Immigration is a challenging issue – just look at the Congress’s failure to enact reforms last year. There are no easy answers, and there is right on many sides of the issue. I am sympathetic to construction workers who see their wages decline as contractors hire undocumented workers. I am sympathetic to Mexican workers who lost their jobs in the Mexican corn industry because of NAFTA, and although that is not an excuse for breaking the law, it should not be forgotten that our own government’s policies have helped to spur undocumented immigration. I have listened to those who argue that “guest worker” programs produce a captive labor force that helps to drive down American wages, and to farmers who argue that without a guest worker program they will be out of business. As a former federal law enforcement officer, I sympathize with those who argue that “the law is the law.” But as a practical person, I do not think it is feasible to round up 12 million people living here without documentation and deport them.
So on this issue, there are no easy answers, but we must try our best. We need comprehensive immigration reform to secure our borders, strengthen our economy and ensure every person within our country is treated with respect and dignity.
By the same token, I support comprehensive reform that includes:
- A path to legal residence for some of those already in the country and have no other criminal violations – though I believe they should pay a fine to acknowledge that they did break the law, and pay any back taxes owed;
- Real employer sanctions to punish those who exploit undocumented workers and drive down wages for citizens and legal residents, strengthened border enforcement;
- Repeal of NAFTA and adoption of new trade policies designed to raise living standards everywhere;
- A reexamination of guest worker programs, to ensure that guest workers have full legal rights (including the right to organize), that the programs will not have the effect of suppressing wages for native workers, and that any guest worker programs be limited to industries that can show a unique need that truly cannot be met otherwise; and
- An opportunity for children who were brought to this country without documentation before they turned 16 and have graduated high school to serve in our armed forces or earn a college degree.
The goal must be to improve wages here and abroad – not reduce them in the pursuit of the biggest profits. With a little common sense and compromise, I believe we can work together to achieve immigration reform that makes sense for America and the world.
