allowing more legal immigration - controlled immigration and the deportation of illegal alien/criminals expand free trade - insure they pay appropriate taxes if they want to work in the US but not become citizens de-escalate the war on drugs - if rec drugs are decriminalized they will be taxed - no thanks scaling back the U.S. welfare state - illegals shouldn't be able to use services they don't pay for
On May 24, 8:50 pm, "M. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote: > The realities behind the immigration debateByJeffrey Miron| Published: > 05/18/10 at 12:00 AM > Arizona’s new immigration policy, which requires aliens to carry immigration > papers and directs the police to detain “suspected aliens,” has re-ignited > debates over how to reduce illegal immigration. Most of this debate involves > wishful thinking: the claim that stricter border controls or Arizona-like > measures can make a real difference. The reality is that only four policies > can significantly reduce illegal immigration. > The first is allowing more legal immigration. This point is obvious but worth > emphasizing. The United States has an illegal immigration problem because it > restricts legal immigration. So long as large wage differences persist > between the U.S. and other countries, especially Latin America, the desire to > immigrate will persist and occur illegally if it is not permitted legally. > Legal migration, moreover, is good for America and rest of the world. > Immigration allows people in poor countries to seek a better life here, > bringing ideas and energy with them, and it shows the world that many people > still regard America as the land of opportunity. Many immigrants are far > poorer than the poorest Americans, so helping them makes far more sense than > operating a generous welfare state. > Restrictions on immigration are also costly, since they create black markets, > generate violence, and spawn corruption. Fences and borders patrols are > expensive, and they do not seem to reduce the flow of illegal immigrants. So > any attempt to reduce illegal immigration should eschew enhanced enforcement > and instead increase legal immigration. > The second way to reduce illegal immigration is to expand free trade. If > goods can move freely across countries, the demand for low-skill labor will > shift from the United States to poorer countries, raising wages there > relative to here and reducing the incentive to immigrate. NAFTA and CAFTA, > while steps in the right direction, still contain substantial impediments to > trade between the U.S., Mexico, and Central America, and broader free trade > agreements with South America do not yet exist. Since free trade makes sense > independent of immigration concerns, this policy change is a no-brainer. > A more controversial way to shrink illegal immigration is de-escalate the war > on drugs. Many Latin American economies are dysfunctional in part because of > the corruption and violence that the war on drugs generates, and residents of > those countries cross the U.S. border in part to escape that violence. Full > legalization would be the most effective response, but even a major reduction > in enforcement would shrink the violence significantly. Mexico’s drug trade > has been violent for decades, but the explosion in deaths resulted from > Felipe Calderon’s misguided escalation beginning in late 2006. > A further policy that might reduce immigration is scaling back the U.S. > welfare state, although the impact of any such change is unclear. Despite > common perceptions, immigrants do not make especially high use of the social > safety net or migrate mainly to collect these benefits; most come to the > United States seeking work. If immigration were substantially more open, > however, large-scale migration in response to generous benefits would > plausibly increase. So it makes sense to either reduce that generosity or > condition benefits on legal residence for a significant number of years. > The policies that will do little to shrink illegal immigration are increased > border enforcement, stiffer punishments for employers who hire illegals, or > aggressive arrest policies such as those adopted in Arizona. These measures > are ineffective because they do not change the fact that wages in the U.S. > are attractive compared to wages in poor countries. And, for centuries, > immigrants have endured amazing hardships to seek higher income or a better > life in America. Longer or higher fences will not change that. > Instead, stepped-up enforcement will drive more activity underground, > generate more violence along the border, impose costs on law-abiding > employers, and embitter residents of poor countries toward the United States. > Ramped up enforcement is a feel-good gimmick that allows politicians to claim > they have done something about illegal immigration, even though they know the > reality is different. > None of the options for addressing illegal immigration is perfect; each > generates significant losers as well as winners. But the changes advocated > here all improve the U.S. economy by reducing or eliminating policies that > impose significant costs independent of immigration. So the U.S. should > abandon its obsession with the anti-immigration policies of the past and > instead address the real causes of illegal immigration.Jeffrey A. Miron is > Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Harvard University > and Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute. Miron blogs > athttp://jeffreymiron.comand is the author of Libertarianism, from A to Z, > from Basic Books.Read > more:http://dailycaller.com/2010/05/18/the-realities-behind-the-immigration-debate/#ixzz0otlkuFRW > > > > -- > Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. > For options & help seehttp://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum > > * Visit our other community athttp://www.PoliticalForum.com/ > * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. > * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
