Immigration Realities

Whether Congress moves forward with immigration reform – it’s not, in case you wondered – immigrants are still coming, despite the contraction in jobs and economic growth here in the United States. Not necessarily the most skilled immigrants that we need, but immigrants. Our entire focus seems to be our border with Mexico, although there are over a thousand miles of virtually unregulated crossings in our border with Canada, a nation where folks without visas are often permitted to enter that country pending processing their applications. So terrorists, don’t waste your time or money trying to come into through the Rick-Perry-protected southern border. Try Canada instead. We’re only interested in keeping the vast waves of brown-skinned Latinos out, so most of our efforts are “down there.”

There are still children at the southern border, folks illegally crossing that border at so many easy-crossing points… not to mention the drug-smuggling tunnels and corridors along the way. Our lack of immigration reform actually impacts a whole cadre of potential immigrants, including people whose essential services are vital to our growth. But keep those brown-skinned Latinos out, because sooner or later, they or their progeny will become urban-leaning voters that will support Democratic candidates, like most of those darker-skinned Americans!

We need engineers, scientists and mathematicians, immigrants to fill jobs that will create more economic opportunities here in the States, but a lack of immigration reform means that even if we give them a visa, they often have to leave their wives and children behind. No worries, because Canada (again?) has stepped into the void to offer them the same jobs at the same pay… except they are welcome to bring their loved ones with them. And Canada is a very active recruiter, even going after scientists and engineers who came to the States without their families!

The only kinds of reform this Congress would even think about passing are new laws aimed at reinforcing the Mexican border (no one cares about Canada) and/or expediting getting rid of anyone – even the Dreamers who came here so young they do not know any other world – who doesn’t have the relevant papers. The incumbent scions of immigrants (read: descendants of white European immigrants) don’t believe in allowing immigration anymore. Perhaps we should tear down the Statute of Liberty for scrap metal instead of allowing it to become a beacon of hypocrisy.

But even with all this, the immigration issues don’t go away by not dealing with them. The Courts are also weighing in, perhaps moving the needle in a direction that seems to create more rights for undocumented applicants, extending and further delaying the “cherished process of deportation.”  “On [August 26^th], the country's top immigration court ruled that some migrants escaping domestic violence may qualify for asylum in the United States. The decision, from the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), is a landmark: It's the first time that this court has recognized a protected group that primarily includes women. The ruling offers a glimmer of hope to asylum-seekers who have fled horrific abuse. The decision has also infuriated conservatives, who claim that the ruling is a veritable invitation to undocumented immigrants and marks a vast expansion of citizenship opportunities for foreigners…

“Before [this] decision, immigration judges routinely denied asylum to domestic violence victims because US asylum law does not protect people who are persecuted on account of their gender. The law only shields people who are persecuted because they are members of a certain race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or particular social group. [This] ruling, however, recognized ‘married women in Guatemala who are unable to leave their relationship’ as a unique social group—giving the Guatemalan woman standing to make an asylum claim.

“The conservative backlash was swift. On [August 27^th], Fox News host Brian Kilmeade fumed that the decision would allow Guatemalan women ‘to get instant US citizenship as well as our benefits.’ Speaking on Neil Cavuto's Fox show, Steven Camarota, a member of the far-right Center for Immigration Studies, implied that the ruling would entice ‘tens or hundreds of millions’ of women to enter the US illegally. ‘It's a gross distortion of what immigration judges are supposed to do,’ Carmota said.

“Simona Agnolucci, a California lawyer who represents asylum seekers pro bono, refers to this as the ‘floodgates’ argument. ‘It's absurd,’ she says. The BIA and US federal courts, she notes, have recognized many broad groups as eligible for asylum, including any Coptic Christian living in Egypt, any Filipino of Chinese ancestry living in the Philippines, or any gay or lesbian person living in Cuba.” MotherJones.com, August 28^th.

Immigration is a hot button in the up-coming mid-terms, and candidates from both sides of the aisle are running for cover. The GOP seems to be willing to shut government down over the issues and has a bullet ready for any Democrat with kindness towards these border-crosser on his/her mind. So even key Democrats would prefer to kick this can down the road. Dems were shaking in the boots over what they described as the possible “September Surprise” should the President create merciful executive actions on the immigration front prior to the mid-terms. “Faced with opposition from vulnerable Democrats, the Obama administration is considering waiting until after the November elections to take actions that could keep many undocumented immigrants from being deported, the Los Angeles Times reported [August 29^th].

“President Barack Obama promised a review of his deportation policies earlier this year, and the changes are expected to be announced in coming weeks. The new policies could include sweeping actions to prevent some undocumented immigrants from deportation, along with changes to how green cards are doled out and other business-friendly moves.

“But some Democrats, particularly those in competitive Senate races, have expressed concern about how such a move could play in their states as they run for re-election. Republicans blame Obama's previous administrative action on immigration, the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, for an increase this year of unaccompanied minors crossing the border illegally, and have attempted to turn it into a campaign issue against Democrats. Some have even begun to hint that a showdown over government funding could occur if Obama acts unilaterally on immigration, although other Republicans are downplaying that possibility.” Huffington Post, August 29^th.

It’s hard to accept the foaming-at-the-mouth anger at people attempting to do what their own ancestors did earlier: immigrate to the United States to start a new life. Hate-filled vituperatives and rather shallowly-disguised racism notwithstanding, the fact is that so much of the Congressional opposition to immigration reform and to allowing people to have justifiable asylum claims is coming from Christian-led social conservatives from Bible Belt constituencies. I’m puzzled. I expected that these would be the people who might actually be familiar with the Bible, at least the New Testament, and would be yearning to apply its mandates. Oh well, I guess that just doesn’t come with the territory.

            I’m Peter Dekom, and as long as you go to church, you can be a “Christian,” but you don’t really have love your brother, forgive, show kindness, or be tolerant and you are clearly able to cast stones and sit in judgment of others at your whim.