The Immigration Question?

Foreign policy magazine has, yet again, out-done itself. They have just published a great photo essay on migrant workers. The problem with immigrant law—and common sentiment concerning immigrants, in general— is that the the American population is dependent on the cheap labor of immigrants. While this may seem like I'm "soft" on immigrant, I'm not. And, moreover, I understand that illegal immigrant is, in fact, "illegal." However, all of us are dependent on our migrant's cheap labor. The fact that this has been politicized, incorrectly, in my opinion, is fogging people's judgment.

People ought to understand that the question at hand is politicized for that very reason, politics. The immigrants are a new voting sector of the population. Which ever party gets their votes, may more easily win elections.  The question is; would this question fall along such cleavaged party lines if the migrant population was competing for union jobs? I would argue that northern industry would be just as "racist" if migrant were taking good paying union jobs. I have no doubt that illegal immigrant could build GM cars just as good as anyone else. And, if in fact Chevy trucks were being made by cheap migrant labor, the other side would be quick to look to government for protectionist measures.  We can simply look to the Chinese Exclusionary act of 1882 as an example. In 1882, after the Chinese immigrants had build the American infrastructure—the railroads— after years of service as house-keepers, and launderers, they were subject to a law even more Draconian law than the law in Arizona.

The angry men in the cartoons were union miners. The chinese were willing to work for less, thus they were taking union jobs. Ask yourself, if the Mexicans were taking union jobs, would the Democrats continue to argue along the same lines?  

The point here is that while many have put this question along arguments of "social justice," that real question is "why is this question cemented along political party lines anyway?" We are all dependent on migrant labor, and, at the same time, Americans have a right to protect their property. If the shoe was on the other foot, would the other side be any less "racist."