Published: May 23, 2006 11:50 am            

WRIGHT: Hoosiers shouldn’t dismiss immigration issue

Settled into my Midwestern life for the past 30 years, I can’t say exactly when it hit me. Maybe it was the day I heard someone speaking Spanish in JayCee’s grocery, or noticed tomatillos and three kinds of chiles in the produce aisle. Or maybe it was the first taste of casazuelos at an honest to goodness Mexican restaurant — not an American’s notion of a Mexican restaurant — 3 miles from my Georgetown home.

Suddenly it was clear: the childhood I’d left behind in Texas along the shores of the Rio Grande had slipped northward to greet me. Since that day I’ve been charmed to find Spanish speakers here and there. It’s a beautiful and — unlike English — logical language. I’ve made Spanish-speaking friends and found that something I had thought was lost has been restored to me.

But I realize the signs of Hispanic culture that I welcome are unfamiliar to many in our community and, for some, may even seem threatening. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates there were approximately 65,000 illegal immigrants in Indiana in 2004 — up from 10,000 in 1990. Diversity like this is new to Southern Indiana. Never mind that our area was settled and farmed by immigrants whose names and families are still prominent in the region. We’re not used to doing the assimilating! Adding to unsettled feelings is the fact that illegal immigration is a complicated issue being played out across a national stage. Misinformation fans fears—the result, an emotional issue complete with protest marches by both pro- and anti-immigration groups and comments by heckling bystanders: “Speak English!” “Stop taking our jobs.” “Go home.”

It’s also a human issue; it’s about a co-worker, the next person in line at the store, another mom waiting at the daycare. Each is an individual with a unique story — why they came, when they came, how they came, the life they have made for themselves. Almost half of illegal immigrants are couples, many with children.

One story I learned of recently: she left Mexico because she wanted a different life for her child. Too many days she recalled, there wasn’t enough food, and when the neighbors had no food, she simply went to bed hungry. She was pregnant when she crossed the desert, on foot, into the U.S. She didn’t think she could do it, but somehow she did.

Nine years later, she and her husband are employed, work at mastering English, and are the parents of two children. She disciplines and guides them, worries about their schooling, meets with their teachers, gives birthday parties with homemade cake and piñatas. There are many more stories — each one a life.

Some people say the issue is simple: entering the country illegally is a crime. Everyone not authorized to be here should be arrested and deported. Even if this were possible—we’re speaking of 10-12 million people—punishment for a crime is usually in keeping with the harm it inflicts. And statistics don’t show evidence of any great harm.

In fact, our economy is prospering, in part, because of the efforts of illegal workers. The 2002 census indicates Hispanic immigrants work hard; only 5.5 percent are unemployed, compared to a national average of 4.8 percent. Hispanics opened new businesses at a rate three times the national average, contributing $222 billion in revenues in 2002. According to estimates by Princeton professor Douglas Massey, two-thirds of illegal immigrants pay the FICA payroll tax and contribute to Social Security ($7 billion) and Medicare ($1.5 billion). A Forbes magazine article states that just 5 percent have received food stamps.

Larry Kudlow, economics adviser for the National Review Online, calls claims the U.S. economy is being undermined by illegal immigration “nonsense,” citing the creation of 175,000 new jobs in the U.S. each month as a clear indication that the economy is not burdened. Tamar Jacoby of the Manhattan Institute estimates the U.S. labor market can absorb up to 400,000 Mexican immigrants each year, yet the U.S. grants only 140,000 visas for unskilled laborers and fewer for skilled.

One proposal for reducing the number of illegal immigrants is simple: grant more visas or put in place an expanded guest worker program. For those currently here with a clean record and employment, creating a pathway to citizenship and curbing further illegal immigration is a plan that makes sense. I side with President Bush on this one; massive across the board arrests and deportations is not a viable or even a desirable response. The truth appears to be, we need workers from our neighbor to the south almost as much as they need us.

My hope is that the debate, in our community and elsewhere, can be based on crafting the best solution to the current situation, rather than reacting to misinformed fears. We can and should acknowledge the lesson our country’s history has demonstrated over and over again: immigrants enrich our national identity, new generations incorporate the values of their adopted homeland, and the result is a stronger sense of our nation’s purpose.

Suzette Wright is a consultant in the area of educational research; she writes and develops materials for the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville. Suzette and her husband have a teenage daughter and have lived in southern Indiana since 1985. She can be reached via e-mail at suzette.wright@insightbb.com

        

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