With the recent news that Congress will take up immigration reform next month, people all over the political spectrum are bracing for what is expected to be an ugly spectacle. With the underlying issues about racism thrown into the mix on this issue, it behooves us as progressives to head into this battle with a few facts to ward off what are sure to be the emotionally-laden lies coming from many quarters.
In commenting on a recent report he has done about the positive affects of immigration reform on our economy, Dr. Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda says this:
The U.S. government has attempted for more than two decades to put a stop to unauthorized immigration from and through Mexico by implementing “enforcement-only” measures along the U.S.-Mexico border and at work sites across the country. These measures have failed to end unauthorized immigration and placed downward pressure on wages in a broad swath of industries.
Comprehensive immigration reform that legalizes currently unauthorized immigrants and creates flexible legal limits on future immigration in the context of full labor rights would help American workers and the U.S. economy.
On the failure of stricter enforcement strategies, Duke Reed at Migra Matters shares some important information.
Immigration prosecutions make up 54 percent of all federal criminal prosecutions. The most prosecuted federal immigration crimes in FY 2009 were for immigrants caught entering the United States at an improper time or place, totaling approximately 40,000. Between 2002 and 2008, prosecutions for first time illegal entry in border district courts increased 330% from 12,411 to 53,697...
Before 2005, CBP (Customs and Border Protection) voluntarily returned first time border crossers or formally removed them through the civil system. Federal prosecutions were used almost exclusively for individuals with previous criminal records or repeat crossers. Operation Streamline --instituted in Del Rio, Texas in 2005 and later expanded to other areas -- shifted this practice by eliminating prosecutorial discretion and requiring that all unlawful border crossers be prosecuted in federal criminal court and imprisoned if convicted, regardless of their immigration history. Those who are caught entering the U.S. illegally for the first time are prosecuted for misdemeanors punishable by up to 6 months in prison.
He goes on to ask:
So we must now ask ourselves ... when in fact will the border ever be "secure" enough?
On the other hand, Dr. Hinojosa-Ojeda's report documents (pdf fact sheet) that comprehensive immigration reform that legalizes currently unauthorized immigrants would increase GDP by at least $1.5 trillion over 10 years, increase tax revenue by at least $4.5 billion in the first 3 years, increase consumer spending enough to support 750,000 to 900,000 jobs in the United States, and increase all workers wages.
I would imagine that in this political climate, it will be impossible to pass comprehensive immigration reform without a nod to enforcement. But it behooves us to do all we can to ensure that those aspects are humane in nature and uphold the kinds of civil rights for all human beings that we as progressives hold dear.
And it will also be important to speak out loud and clear about the facts. When people want to insinuate that with our economy still struggling to recover, we can't afford immigration reform, we need to be prepared to talk about the huge amounts of money being wasted on incarceration as well as the economic benefits of giving undocumented workers a path to citizenship.