Minute Men: The New Proud Profession
America Wants Illegal Immigrants
Erik Chavez
Issue date: 4/14/05 Section: Perspectives
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The Southern Arizona desert is the latest battleground for U.S. immigration policy. Minute Men who claim to be protecting the U.S. interest are currently on armed watch on the Arizona border. People from very different walks of life fill the Minute Men ranks. One individual is a Denver-based investment banker - who claims to be on watch for terrorists rather than illegal immigrants seeking work. It is reported that other line watchers have desires that are more nefarious, such as the KKK or [insert your favorite racist hate group here] who (the author would suggest) hope to offer some good ol' southern hospitality to those who are attempting to enter the U.S. illegally. As the battle against José and María Immigrant rages, I think we should address some of the issues that surround the U.S. illegal immigration situation.
The reality of the situation is that José and María are clearly breaking the law to enter the United States by crossing the desert and hopping the Arizona border. However, given that economic conditions are so poor in Mexico and other countries in Central and South America, we cannot realistically hope to change the flow of illegal workers to this country without a substantial cost. Stopping the flow of illegal workers to this country is going to be just as difficult as stopping the Kennedy family from bootlegging alcohol during prohibition or stopping Pablo Escobar from shipping drugs into this country. The simple economic fact of the situation is that if demand calls they will come, legally or otherwise. If the U.S. really wanted to minimize the porous nature of our southern border all that would have to be done is post the National Guard along the Rio Grande with their M-16s at the ready. I doubt North Korea has many problems with people entering (or exiting for that matter) across their border. Undertaking these actions would not reduce demand but it would increase the upfront investment to enter and thus decrease the number of those who attempt illegal entry into this country because the return would be too low.
The reality of the situation is that José and María are clearly breaking the law to enter the United States by crossing the desert and hopping the Arizona border. However, given that economic conditions are so poor in Mexico and other countries in Central and South America, we cannot realistically hope to change the flow of illegal workers to this country without a substantial cost. Stopping the flow of illegal workers to this country is going to be just as difficult as stopping the Kennedy family from bootlegging alcohol during prohibition or stopping Pablo Escobar from shipping drugs into this country. The simple economic fact of the situation is that if demand calls they will come, legally or otherwise. If the U.S. really wanted to minimize the porous nature of our southern border all that would have to be done is post the National Guard along the Rio Grande with their M-16s at the ready. I doubt North Korea has many problems with people entering (or exiting for that matter) across their border. Undertaking these actions would not reduce demand but it would increase the upfront investment to enter and thus decrease the number of those who attempt illegal entry into this country because the return would be too low.