Nearly four hundred years ago, my ancestors landed near Plymouth, MA, and established a colony; we ate our Thanksgiving dinner at Plimoth Plantation, a reproduction of that colony, just last week. I also had a chance to visit Ellis Island this past summer, where we found the records of my wife's family entering the US. With very few exceptions, each one of us in the USA is at least partly descended from immigrants, and I am saddened to hear people cry for us to close these doors on new immigration when we ourselves have benefited from an open immigration policy.
One of the biggest complaints I hear about opening our borders is the concern about criminals entering the country. Like most suburbanites, I favor law and order, too. But when I read the history of my family, I find their arrival in this country is likewise suspect -- they violated their Charter with King James, by settling too far north of the Jamestown colony, and apparently did so with intent. This crime was never prosecuted, to my gain. Knowing this, I wonder if perhaps the nonviolent criminal acts of others might likewise be overlooked to our national good.
Another concern (most often raised by organized labor) is that immigrant workers would take American jobs. The fact is, immigrants have been taking the low-wage jobs in this country for hundreds of years. These are not typically jobs that our workers want to do, so why not let others do them legally? I would much rather see low-wage workers living in the US, paying US taxes, and giving their strengths to our country, than to watch businesses move overseas in search of those same workers.
The problem as I see it is not the presence of foreign workers, it is the fact that so many of these foreign workers are undocumented. As illegal aliens, they rightfully fear our law enforcement agencies, which empowers other criminals to take further advantage of them. Moreover, the flood of illegal immigrants to this country makes it easier for dangerous criminals — terrorists, or those who import illegal drugs — to sneak in unnoticed. This is just wrong.
If we really want to have a successful immigration policy, we need to be generous with the number of people we allow to enter the US, especially from Mexico. Document them, track them, and refuse those few who commit violent crimes — but let the honest people come. I'm not saying this would be a popular thing to do, but I'm convinced it's the right thing to do.
