Opinions

Our View-Easing immigration hails infrastructure investment

This country would be unrecognizable without Mexican immigrants, the men and women who often perform the thankless jobs that many privileged citizens might refuse to do. How many middle-aged white guys would work all day as a gardener and then head straight to the local restaurant to cook and clean until midnight?

Yet to portray these humans as simple laborers is stereotypical. They have a strong and proud heritage, one noticeably admired by Americans who live in ranchero-style homes and line up at their favorite Mexican food joint for a Burrito Especial.

We forget that most Mexican immigrants are here not because they dislike their country, but because they can’t find work in Mexico.

Critics of Mexican immigrants say they take jobs from American citizens, increase crime and steal money from the welfare system. If this is true, shouldn’t there be an initiative to increase jobs in Mexico that would in turn lessen the immigration issues in America?

Enter Arnoldo Torres, an American political activist of Mexican heritage trying to get Congress to look at a “permanent mechanism” proposal that could reduce illegal immigration.

According to the Sacramento Bee, the plan “is a U.S.-Mexico partnership to build infrastructure projects and create jobs in rural Mexico to stem the flow of migrants.”

Torres doesn’t want to keep all Mexicans from migrating north, however. His plan includes a “six-year, phased-in legalization for some undocumented workers, but not everybody and his grandmother.”

What anti-immigrant groups don’t realize is that Mexican immigrants looking for legitimate work do not threaten the “American “Dream.” The real threats are the drug dealers and terrorists who are trying to harm our country by sneaking across borders — and not all are Mexican.

Reducing the need for illegal immigrants to come to America for work will make the borders much less crowded. This will allow the border patrol to more efficiently go after those who pose serious danger to our nation.

Some say that an economic stimulus plan should be America’s priority, not foreign aid to Mexico. With already $1 billion committed to help fight drug cartels, why can’t some of that money be used to create legitimate jobs to reduce the common person’s vulnerability?

According to Robert Pastor, a Latin America expert at America University, creating jobs in poorer neighboring countries has proven to reduce immigration.

“A transitional development fund in the European Union helped poorer nations prosper, and that slowed illegal migration,” said Pastor.

It’s encouraging that Torres is working to get this in front of Congress and the Obama administration. He realizes this strategy not only helps Mexico, but America as well. Torres is willing to put great effort into making this proposal a reality.

“You’ve got to put this in legislative form that members can vote on. You can’t just demand Obama do something,” said Torres.

Immigrants founded America. The only indigenous people are Native Americans, who were incorrectly called Indians because a conquest-hungry European explorer screwed up and thought he was in India.

Having white skin does not make you any less of an immigrant, or a better human being, than a Mexican migratory survivor.

4 Comments

  1. Avatar
    Lakota Nation

    To Your name—What about the Native Americans, the First Nation, who were victims of colonization, genocide, rape and theft when “hard working Americans” killed them and stole their lands? That also was a European approach. Even if “the Natives” immigrated from Africa, they did so at least 10,000 years before white Euros ‘discovered’ the Western Hemisphere, making us the original land owners even by Euro and American standards of imperialism. But what good does it do to try explaining that to a nativist who feels a justified entitlement to possessing stolen property?

  2. Avatar
    canadian illegal

    Yeah, Aula does seem to be obsessed with Mexicans. I’m glad I snuck in from the northern border. It’s funny he’s writing for the 49er after he threatened to sue them and shut them down at last year’s ASI elections meeting. It’s funnier the 49er doesn’t even read their own crap that shows his contempt for them. The best way to bring down an organization is from the inside, eh?

  3. Avatar

    All you have to do is write “immigration” and Jason Aula pops his racist little beak out of the sand at The Beach. This little freak wouldn’t know a hard day’s work if it bit him on the ass.

  4. Avatar

    Wow! Your stance on this one really surprises me. HA! Hate to break it to you but all life started in Africa so even the Natives moved here from somewhere. The United States also has one of the largest immigrant populations in the world and the fastest population growth in the Western Hemisphere. So hard working Americans may have some reasons to complain. Have you seen the European continent’s approach toward immigration?

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.

Daily 49er newsletter

Instagram