Musings on Immigration

David Campos, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, states that now is the time to fix the immigration system. After more than a year of campaigning, President Obama finally won much-needed and long-overdue changes to our health care system. Achieving what four other presidents could not, Obama broke through the political impasse to obtain health care coverage for the vast majority of uninsured Americans. The president now needs to take this mandate and act quickly on what should be the next major item on his domestic agenda: modernizing our immigration system. Comprehensive immigration reform requires a balanced and measured approach that includes a broad legalization component, a foreign policy that promotes meaningful and equitable economic development in the region, and humane enforcement measures that strengthen, rather than divide, local communities. Right now, more than 12 million people live under the shadow of fear because they lack legal immigration status. Many...

The Center for American Progress released a report detailing the actual cost of the only solution proposed by anti-immigration restrictionists–Mass Deportation. In “ The Costs of Mass Deportation ,”Marshal Fitz, Gebe Martinez and Madura Wijewardena have put together a realistic appraisal of the costs of the only option other than comprehensive immigration reform. It is not a pretty picture. With costs over 5 years of $285 BILLION dollars (money which most folks understand that we do not have), we are faced with what appears to be an easy choice. One, bring 12 million people out of the shadow economy and into the light. Allow them to pay taxes. Allow them to drive without fear. Allow them to live with their families. Allow them to generate wealth in the greatest economic engine ever created by man, the U.S. economy. Change our legal immigration system to eliminate outrageous non-immigrant and immigrant visa delays and encourage the immigration to the U.S. of the best and the brightest. ...

Are we back in the 70’s? As a child of the 70’s myself, I have not so fond memories of the economy and the politics of that era. I am experiencing a sort of deja vu right now as I consider the possibility of immigration reform happening during this Congress. Now, don’t get me wrong. there were good things about the 70’s. At some point I will think of them and write a blog about them. But, for now, let’s focus on the parallels that cause me concern. The 70’s were famous for “stagflation.” a seemingly unending period of increasing prices, no or slow growth, coupled with a general feeling of the blah’s among the American People. We had lost our “mojo.” It was tough to find jobs, and what jobs you could find were not one’s you wanted to do. The politics of the era were even worse. Simply put: Vietnam, Watergate, Nixon, Ford, Carter. Not exactly a pantheon of great issues or leaders. Here we are in 2010. We have a non-growing economy, with no “stagflation” but with a general sense of the “b...