The people came. And they have stayed. They want to be productive members of society; they want opportunity, jobs and equal rights. They want a real share in what it means to be a "citizen." They have been shunted aside, glared at with fear and scorn -- called demeaning names and ethnic slurs. The government under which they live has failed them; indeed, for so long it did not even attempt to help.
I am not, however, speaking of the illegal immigrants in the United States who have swarmed north from Mexico and other Latin American countries. I refer to the largely North African immigrant population in France, currently living in cordoned-off slums. However, it is easy to see the striking similarities between America's immigration problems and France's. True, the vast majority of France's ethnic underclass arrived legally; however, they have not been assimilated. They have not been given the chance. Thus, crime in these slums is rampant and opportunity is minimal. For these people, unemployment is an epidemic.
In contrast, our ethnic underclass is largely employed. And they desperately desire to have their part in the American Dream. Should we institutionally marginalize this population -- as France has done due to negligence -- we will find ourselves in the same perilous position. These immigrants are not going anywhere, and it is nave to believe that we can simply deport 11 million people, especially when so many Americans believe they are crucial to our economy -- who else will pick our fruit? The Sensenbrenner bill, recently passed by the House, would classify illegal immigrants and those who aid them as felons, essentially persecuting them. This, in turn, could prompt the immigrants to coalesce and become a segregated, disenchanted and disgruntled underclass that could one day combust, just as the residents of France's slums have done in recent months.
Tuesday, another columnist in The Dartmouth wrote about The Dartmouth Review banner that read, "Illegals are criminals. Send them home." He deemed the banner "a legitimate message that is part common sense and part policy opinion" ( "Refocusing the Immigration Debate," May 16). It is policy opinion, and it is legitimate. And if by "common sense" he means that the definition of the word "illegal" equates to criminality, then yes, he is correct. However, common sense, predicated upon intelligent analysis, would point in the opposite direction. Common sense would understand the infeasibility of this approach. Common sense would look to France and see the ominous future that awaits us if we turn our back on this population -- regardless of the means by which they arrived. Common sense would dictate a much more circumspect and moderate approach.
France only acknowledged and attempted to address the terrible conditions in which these people live after they erupted in violent protest. The government proposed a bill that would make it easier for employers to give this predominantly young population jobs. The subsequent protests by university students rivaled in power and exceeded in number the rioting protests of the immigrant class. The young "haves" in French society -- the university students -- believe that a life-long job is their birthright, regardless of the fact that it comes at the expense of the ghetto-crawling underclass. If we allow our Latin American immigrants to sit and fester as second-class citizens -- as non-citizens, in fact -- by the time we acknowledge the problem, perhaps it will be too late, as it may be in France. And the problem is an inevitable one: 11 million oppressed people do not sit idly by forever.
We must learn from France's mistakes. We must make sure that we do not commit the same error and leave these people to destitution, devoid of their human rights. We must give the hard working among the 11 million illegal immigrants in this country a path to assimilation -- a path to earning a living wage free from exploitation. Otherwise, we will be where France is now: bogged down, incapable of change, incapable of redressing these errors.
However, the issue of immigration in the United States is two-fold: How do we stop the flow of illegal immigration, and what do we do with the illegal immigrants already here? I agree that we cannot allow people to continue to enter this country illegally. It sets the wrong precedent. It is contrary to law and order. It is pernicious to national security.
Thus, I support Senator John McCain and Senator Ted Kennedy's proposal: we must find a middle ground between the immigration-hawks on the right and the softies on the left. We must toughen border control. This does not mean building a wall along our southern border, as the Sensenbrenner bill would have us do. A wall only exacerbates the divisiveness already fermenting, and there is little evidence that a wall would prove effective. Indeed, a recently discovered half-mile long tunnel underneath our border demonstrates that there is always a way to breach a wall.
We must make it easier to gain citizenship. The easier the legal path, the fewer the number who choose the illegal one. First, we must grant visas to the deserving among the illegal immigrants already here. These visas must be the first step toward full citizenship, provided that the immigrants pay back taxes, take steps to learn English, etc. The use of visas will also give Mexico a greater incentive to cooperate and stymie illegal immigration northward. Bush's proposal to place thousands of National Guardsmen along the border would have the opposite effect: militarizing a border -- like building a wall -- does not encourage Mexican cooperation. And this cooperation is crucial for our border to be truly secure. Additionally, our National Guard is stretched far too thin as it is, entangled in unjust wars and bungled natural disaster recoveries. Rather, in our moderation -- which includes stricter border control -- we will find efficacy and partnership with Mexico.
Toughen border control appropriately; facilitate assimilation. Only by so doing can we protect ourselves and stand up for the rights and decency upon which we claim to be founded.
Let us learn from France's mistakes. We must do so before it is too late.
