Immigration laws

[John Roberts]

Re: Immigration laws

Heretofore unstated in this discussion is the fact that the anti-birth control policies of the Catholic Church, the dominant religion in Central America and Mexico and the US Supreme Court (6 of 9, with only Sotomayor voting against Hobby Lobby, for instance) almost ensure that illegal immigration from the southern border will be an ongoing dilemma.

An interesting thesis but I do not see this as a direct cause and effect. It is not unusual for religious organizations to promote child bearing as a long range strategy to gain power by simple numbers (as compared to the one religion that practiced abstinence and not surprisingly disappeared when they all died off). I suspect the situation in SA is driven more by poverty than religion. There is known correlation between rising wealth and reduced family size as most western nations have lower population growth. (note: our economy can use some amount of immigration to supplant our weaker population growth, while we are not as low as Europe or Japan. That said we still can not tolerate wide open borders.)

I vaguely recall reading about a drop in the population growth rate in Mexico as they raise themselves out of severe poverty. I do not know specifically about the three SA countries involved but i suspect they are still in the deep poverty pattern where parents have as many kids as they can JIC to insure a better economic outcome. This is not unique to catholics or SA, as impoverished families in India, and other regions try to improve their economic outcomes. Not having lots of children is a luxury enjoyed by the wealthy.

The poverty is not caused by large families, but IMO actually the other way around as poverty leads to large families. Trade and rule of law will help people raise themselves out of poverty, but the world is still pretty far from universal rule of law and free trade for all.

JR

 

[Tim McCulloch]

Re: Immigration laws

One central issue worth examining is how much culpability do we have for the situation in these countries that makes the dangerous and illegal immigration seem like a good decision. While I do not know who is buying all these illegal drugs, the US is reportedly the big customer el norte powering this illegal activity.

There have been active anti-drug trade programs for decades, and like whack-a-mole as we shut down various routes for the smuggling they pop up elsewhere. While at one time the Caribbean and boats were the main smuggling vehicle, successful interdiction there has shifted that traffic to overland routes taking advantage of the porous Mexican border.

So we return to sealing the border as unfinished business that is our responsibility. Stopping the illegal drug trade is easier said than done. I am not a big fan of decriminalized marijuana but nobody can deny that this will bring millions of dollars of previously illegal activity into the sunlight, reducing the unintended side effects that accompany illegal operations.

I do not think we as a nation are ready to decriminalize all drugs but only something like that could alter the dynamic in those SA countries over night.

If we ramp up the anti-drug activity in those three countries, I fear it will be another case of whack-a-mole as the drug trade adjusts to find new bases and routes.

IMO the solution to the illegal immigration problem has always been two-part. First improve the barriers at the border to make it harder to come across, but second and at least as important is reduce the reward for illegally entering and living here. If illegal immigrants could not get work here, and increasingly free handouts, there would be little reason to come here.

Our handling of part two is as bad or worse than our handling of part one, and some even argue for open borders and expanded entitlements for all.

I do not see any easy answers to this and not much honest discussion about the underlying problem (illegal drug trade).

Just one of several poorly managed policy issues we face.

JR

Prison time for employers who hire undocumented workers. Watch how fast this will stop when those employers go to jail for say, 5 years and get fines in the 6 - 7 figures.

 

[John Roberts]

Re: Immigration laws

Prison time for employers who hire undocumented workers. Watch how fast this will stop when those employers go to jail for say, 5 years and get fines in the 6 - 7 figures.

EXACTLY..... but this is the enforcement back end of legislation that rarely gets fully executed. You can pass a law that says it is illegal to hire undocumented workers, but unless you fund the enforcement and actively pursue prosecutions the law is ineffective. FWIW I recall reading about a significant sized employer in MS (no not Peavey) who was busted a couple years ago for hiring a bunch of illegal workers in his factory. I do not think the owner did any hard time, but there was a nasty enough fine to discourage him from doing that again.

Most laws are obeyed because of the fear of being caught, rather than any expectation of 100% enforcement. This is why we see the perp walk on TV of high profile arrests, to scare everybody. If there is no apparent punishment for being caught coming across the border, and instead you get three hots and a cot, what do we expect to happen?


JR