But with illegal immigration, things are just dreadful. These are people who invariably are here to work, and have jobs. What's more, in almost all the cases, they are doing dirty, unpleasant and often dangerous jobs, for terrible wages (being illegal, they don't have to be paid the legal minimum), and are often treated terribly on top of that.
Of course part of the disgusting part is that they put up with that because it's still better wages, and often better conditions, than they can get back home, wherever that may be: but that's a different topic, for another day (solve world poverty? sure thing, just after I've done the cure for cancer, and before I devise the end of all racism. World peace is still impossible even on that scale). But because they are being treated marginally less terribly than they are accustomed to, is no excuse to abuse or exploit them, either.
However, there seems to be a general rage, at least among the right wing, and much of what passes for the centre in this area, the so-called Independent voters, directed at illegal immigrants*** sneaking into the country, paying no taxes and using up all these valuable services, like health care at Emergency Rooms.
Which is ridiculous on so many levels it's hard to know where to start. First off, they may not be paying income taxes (although they might well be, & certainly their employers often withhold such taxes), but they are certainly paying sales taxes, car taxes, and so on, all the other taxes and pseudo-taxes that are imposed. Of course, if they did pay income taxes, the amount collected would be very modest at best, given their rate of pay.
Secondly, they're not free-loading - they are doing disgusting jobs that no American is willing to do, at least at anything like the rates of pay offered, and everyone else is benefiting from the fact that those jobs are getting done: either in cheaper goods & services, or in services that don't fail which otherwise would fail. How can this be a bad thing?
Frankly, I think it is the immigrants that are being ruthlessly exploited, and that American society at large is gaining enormously, and would be considerably less affluent, without them. The fact that there are an estimated 12 million**** of them in the country shows how essential they are.
One thing I find endlessly amusing is the right-wing idea that they should be rounded up and sent 'back home'. Aside of the total chaos of trying to enforce this and enact it - a nightmare of
malicious accusations, wrong identities, and shameful abuse - the impact on society, especially in the south-west, would be terrifying and disorienting. Worse, the same right-wing loons would then blow a gasket about the expense, and the terrifying expansion of government power, and how the new Immigration Police needed were Obama's new BrownShirts (again).
Occasionally, right wing politicians try to suggest some way of resolving this, like giving them all long-term visas or creating a guest-worker status. This inevitably leads to their being politically savaged, and either recanting hastily (cf John McCain) or being utterly politically destroyed.
I know many on the left would love to do this, but the whole anti-immigrant thing (conflated by deepseated racism) seems so widespread and deepseated, that they need political support from the right as well, and I can't see that happening: both for the reason above, and because at the moment the whole of the right seems bound and determined to refuse any slightest hint of cooperation, no matter how visibly beneficial it might be for the whole country. Or, to put it simply, they've gone crazy.
I'll end with this charming little anecdote:
When Miriam was 15, her parents trespassed into the United States from Mexico.
Now in her mid 20s, the Wilmington resident still doesn't have citizenship but has become familiar with the health care system.
In the spring, she and her husband -- who both work as custodians -- were admitted to St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington for two days with pneumonia.
When they were released, they faced bills amounting to more than $4,000 and were put on a payment plan that eats up about one-fourth of their combined paychecks.
"I'd rarely go to a hospital because I can't afford to pay for it again," said Miriam, who is not being identified due to her immigration status, through an interpreter. "If I get sick again, I won't go to the hospital unless it's really serious."
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* Haven't got a clue what Native American** attitudes are, as they seem pretty scarce around here (not surprising what with all the depopulation, massacres, and relocations of course). Lots of people who claim to be 1/16th or 1/8th this or that - never something as scarey as a half which might carry, yanno, racial connotations). Not that that would ever happen in New Zealand, naturally :)
** And apparently American Indian is derogatory & been replaced (which I pretty much get, once told, after all what do they have to do with India?). I wonder how long it will be before they twig that America/American is also an imperialist label and they find a word in one of their languages to substitute for it? I would guess some activists have probably tried this already and had the idea kicked to death, as Americans do nationalism & chauvinism exceptionally well (almost to a French level, really).
*** Of couse this is usually meant as short-hand for Mexicans, whereas a lot of the actual immigration is from south america & the caribbean. But then, most Americans dont see any difference between the various Latino nationalities anyway.
**** Who makes these estimates and how, lord only knows, but I'm sure this estimate when made, was deliberately inflated to make more impact of one sort or another. I'm also fairly sure that reality has probably caught up with, and possibly overtaken, the estimate.
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