I love this video from Robert Reich because it explodes the most ridiculous, hateful myths we see and hear in the "immigration" discussion. Reich is absolutely correct that undocumented workers are a net gain for the overall economy, pay billions in taxes, particularly Social Security, for which they will never receive the benefits for what has been paid, and are less of a drain on anti-poverty programs than Republican politicians and right wingers lead us to believe.
However, Reich would admit, on my cross-examination, that employers hire undocumented workers because they are willing to work for less money and are more easily exploited than American citizen workers. Also, if we look at the history of immigration in our nation, we would see how American citizen laborers were continually undermined in their attempt to secure better wages, in part, due to each successive wave of immigrants, particularly as our nation industrialized after the US Civil War. The only positive and perhaps ironic outcome of the 1920s draconian anti-immigration laws was that those terrible laws stabilized the population of workers so that, in the period of the 1930s through 1960s, American workers were able to more successfully negotiate collectively to procure better wages and then benefits. This is not the only reason, as the primary reason was the initial success of the National Labor Relations Act and Fair Labor Standards Act (labor union and labor law standards) from the New Deal in 1935 and 1938, respectively, and American productivity exploded after WWII, partly through government subsidized innovations, as well as New Deal and then US Highway Act of the 1950s investments in infrastructure.
However, with America's wars against Central America in the 1980s, and then the NAFTA in 1993, our nation saw a steep rise in immigrants without proper paperwork. Why? From Central America, we saw and continue to see people desperately fleeing murderous regimes and now corporate fascistic economies in Central America, which regimes we actively supported. Then, millions of Mexican peasants, who had long been engaged in subsistence farming, were kicked off their lands due to American agribusiness flooding Mexican food places with cheaper fruits and vegetables, because of provisions in the NAFTA which kept government subsidies for American agribusiness, while opening Mexico to American agribusiness products. The 1965 immigration reforms had some impact, but it would not have been significant had we not pursued these wars against Central American nations and developed the type of trade deals that beggared low scale workers and union trade jobs in the US, and peasants in Mexico. This article has a useful chart for immigration patterns, but the article's discussion masks the effect on low end workers in the late 1800s and early 1900s from free flowing immigration impeded growth in American wages in that era. I must admit that, even as I recognize both sides of my family immigrated from Europe in the first decade of the 20th Century, with my grandmother and her mother literally fleeing murderous Cossacks.
Undocumented workers compete most often with citizens at the bottom of the wage scale, and are a factor (not the only one) that keeps down wages in that wage scale, which is why those of us in the upper middle class of professionals have a hard time understanding why workers at the lower wage scales have such rage and, if white, buy into the hateful rhetoric of Republicans on the topic of immigration. For me, I support rights for undocumented workers and sanctuary cities and states. I am appalled at the behavior and policies of the Trump administration, especially with the tear gassing of these desperate people at the border who need our love and support, not be attacked. So, what do we do public policy wise to get out of this conundrum that so often spews racist hatred from white folks here against darker skinned immigrants from Mexico, Central and sometimes South America?
First, we should support increases in the minimum wage and enforcement measures to ensure employers are not undermining those wages. This will keep employers from using undocumented workers to keep down wages. Second, and most importantly, we should support the massive infrastructure re-development proposals from the Army Corps of Engineers (states can do this if the feds won't). As I have long said, what we will see almost immediately, if we pursue the Army Corps of Engineers' proposals, is we actually need more immigrant workers, undocumented or otherwise, as we lack sufficient numbers of able bodied, younger citizens to perform this infrastructure work. And lots of Americans who are young and not interested in college would become immediately employed in good paying infrastructure re-development work. Infrastructure is one method of helping young people in our nation and free public college tuition is the other. They work in tandem, not at odds with each other. In any event, the number of jobs that will be created will defeat the concern I have voiced here about employers preying on undocumented workers to work for less, simply based upon where our present population demographics stand. Thus, in enacting the Army Corps of Engineers' infrastructure program, we can simply wave our legal wand and say, "All you undocumented folks, come on in and join the citizenry!" The number of jobs and the velocity of money being spent by consumers who are working will spin into even more jobs across the board--and if the kiosks have to come to McDonald's and Wal-Mart because there are not enough people to fill the jobs, then so be it, as we can then start a more robust discussion of UBI. This is, at the end, why I also support making it easier for workers to form and join labor unions (card-check) as we would demand, in the infrastructure program, prevailing wages/union wages.
As we analyze the immigration issue in this manner, we begin to see why Republicans, starting with Trump, sometimes mouth interest in infrastructure, but never want to follow through. They do not want to follow through because they know a truly massive infrastructure program destroys their anti-immigrant argument and would end up promoting labor unions, or higher wages even without more labor unions. I can't think of one Republican politician who claims to support infrastructure redevelopment who, in my cross-examination of them, would not reveal themselves as liars.
The first thing we need, however, is we have to be kind with respect to the desperate people from other lands fleeing physical oppression or economic oppression, and we have to be kinder to undocumented workers who are already here. Demonizing these people, depriving them of benefits to which they are entitled, starting with their children in our public schools, is wrong from any moral sense. What we have to do, public policy wise, is come together, citizens and non-citizens alike, to promote a healthier, stronger shared economy. If we are going to enforce any anti-immigration laws, it should be against those employers who hire them, not the people who have been so victimized. And if we go back to Reich's points, the idea that that these undocumented people are a net negative to our economy overall, or with respect to anti-poverty program usage and taxes paid, is simply a lie.
To summarize, the public policy answers are: (1) minimum wage increases to $15 an hour; (2) infrastructure redevelopment consistent with the Army Corps of Engineers; (3) card check to promote labor unions; and (4) labor law enforcement increases against employers in industries which rely on undocumented workers who are being exploited. And then wave the wand and officially welcome all immigrants who are here already as citizens. There is no need for any wall, and no reason to behave in any way other than kind and supportive of people who are in need. Oh, and if we think we will see too many people come from Central America, maybe this time we should promote policies and politicians there who actually want to help the people. In Mexico, Obrador and his political party are expecting to pursue a major infrastructure program that may ironically cause Mexican immigrants to return to Mexico. Imagine if we promoted such politicians and policies in Central America. Yes, imagine all the people, living life in peace....You may say I'm a dreamer, but maybe I'm not the only one anymore. It is time to pursue these policies with boldness and vigor, and to push back against the hateful policies and rhetoric that demonizes people we should be embracing.
