Dear Editor,
The role that immigration has played, will play and should play in our society has been a topic of great debate. The Trump administration believes that anyone who is not a fully documented US citizen should be removed from the country. On the surface, a seemingly reasonable policy. However, when you dig a little deeper, the situation becomes so much more complicated.
There are many folks – probably millions - who have been living and working in the US for years – often decades - who are not legal citizens. How did this happen? They came in many different ways. They walked across the border in decades past when the border was not strictly enforced. They came with legitimate visas and just did not leave when the visa expired. They were given much delayed appointments for asylum hearings that they missed. They came as members of specially protected groups such as those who assisted our troops in Afghanistan.
Over decades many of these folks settled in, became valued employees and raised families with children that are US citizens. They became responsible contributing members of society even though they were not official citizens.
Some will say “but they broke the law.” Yes, they did. That must be recognized and dealt with but in my mind it serves no purpose to overreact. (I would remind folks that we have a President who has 34 felony convictions and society seems to have found a way to live with that.)
The Trump administration has claimed, quite loudly, that those without official citizenship are the “worst of the worst” – murders, rapists, etc., etc.. There certainly are “bad apples” among undocumented residents. All objective data indicates that they are a relatively small part of the overall group. Nonetheless, they should be identified, deported and/or prosecuted – no question.
The real problem is what to do with those who have not caused trouble and who have become valued members of their communities. Bottom line is that we need those people. Many have filled low skill positions that employers have not been able to fill otherwise. Immigrants have also contributed at the top end of the employment scale. Over the last several decades 40+ % of the US Nobel prize winners in medicine were immigrants.
Birth rates in this country have dropped below that required to maintain a stable, let alone a growing, population. No economy can grow and thrive without a steady supply of workers.
What to do? It makes no sense to deport people who are solid contributors to our country. It also makes no sense to leave responsible members of our communities living in limbo knowing that they could be detained/deported at any time.
Our immigration system is seriously dysfunctional. It desperately needs revision and upgrading. For years this has been apparent but Congress has avoided the issue. It is well past time for Congress to set aside partisan differences, show some courage and enact a fair and workable system. In a very real sense the future of the country depends on it.
Respectfully,
Tom Dean
Wessington Springs, SD