immigration
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The most important legacy of this theatrical debate most likely will be the mass protests staged by a minority who is increasingly becoming politically ambitious. All of the sudden, we have come to the realization that Latinos are making their voices heard throughout the country en masse. Of course, Latino's have always been coming here. In fact, in some parts of the country like New Mexico, they were here before Anglos were. In some cities like Miami, they have sought and gotten large amounts of economic and political power. In fact, Miami is arguably the capital of Latin America, for here we have every nationality in the region represented. Hispanics in fact represent a solid majority of the population.
Nationally however, Latinos have been much less influential. Over the past few months, the social landscape has been rocked. On April 10, almost a million people marched in cities like LA, Dallas, Miami, Washington DC and New York. The fact that there were more fully enfranchised Latinos marching against legislation that goes against their people's interests is what makes these events so significant. Many Latino's living in this country lacked citizenship and therefore a voice in our political affairs, but that is changing as well. The bottom line goes back to demography. It does not matter whether or not we build a Great Wall along the US-Mexican border, Hispanics will continue to become more politically stronger. Why? Simply put, they are on average younger and very socially ambitious.
Of course, there are economists who acknowledge that Hispanic, primary Mexican and Central American, has depressed wages for low skilled workers, much to the detriment of Anglo and black workers. Most estimates however indicate that immigration doesn't really have an effect on wages. Of course, there is the free rider dilemma of illegal immigrants putting an excessive burden on our public infrastructure, which are paid for by US citizens who pay taxes. That is the economic/political problem that has to be addressed. How can the government fix this problem? I suggest we increase legal immigration. It's clear that restricting them from coming here hasn't really helped. America has a very rich labor market. Removal of work restrictions would increase the immigrants contribution to the economy by keeping their work legal. This will mean that they will need to rely less on the government, while increasing the chance that they will fall under US labor standards, which in general are higher than in many Latin American countries.
But the question isn't entirely economic; it is also a cultural one. People fear that Latinos are beginning to get more powerful. There is a fear that their language, culture and customs, which aren't really that different from Anglo traditions when you really analyze it, will water down the concept of what it means to be an American. Whether or not Latino's are planning on staying here or if they're just temp workers, many are learning how to speak English. However, they're also keeping Spanish as a primary language. Spanish is becoming the second language of the US, and that is very intimidating to many people.
Some argue that unchecked immigration is bringing with it certain cultural values that are largely alien to the concept of America as an Anglo-Saxon nation. But this ignores the fact that America is defined by more than just the English population. In fact, America was defined by waves of immigration going back to the discovery of the New World, most of which did not consist of English immigrants. This country in the past has proven that an inclusive attitude, along with the ability to adapt to change are the keys to a diverse and pluralistic society. So why should we all the sudden deny this very important part of our heritage? Whether or not you like it, we will have to face the reality that Anglo's within the next fifty years may be a minority here in America. In California and New York, they already are in the minority. If this trend continues, other states like Arizona and Florida will follow suit very soon.
This is reality, especially in an increasingly globalized society where labor, resources and capital travel very fast throughout the world. More than anything else, the main engine behind the immigration debate is globalization. Society is changing fast, and will continue to do so.
