The debate over border and immigration policy has been and continues to be at the fore of the political divide, even though only a small portion of America is close to the border. Some believe the current state of illegal immigration to be a stimulus for lawlessness and crime, while others see it as a symbol of hope and opportunity.
The United States has used immigration policy throughout history as an impetus for development and a source of labor. Of course, immigration policy – and the exclusion of or quotas set on certain groups – has also been associated with some of America’s worst moments in terms of racism and intolerance. Even today, one can characterize what the political climate of a Western country is like based on its immigration policy.
I firmly believe in the importance of immigration. I support allowing as many legal immigrants and asylum-seekers as possible. If moving to the United States is what an individual or family wants – whether it be for urgent causes involving safety and health or causes relating to economic opportunity – I believe it is just to open avenues for them to come here.
The thing that conservatives as well as some liberals have a problem with is when the immigration is illegal. I understand the concern regarding the lack of a system to monitor who is entering our country and for what reasons. Every so often, there is a criminal who crosses the southern border, and perhaps in the future such a route could be used by someone who wishes to do America harm on a much larger scale.
These are understandable concerns (albeit often overblown depending on the source of news you consume). Therefore, the question is how to let people who want to travel to the United States for legitimate reasons in on a larger scale while being able to filter out bad individuals. This is not a trick question – the answer is significantly expanding the resources and paths devoted to legal immigration and asylum claims.
I am no expert on the specifics of the infrastructure, policy and institutions devoted to processing asylum claims or applications for visas/green cards, but nonetheless, there is a significant bottleneck in the immigration system. If such a system were accessible, while giving a solid probability of success to those moving for valid reasons, many undocumented immigrants would have opted for the legal route instead.
Americans may question how beneficial such immigration would be for the United States. There is of course the age-old argument that such people would take jobs that existing Americans would fill, or they would prove to be a strain on public institutions meant to provide support to poorer segments of society. To address the former concern, I would advocate a larger population would also increase the number of total employment opportunities. As for the latter, while it is true immigrants from the places in question (Latin America) would be poorer, they are also disproportionately younger adults admittedly willing to work much more menial jobs than many of us would. If we wish to keep certain industries and economic activities within the United States, “unskilled” immigrant labor may prove essential.
Finally, and perhaps most unexpectedly, immigration is a net positive for national security. Not only would a rigorous screening process eliminate any potential threats, but a larger, younger, more productive work force would, well, produce more. This is not to mention immigrants can help slow the declining birthrate/aging population phenomenon occurring in many Western countries. A consequence of all this is that national defense – both in terms of the capacity and size of both the defense industrial complex as well as the military itself – is bolstered as well. Thus, not only can immigrants help America economically, but they can make America safer as well.
Janagan Ramanathan is a Sartell High School alum, former U.S. Naval Academy midshipman and current aerospace engineering major at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
