Excuse me, but you keep on describing US immigrants as a *problem,* and one that particularly hurts the poor and minorities. That is starkly contrary to the evidence. Immigrants aren't *stealing jobs" (as if jobs "belong" to workers rather than employers), and there's scant evidence that their competition is "pauperizing" people. In fact, jobs are going begging in this country, and virtually every economist who has studied the question has concluded that the jobs immigrants take are different from those native-born workers are willing to take. Not only that, if they weren't taking those jobs, the jobs wouldn't exist, or they'd be moved abroad. Jobs, after all, are created by businesses to make profits; if there's no profit, there aren't jobs. Moreover (and here I'm speaking as someone who has worked with Q'ekchi' in Guatemala *and* here in the US), these immigrants are themselves impoverished (they're "working class" too, you know), and improve their condition enormously by coming here, while also contributing to our economy and paying the taxes that help support us retirees. Social Security and Medicare will go belly-up a lot sooner without them.
Indeed, economists would argue that a major reason why the US economy has performed so well relative to those of other developed countries is *precisely* because we have a regular supply of immigrant labor that they lack. The resulting prosperity lifts the boats of the native-born as well as immigrants--whether your preferred informants acknowledge it or not. In the end, your discussion of the issue smacks of just the sort of dreary zero-sum thinking that has held people back from time immemorial. Finally, this is not liberal snobbery (I reject that insult)--it's good Adam Smith economics. Nativism hurts everyone--including those who think it will benefit them.
David, I hear you, and I don't doubt you're partly right on some issues here. But ... an over-supplied labor market does put downward pressure on wages, the US healthcare system becomes more strained with a mass influx of people, and there are genuine law and order issues related to border security, sex and drug trafficking, and even terrorism. You also have to ask why so many Blacks and Hispanics voted for Trump if Biden's refusal to enforce proper border controls had no detriment to them and their way of life. Why did they vote for Trump is freakishly large numbers? Did they internalize their white supremacy? Are they stupid? Why did ethnic minorities vote for Trump? The answer is obvious: economic self-interest related to inflation, cost-of-living, and immigration. I'm pro-immigrant, but immigration needs to be controlled, scaled, with the receiving nation deciding who can and cannot enter their country. You are welcomed to think differently, but that's my view on immigration, not just in the US, but in Australia too.
If undocumented immigrants were really the cause of wage suppression, then why aren’t we seeing serious enforcement against the corporations that hire them? If businesses couldn’t exploit cheap, undocumented labor without consequences, the demand would shrink. But that never happens—because corporate interests benefit from this system while working-class people are told to blame the immigrants instead.
A strained healthcare system?
Spoken like someone from a country with universal healthcare! This is the U.S.—no money, no insurance, no healthcare, full stop. While hospitals are required to provide emergency care, undocumented immigrants are actually less likely to use healthcare services because they fear deportation and often lack insurance. The idea that they’re overburdening the system ignores the fact that they pay taxes while being ineligible for many benefits.
Border security and crime?
Yes, cartels do exploit immigration routes. Yes, border security is an issue. But contrary to what some think, there is no massive crime wave driven by immigrants. Studies consistently show that crime rates among both legal and undocumented immigrants are lower than those of native-born Americans. Immigration-related terrorist attacks are statistically rare. This is fear-mongering, not a fact-based argument.
Why did so many people vote for Trump?
Let’s be real—right-wing media spent the entire election cycle scapegoating immigrants, DEI, and gender issues. So the real question is did the left really push unpopular progressive stances, or did conservative media successfully convinced people that the left is the biggest threat to their way of life? Economic struggles are real, but it’s telling that these discussions always focus on cultural grievances instead of the policies and corporate decisions that actually drive inflation and cost-of-living issues. And yes minorities can be guilty of this too.
So yes, immigration should be controlled—but I don't think debate is really about economic self-interest. It’s about who gets blamed for the struggles people face—and as always, the easiest target is the people with the least power.
Excuse me, but you keep on describing US immigrants as a *problem,* and one that particularly hurts the poor and minorities. That is starkly contrary to the evidence. Immigrants aren't *stealing jobs" (as if jobs "belong" to workers rather than employers), and there's scant evidence that their competition is "pauperizing" people. In fact, jobs are going begging in this country, and virtually every economist who has studied the question has concluded that the jobs immigrants take are different from those native-born workers are willing to take. Not only that, if they weren't taking those jobs, the jobs wouldn't exist, or they'd be moved abroad. Jobs, after all, are created by businesses to make profits; if there's no profit, there aren't jobs. Moreover (and here I'm speaking as someone who has worked with Q'ekchi' in Guatemala *and* here in the US), these immigrants are themselves impoverished (they're "working class" too, you know), and improve their condition enormously by coming here, while also contributing to our economy and paying the taxes that help support us retirees. Social Security and Medicare will go belly-up a lot sooner without them.
Indeed, economists would argue that a major reason why the US economy has performed so well relative to those of other developed countries is *precisely* because we have a regular supply of immigrant labor that they lack. The resulting prosperity lifts the boats of the native-born as well as immigrants--whether your preferred informants acknowledge it or not. In the end, your discussion of the issue smacks of just the sort of dreary zero-sum thinking that has held people back from time immemorial. Finally, this is not liberal snobbery (I reject that insult)--it's good Adam Smith economics. Nativism hurts everyone--including those who think it will benefit them.
David, I hear you, and I don't doubt you're partly right on some issues here. But ... an over-supplied labor market does put downward pressure on wages, the US healthcare system becomes more strained with a mass influx of people, and there are genuine law and order issues related to border security, sex and drug trafficking, and even terrorism. You also have to ask why so many Blacks and Hispanics voted for Trump if Biden's refusal to enforce proper border controls had no detriment to them and their way of life. Why did they vote for Trump is freakishly large numbers? Did they internalize their white supremacy? Are they stupid? Why did ethnic minorities vote for Trump? The answer is obvious: economic self-interest related to inflation, cost-of-living, and immigration. I'm pro-immigrant, but immigration needs to be controlled, scaled, with the receiving nation deciding who can and cannot enter their country. You are welcomed to think differently, but that's my view on immigration, not just in the US, but in Australia too.
Over-supplied labor market?
If undocumented immigrants were really the cause of wage suppression, then why aren’t we seeing serious enforcement against the corporations that hire them? If businesses couldn’t exploit cheap, undocumented labor without consequences, the demand would shrink. But that never happens—because corporate interests benefit from this system while working-class people are told to blame the immigrants instead.
A strained healthcare system?
Spoken like someone from a country with universal healthcare! This is the U.S.—no money, no insurance, no healthcare, full stop. While hospitals are required to provide emergency care, undocumented immigrants are actually less likely to use healthcare services because they fear deportation and often lack insurance. The idea that they’re overburdening the system ignores the fact that they pay taxes while being ineligible for many benefits.
Border security and crime?
Yes, cartels do exploit immigration routes. Yes, border security is an issue. But contrary to what some think, there is no massive crime wave driven by immigrants. Studies consistently show that crime rates among both legal and undocumented immigrants are lower than those of native-born Americans. Immigration-related terrorist attacks are statistically rare. This is fear-mongering, not a fact-based argument.
Why did so many people vote for Trump?
Let’s be real—right-wing media spent the entire election cycle scapegoating immigrants, DEI, and gender issues. So the real question is did the left really push unpopular progressive stances, or did conservative media successfully convinced people that the left is the biggest threat to their way of life? Economic struggles are real, but it’s telling that these discussions always focus on cultural grievances instead of the policies and corporate decisions that actually drive inflation and cost-of-living issues. And yes minorities can be guilty of this too.
So yes, immigration should be controlled—but I don't think debate is really about economic self-interest. It’s about who gets blamed for the struggles people face—and as always, the easiest target is the people with the least power.
Amen!