The biggest problem we have when trying to deal with our biggest problems are the people who begin their comments with “All ya gotta do is …” They don't get it: There are no simple solutions to the complex problems facing our global society. In fact, in some cases there may indeed be no solution.One of those maybe-insolvable problems is illegal immigration. It’s very easy in the abstract to say, “If they’re illegal, send ‘em home.” Would that it really were that easy.
There’s been a big crackdown here on Maui by the immigration people and it’s caused a backlash, mostly coming from religious leaders and legal alien residents, who find themselves having to deal with some very human reality.
What should be done, for instance, about the illegal worker (a man) who meets another illegal here (a woman) and marries her? Both are working and paying their way. Eight years later, they have two small kids.
One day the immigration people stage a routine raid on his place of employment. He’s discovered and arrested, taken back to the rental apartment where this wife is also discovered and arrested. Two days later, he’s shipped back to Guatemala, she’s deported to Honduras, and the two children are separated and placed in foster homes. The kids, you see, are both American citizens because they were born here, but are without passports.
Who’s better off as a result of all this? The husband? The wife? The kids? For that matter, is society better off?
I really don’t know how situations like these should be handled. But I do know that no one is better off.
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1 comment:
Of course, what you don't read in this story is that the people who illegally employed the immigrants are now in jail. Because if you are a wealthy employer, you can break the law with impunity. In the USA, jail is for poor people.
Canada is a far more attractive destination for immigrants than the USA, but very few come here illegally. Why? Because hiring an illegal immigrant is good for a jail term. And since it is impossible for the employer to submit payroll taxes to the Crown, that's tax fraud. And tax fraud is good for a long jail term for all the officers of a company.
This is one of those situations where there really is an "All ya gotta do is..." solution.
All ya gotta do is throw in jail all the officers of every company who hires an illegal immigrant.
This solution works just fine in Canada and Australia.
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