Is illegal immigration just another issue to use for political gain? You’d think with all the attention to it that folks would want to have —or at least be open to— discussing its root causes. That doesn’t always seem to be true.

An attempt at Bacon’s Rebellion to seriously look at a basic cause of immigration immediately got derailed. At a panel discussion on the subject, the same thing happened to me. When I stuck to the subject, the moderator declared the issue off limits!

Here’s a couple litmus tests on whether the issue’s being cynically used, or if there’s a decent chance of discussion:

Whether illegal immigration is a problem. Disagree over the extent of the problem, disagree over what the problems are, or disagree over how to address the problem all you want. But denying that there is any problem is dishonest, the sign of a closed mind.

Here’s another example:

Send “them” all back on buses. Critics say it can’t be done, because there are 12 million illegal immigrants in America. The statement actually means, ‘I won’t discuss it’; simple calculations show the numbers work easily. Whether it’s politically feasible, affordable, or a good idea doesn’t matter when people refuse to discuss the subject for bogus reasons.

So what is behind all this illegal immigration? What’s driving it? At the personal level, Latin-Americans immigrate —legally or not— for job opportunities. It’s not complicated, they want to work and get ahead in life.

Driving them out are their governments, some of the worlds most corrupt political systems. It isn’t lack of opportunity or product —Interstate 81 is choked with trucks delivering goods from Mexico— that drives masses to America.

Latin Americans are driven away from their homes by corrupt systems that bleed the life out of individual free enterprise. It is endemic; part and parcel of life south of the border.

Anyone who’s ever been there for more than a vacation knows it.  Industry knows it.  The countries themselves know it. Mainstream media knows it. Investors know it.  Even online media knows it.

“Corruption in Mexico remains endemic. This is a country, after all, where one in 20 students has paid a bribe to get a diploma, one in 10 drivers has received a license through a payoff, and one in four residents has bribed city workers to pick up the garbage” —Transparency and Corruption Laboratory at the National Autonomous University of Mexico

So for all you bleeding-heart lefties out there, the best thing that could ever happen to our southern neighbors is government reform.

To all of you cold-hearted right-wingers, the best thing that could ever happen to our southern neighbors is government reform.

To everyone else, there is only one humane, reasonable and responsible response to the waves of poverty stricken humanity that is washing over our borders: government reform in Central America.

Given that America is spending millions every day in Iraq and Afghanistan to bring decent governments to the area; it would seem reasonable for America’s federal government to push our neighbors in Latin America —diplomatically and economically— toward ethics reform.

What’s so hard about that?

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Further data, statistics and associated information found in Transparency International’s Global Corruption Report 2007.

 Lines and Shadows, is still one of the best insights into illegal immigration available.

Tuesday, November 20th, 2007 at 12:55 am.
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