Two recent polls gauged the American public's views towards immigration. Most Americans believe illegal immigration is an issue that needs to be addressed. According to a poll conducted by Mclatchy-Ipsos, 64 percent of registered voters nation wide approved of Arizona's tough new immigration law. A poll conducted by by the Pew Research Center found that 73 percent of Americans approve of laws requiring people to verify their legal status when asked. Two thirds of those polled felt it was reasonable for police to detain those cannot verify their legal status. Despite the findings of these polls, President Obama continues to criticize efforts such as the one made by Arizona as misguided. If we are to take Obama's word for it, the majority of Americans are misguided. Contrary to the will of voters, the Obama administration has gone so far as to file a law suit to block Arizona's new law. Someone needs to stop the voters of Arizona and Obama believes it is his job to do it. As if that weren't enough, even the U.N. has weighed in on the issue by taking time out of its busy schedule to condemn Arizona's law as promoting "ethnic chauvinism."
If the American public supports efforts to limit immigration and enforce immigration laws, and by all accounts it does, why is there so much resistance to it in Washington? It is likely that the reason for this is that the American public is only one factor in the equation. If we examine the debate over immigration, it is evident that they are not the most important factor. Numerous immigration lobbies oppose new restrictions on immigration. Business opposes tough new laws on immigration. Civil rights groups oppose strict laws on immigration. The thing these groups have in common is that they benefit from immigration, legal and otherwise.
Pro immigration activists benefit from immigration because, in Washington, numbers are power. The more immigrants, the greater the influence of the groups that claim to speak for them. Business benefits from immigration because it keeps wages low and profits high. Many in Congress oppose tough immigration laws because they rely on business and immigration rights activists for support. They are also very sensitive to their image in the national press. Stories and photos of illegal immigrants in distress do much to undermine resolution on the issue. Civil rights activists operate under the assumption that those in the country in violation of U.S. law have the same rights and privileges that citizens and legal residents do. They also benefit because the public display of their sentiments encourages support and donations. Additionally, they tend to oppose nearly everything the government does that in any way impinges on the license of individuals.
In the clamor over immigration reform it seems the only group that does not have a voice in Washington is the public. Sixty one percent of the American public is being stone walled by Washington. Health Care reform was passed with considerably less public support but was defended by many in Washington as meeting a need expressed by the public. The public is expressing a need that something be done over immigration. In this case, Washington isn't listening.
It wouldn't take much to address the issue. There are already laws on the books against illegal immigration. All Congress has to do is enforce them. But Washington isn't listening to the public. That is why tempers are rising across the nation. Arizona is listening to its voters. That is why Arizona is acting. If we are going to change the demographics of the United States, we should at least talk about it. But you can't just talk to the voters. You have to listen as well.
Maybe Washington believes this is just a phase voters are going through and that if they ride it out, the voters will forget about it and move on to something else. Maybe Washington thinks voters are confused and once they are straightened out, everything will return to normal. If they beleive this, they do so at their own peril. Immigration is not going away. Unless Washington does something about it, it is only going to get worse.
No comments:
Post a Comment