Residency For Illegal Aliens?

The U.S.A. Family Act, proposed by Rep. Luis V. Guiterrez (D-Il), is proposing to give illegal immigrants legal US resident status because they "take part in the economic development of the country."

According to the National Immigration Law Center, legal-illegal immigrants comprised 12.4 percent of the U.S labor force in 2000.

First question is: what exactly is a legal-illegal immigrant? If they're legal, they cannot be illegal and if they're illegal, they cannot be legal.

But ignoring a suspect statistic whether the immigrant is legal or illegal, why exactly are we going to grant illegals US residency?

Is it because they have violated the law for a minimum of five years? Or is it because they are contributing to the welfare state by taking jobs that would otherwise be held by legal US residents?

OK, I'll give you that there are probably a few farms that would fold without access to illegals. But economically, are those good business ventures?

Pure economics says no. A business that cannot cover expenses at market rates is not an efficient use of capital. Which would mean that that capital would be better and more productively (to the overall economy) used if it were directed elsewhere.

In other words, a farm that cannot survive using market rate labor should fail.

Now I'll also give you that our current labor markets are not truly efficient as the minimum wage laws put an artificial restriction on the true "market rate" for labor.

But stop and look at the effects of this U.S.A Family Act for a moment. If all these illegals become legal US residents then their employers can no longer exploit them at substandard wage rates. They can no longer hold up the threat of deportation over an incorrigible worker who is demanding the federally assured minimum wage.

This bill would have the effect of imposing a minimum wage on the current crop of illegals, giving them the same employability issues as our existing involuntary welfare class. We would create about eight million new public dependents who would then be replaced in the labor market by a new crop of illegal workers.

But if immigrants are so dastardly with their taking jobs from American citizens, why would the unions be putting in such a massive effort such as the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride?

It's actually pretty simple. The average American citizen has figured out that the union doesn't really give a damn about them. The unions only care about money, perceived importance and its attendant political clout. This is part of the reason why union membership has been declining over the last few decades, even as businesses become more ruthless in their efficiency.

The unions view the legalization of illegals as an opportunity to try to boost their flagging membership and to create a new class of European or South American type of union militants. If the U.S.A Family Act passes there becomes a small window of opportunity for the unions to organize the newly recognized US residents.

The unions would undoubtedly push for higher wages, benefits, and most importantly more job security than the market would dictate that these workers were worth. If they could succeed in their organization drives before the business community could react and bring in the new illegals, then the unions could push themselves back into the forefront and could possible regain some of the luster they had lost.

I don't think that the timing here is much of a coincidence. On a purely political level, this has the potential of being a masterstroke. As these folks joined the union, their union dues would undoubtedly be used to fund political campaigns. And as they obtained their citizenship, it would be almost eight million new Democratic voters.

But on an economic level, it would be nearly disaster. The farms and businesses that currently employ these people would almost certainly go out of business - or would move (anyone hear the giant sucking sound again?). There might be a temporary boost to the employment figures (measured in tenth or hundreds of a percent, but no mind there!), but ultimately it would lead to higher unemployment and consequent higher social spending.

This bill, the U.S.A. Family Act, is not the bright idea that it appears to be on the surface. The only right illegal immigrants should have is the right to leave. If they want to be here, they need to play by the rules and that includes coming to the country legally (and doing what is necessary to maintain their legal status).

This bill would promote equality only in that it would make more people equally miserable and unemployed.

American residency and citizenship are not concepts to be tossed around like party beads during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. They are rights and privileges - rights and privileges which entail responsibility also.

One of the key responsibilities of American residency or citizenship is a respect for the laws of the land. A general amnesty for lawbreakers undermines that responsibility.

The U.S.A. Family Act would do nothing more than to hasten the demise of the American Family.