Regardless of how you feel about his position on these matters, President Trump
is showing that he is different than the usual Washington crowd: He's doing
exactly what he said he'd do. And I very strongly respect that, Mr. President.
I awoke this morning to news that executive orders are being drafted to tighten our borders by
building that wall between the US and
Mexico and
restricting the flow of immigrants into
the country.
I'm uncomfortable with this legislation. (I can't really call it legislation, can I? Perhaps better
said, I'm uncomfortable with this... direction.) According to the Pew Research Center,
illegal immigrants are estimated to
comprise approximately 3.5% of the population. In September, 2016, The Center
for American Progress estimated that
undocumented workers account for 2.6% of our
GDP. The report includes an
interactive map which lets you see percentages of GSP by industry for each state.
Look at these numbers of the top five states with the highest dependence on undocumented
labor:
STATES WITH HIGHEST DEPENDENCE ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT LABOR
(Source: Center for American Progress)
| STATE |
Agriculture, Forestry,
Fishing, Hunting |
Construction |
Leisure and
Hospitality |
ESTIMATED TOTAL
LOSS IN GSP |
| NJ |
14% |
10% |
13% |
5% |
| CA |
21% |
12% |
14% |
5% |
| NV |
NA |
14% |
9% |
4% |
| TX |
10% |
13% |
12% |
4% |
| WA |
23% |
4% |
9% |
3% |
The
The Penn Wharton Budget Model
also characterizes
the economic effect of immigration on
the economy as "net positive". And, on the subject of GDP, I submit
that those immigrants are largely doing work that Americans frankly don't want to do.
Pew estimates that
illegal immigrants hold 8 million jobs in
this country. I opine that some significant percentage of those jobs are not
considered by most Americans to be desirable jobs. Sure, one could always argue that
those "undesirable" jobs can be filled by penal labor/WPA/volunteers or whatever, but
the point I'm making is simply (*cue Styx's
Mister Roboto here*) that the
illegal immigrant workforce is likely performing a service to US society beyond
economic contribution.
The larger issue here I think is closing our borders in the interest of security.
That's... a tough one. On the one hand, you're talking about immigration, period —
no differentiation between legal and illegal here. Closing our borders to predominantly
Muslim countries means the restriction of legal access. Perhaps part of the problem
is our basic inability to differentiate between Muslims and "radicalized" Muslims.
Gathering intelligence on every person from all of the countries
listed in the Executive Order seems
a Hurculean effort at best; it's clear the Trump Administration isn't interested in
making that kind of investment, and I doubt that any government would, if they felt
they had a choice.
The counterpoint: the United States of America is a nation of immigrants,
who blazed their own trail and became the greatest nation on earth. Immigration is
part of our national identity — set in stone on Lady Liberty (okay, technically,
set in brass),
The New Colossus:
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
The State of Liberty, with her torch held high, has long stood as a beacon of hope for all who
reach our shores. Yes, there is a security interest. Yes, there is a threat. But closing our
borders and building walls
is not who we are.