Responding to recent letters regarding immigrants
OPINION — My response to recent letters from MJ Forman and Linda Kavanagh regarding immigrants: MJ’s correct in stating that immigrants have been used as political punching bags. If it weren’t so, we’d already have a much-needed bi-partisan immigration reform bill – proposed by Republicans, agreed to by Democrats – and ready to be signed into law before Trump declared it dead, preferring the continual use of immigrants as scapegoats to be feared.
Linda’s response was somewhat skewed. It’s generally agreed, with facts to back it up, that all things considered, our federal government is a huge winner financially due to the presence of immigrants, even the undocumented ones. They pay federal income taxes, which they’ll never get back, and have been propping up our Social Security program. They fill “essential” jobs, start businesses and they’re ineligible for most welfare programs or insurance subsidies.
While it’s correct that local and state expenditures for such things as education, parks and public safety may rise due to an increase in any population, municipalities generally encourage such growth to increase economic activity such as home building, benefit new and existing businesses, add to school enrollment, increase vibrancy, etc. That’s a responsibility for the various governments no matter who’s moving here. The census counts immigrants and localities are funded based on population. And, remember, the federal government is getting a huge financial windfall.
The moral truth to realize is that the vast majority of immigrants are hard-working, vulnerable families fleeing violence and starvation and desperate for safety and work. They’re human beings, not “vermin,” “animals,” or “criminals,” as Trump calls them. (Right out of Hitler’s script, as are the detention camps.)
Our democratic republic, “sweet land of liberty,” must figure this out soon and humanely, lest everyone lose their constitutionally protected rights to totally unaccountable ICE agents.
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