My wife, Nancy, and I have been living among multitudes of Hispanic undocumented immigrants in Denver, Colorado, for many years. We have served this population of poor and helpless people in the best way we can through charitable Christian organizations. We know these people.
Lately, I have been looking at the various ideas of how the United States might handle our difficult problem with illegal immigration. One rich source of ideas and information is a web site authored by Henryk A. Kowalczyk.http://bit.ly/137WFe(paste into your browser). I do not agree with everything that Mr. Kowalczyk says, but he certainly has ideas that should be considered by us all. I would request that everyone interested in the problem of illegal immigration across the U.S./Mexico border look at his web site.
Another person to whom I have been listening is Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City. Mayor Bloomberg thinks the future of our country mostly rests with the beneficial effects of rather unrestricted immigration. He has a very rosy picture of Hispanic immigrants in the United States. Mayor Bloomberg is under some impressions that I cannot share. These impressions are as follows:
• Hispanics are ready and able to come to the United States, buy a house, and live here for five years without accessing any public services. This is just nonsense. These people are quite poor; and they have, for the most part, only a 3rd grade Mexican education. They have no money; and they cannot compete in the United States culture at this time. They do not buy houses or any real estate; they live in tenement apartment houses. The proprietors of these apartment houses tell me the immigrants move about every 11 months.
• Hispanic immigrants are capable of establishing entrepreneurial businesses. These poor people do not have the educational, economic, or cultural wherewithal to establish any kind of business. They work in construction projects or housekeeping jobs when someone else can hire them.
• Hispanic families are eager to have their children excel in school; and they are willing to work with their children to see that they do well. This is patently untrue. The immigrants we have seen in Denver have no interest in education. They can barely read their own language, themselves; and their only ambition seems to be that they want to get on some kind of government welfare program. Furthermore, they have no learning skills. They fail to recognize patterns in language, which is a skill taught in kindergarten; and they expect to learn how to speak English after attending 1-3 hours of instruction.
After all this, I would say that there is a way to help these very poor and helpless people in our country. We should do it, too! We have an obligation as good neighbors and Christians to help those people south of the border. We must think of ourselves as our brothers’ keepers in this issue. We must help others to come into the fellowship of man—they need help; and you will read about how this might come about if you will read Mr. Kowalczyk’ blog and look at my next blog post at http://www.manringen.blogspot.com (copy and paste into your browser).
Showing posts with label Immigration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Immigration. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Thursday, September 8, 2011
What’s the Answer to the Immigrant Problem?
On 6 September 2100, I specified the reason we are having a problem with illegal immigrants in the United States. Today, I intend to give my answer to this problem.
It must be realized that under the present circumstances with millions of illegal immigrants in the United States, they are collectively sending about $15-20 billion dollars home to relatives in Latin America yearly in the form of remittances. These illegal immigrants are facing increasing difficulties here in the U.S. finding jobs. States are cracking down on them; and even the Federal Government is taking some steps to discourage their presence here. From years of personal experience with these immigrants in southwest Denver, Nancy and I have seen first-hand the miserable circumstances in which these poor people live. It has seemed to me that there must be a better solution to this problem of illegal presence than allowing all the random chaos at the border, which we see today.
We need to find a win-win situation for these poor people as well, for Mexico, and for the United States. Fortunately, there is just such a solution to the problem.
I believe that the United States should start by building an impenetrable fence all the way across the southern border. Then, we should institute an immigrant guest worker program with specified numbers of workers allowed into the country to operate our agricultural and service industries. These guest workers should have temporary legal visas to stay here and work for a specified period of time, at the end of which, they must go home or get the visa renewed. Then these workers should be allowed to send as much money as they wish back home to Mexico; and that amount of money should be documented. Then, yearly, that amount of money should be subtracted from the $20 billion that is already flowing to Mexico and difference should be used to stimulate the Mexican agricultural, educational, and law enforcement economies under very strictly supervised programs. Employers who hire illegal immigrants should be severely fined and/or penalized.
As a corollary to this program, the practice of declaring “anchor babies” here in the states American citizen should be discontinued. (At present, any baby born to illegal immigrants in the United States is automatically designated as a legal citizen of this country. These babies are called “anchor babies.”) This practice is absolute nonsense; and it should be discontinued immediately!
I believe that measures such as the ones I have outlined would greatly mitigate the problem we have with illegal immigrants in the United States.
It must be realized that under the present circumstances with millions of illegal immigrants in the United States, they are collectively sending about $15-20 billion dollars home to relatives in Latin America yearly in the form of remittances. These illegal immigrants are facing increasing difficulties here in the U.S. finding jobs. States are cracking down on them; and even the Federal Government is taking some steps to discourage their presence here. From years of personal experience with these immigrants in southwest Denver, Nancy and I have seen first-hand the miserable circumstances in which these poor people live. It has seemed to me that there must be a better solution to this problem of illegal presence than allowing all the random chaos at the border, which we see today.
We need to find a win-win situation for these poor people as well, for Mexico, and for the United States. Fortunately, there is just such a solution to the problem.
I believe that the United States should start by building an impenetrable fence all the way across the southern border. Then, we should institute an immigrant guest worker program with specified numbers of workers allowed into the country to operate our agricultural and service industries. These guest workers should have temporary legal visas to stay here and work for a specified period of time, at the end of which, they must go home or get the visa renewed. Then these workers should be allowed to send as much money as they wish back home to Mexico; and that amount of money should be documented. Then, yearly, that amount of money should be subtracted from the $20 billion that is already flowing to Mexico and difference should be used to stimulate the Mexican agricultural, educational, and law enforcement economies under very strictly supervised programs. Employers who hire illegal immigrants should be severely fined and/or penalized.
As a corollary to this program, the practice of declaring “anchor babies” here in the states American citizen should be discontinued. (At present, any baby born to illegal immigrants in the United States is automatically designated as a legal citizen of this country. These babies are called “anchor babies.”) This practice is absolute nonsense; and it should be discontinued immediately!
I believe that measures such as the ones I have outlined would greatly mitigate the problem we have with illegal immigrants in the United States.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Why Do We Have an Immigrant Problem?
Every day, hundreds of illegal immigrants pour across the Mexican border. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, there are approximately 500,000 illegal entries into the United States yearly. Even considering that, however, the total number of illegals in the U.S. has been decreasing slightly in recent years—due to the fact that some of them are going home for one reason or another.
The main reasons for illegal immigration into the U.S. are several. First, there is not enough arable land in Mexico to support their food supply needs.
Mexico has two agricultural systems, operating parallel to each other. Producing foods as cash crops for export is the primary goal of large-scale farmers. Although only about 15% of Mexico's land is arable, or suitable for cultivation, 88% of the arable land is used for cultivation of export crops and for grazing cattle. What large-scale farmers produce is determined by what brings the highest prices in international markets. Since the 1970s, most large-scale farmers have been producing the non-traditional crops such as fresh flowers; fresh and processed fruits such as tomatoes, melons, pineapples, strawberries, and mangos; also produced are fresh vegetables such as artichokes, cucumbers, cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, peppers, broccoli, snow peas, and asparagus. Additionally, there are the traditional exports that feed Mexico's northern neighbors, such as sugar, coffee, bananas and cattle. During winter and spring, more than half the fresh vegetables consumed in the United States come from Mexico. They sell to transnational corporations that process or directly transport the products to warehouses and eventually to grocers.
Among those who benefit from the large-scale agricultural system are local wealthy farming cartels and transnational corporations such as Del Monte, Green Giant, Heinz, United Brands, Castle and Cooke, PepsiCo, Ralston Purina, Campbell's, General Foods, Beatrice Foods, Gerber, Kellogg, Kraft and Nestle. Rarely do these corporations own land. Instead, they contract with large-scale farmers. The corporations have capital to invest in technology, seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, transport systems, and marketing.
In recent decades, more and more of Mexico’s arable lands have been converted into the food export industry, so that Mexico is having a hard time producing the corn, beans, and cattle which are needed for the feeding of Mexico’s people, especially, the poor people. It is estimated by the World Bank that half of Mexico’s rural children are malnourished.
In other words, Mexico’s people are starving. Is it any wonder, then, that many young Mexican men are emigrating to the United States to find money to support their families back home? Of course, some of them end up in the larger Mexican cities working in the illegal drug and crime industries. Many Latinos, however, emigrate just because of the crime and violence they find at home. Recently, drug dealers have begun to demand half of the salaries of teachers in the public schools in some districts. They make these demands under threat of death.
Police and government corruption is rampant in Central America, even more than in Mexico, if that can be imagined. With all these incentives, we can understand why poor Mexican and Central Americans will do just about anything to escape such terrible circumstances.
My next blog post will specify what I envision as an answer to this problem.
The main reasons for illegal immigration into the U.S. are several. First, there is not enough arable land in Mexico to support their food supply needs.
Mexico has two agricultural systems, operating parallel to each other. Producing foods as cash crops for export is the primary goal of large-scale farmers. Although only about 15% of Mexico's land is arable, or suitable for cultivation, 88% of the arable land is used for cultivation of export crops and for grazing cattle. What large-scale farmers produce is determined by what brings the highest prices in international markets. Since the 1970s, most large-scale farmers have been producing the non-traditional crops such as fresh flowers; fresh and processed fruits such as tomatoes, melons, pineapples, strawberries, and mangos; also produced are fresh vegetables such as artichokes, cucumbers, cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, peppers, broccoli, snow peas, and asparagus. Additionally, there are the traditional exports that feed Mexico's northern neighbors, such as sugar, coffee, bananas and cattle. During winter and spring, more than half the fresh vegetables consumed in the United States come from Mexico. They sell to transnational corporations that process or directly transport the products to warehouses and eventually to grocers.
Among those who benefit from the large-scale agricultural system are local wealthy farming cartels and transnational corporations such as Del Monte, Green Giant, Heinz, United Brands, Castle and Cooke, PepsiCo, Ralston Purina, Campbell's, General Foods, Beatrice Foods, Gerber, Kellogg, Kraft and Nestle. Rarely do these corporations own land. Instead, they contract with large-scale farmers. The corporations have capital to invest in technology, seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, transport systems, and marketing.
In recent decades, more and more of Mexico’s arable lands have been converted into the food export industry, so that Mexico is having a hard time producing the corn, beans, and cattle which are needed for the feeding of Mexico’s people, especially, the poor people. It is estimated by the World Bank that half of Mexico’s rural children are malnourished.
In other words, Mexico’s people are starving. Is it any wonder, then, that many young Mexican men are emigrating to the United States to find money to support their families back home? Of course, some of them end up in the larger Mexican cities working in the illegal drug and crime industries. Many Latinos, however, emigrate just because of the crime and violence they find at home. Recently, drug dealers have begun to demand half of the salaries of teachers in the public schools in some districts. They make these demands under threat of death.
Police and government corruption is rampant in Central America, even more than in Mexico, if that can be imagined. With all these incentives, we can understand why poor Mexican and Central Americans will do just about anything to escape such terrible circumstances.
My next blog post will specify what I envision as an answer to this problem.
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Mexican Immigrant: The Stress Recipient
Nancy and I work with Mexican and Central American immigrants every Tuesday and Thursday mornings at Crossroads of the Rockies, a food and clothing bank. Most of these people are illegal immigrants.
We receive various reactions from friends and associates about that work. The reactions vary. “You should never do that—you are only encouraging illegal immigration.” Some say, “We think what you are doing is commendable.” Well…both reactions are wrong.
The first comment is wrong because the Bible clearly instructs us to care for and help the immigrant living in our midst. We are not instructed to first consider the immigration laws of our federal legislature to see if we are acting correctly. We are to show mercy first and foremost.
The second response is also incorrect, because the work we do is to be done as to the Lord; and commendation is not the goal.
We, American Christians, should consider who it is who comes through the doors of Crossroads and other compassionate ministries in our country. The Mexicans/Central Americans in these ministries are suffering from lack of money, few jobs, poor education, and systematic discrimination from society in general and the government in particular. In addition to all the above, these poor people live in a drug, alcohol, and violence/crime-soaked society. Their children go to schools where many bad forces influence them. TV and movies encourage them to participate in immoral activities. Their families are riven with spousal abuse and desertion. In addition to all this, they do not have the Spirit of Christ to guide them through the difficulties in life.
We, Christians, need to help these people as long as they are on our doorsteps. However, I must say, that constructive government policies and enforcement of good laws would help this immigration situation immeasurably. Unfortunately, we have neither. Correct government policy could stop a lot of the pain, which these very poor people suffer.
Blanket amnesty for these people would not help them much. They need to be selectively admitted to U.S. citizenship and to a reasonable guest worker program.
We receive various reactions from friends and associates about that work. The reactions vary. “You should never do that—you are only encouraging illegal immigration.” Some say, “We think what you are doing is commendable.” Well…both reactions are wrong.
The first comment is wrong because the Bible clearly instructs us to care for and help the immigrant living in our midst. We are not instructed to first consider the immigration laws of our federal legislature to see if we are acting correctly. We are to show mercy first and foremost.
The second response is also incorrect, because the work we do is to be done as to the Lord; and commendation is not the goal.
We, American Christians, should consider who it is who comes through the doors of Crossroads and other compassionate ministries in our country. The Mexicans/Central Americans in these ministries are suffering from lack of money, few jobs, poor education, and systematic discrimination from society in general and the government in particular. In addition to all the above, these poor people live in a drug, alcohol, and violence/crime-soaked society. Their children go to schools where many bad forces influence them. TV and movies encourage them to participate in immoral activities. Their families are riven with spousal abuse and desertion. In addition to all this, they do not have the Spirit of Christ to guide them through the difficulties in life.
We, Christians, need to help these people as long as they are on our doorsteps. However, I must say, that constructive government policies and enforcement of good laws would help this immigration situation immeasurably. Unfortunately, we have neither. Correct government policy could stop a lot of the pain, which these very poor people suffer.
Blanket amnesty for these people would not help them much. They need to be selectively admitted to U.S. citizenship and to a reasonable guest worker program.
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