Our pledge is to those who are oppressed by poverty, lack of opportunity, or political repression outside of our country, and should extend to those already inside our nation—due to those same universal human conditions. Offering citizenship to illegal immigrants would not damage the credibility of American law, as some hard-line supporters contend. Rather, it is America’s role as the symbol of hope and opportunity to the world which is at stake if the country continues to reform its immigration system with hard-line policies of exclusion and proposals aimed simply at punishing, and not including, illegal immigrants.
We are battling an image in the world that does not accurately portray how we really are as a people. We are not oppressors. But our actions allow others to claim that perception as a reality. Our government has an opportunity, through reform of our immigration policy, to contrast those claims made by our enemies with a humane immigration policy. A humane immigration policy would recognize that people should be able to continue to live and work in America even though, under our current laws, they are illegal immigrants. By rejecting those who are here, or restricting unnecessarily those who wish to come, we allow, and indeed encourage, others to contend and many to believe that America is unsympathetic and Americans are oppressors. We cannot effectively coexist in a global society when our immigration policy seeks to exclude or reject our global neighbors. Immigration reform that recognizes this is essential, and should not be stymied for political reasons. We have every right to expect more from our government.
Legalize the Irish!
Posted by: Sean at February 22, 2007 11:22 PM