Charles Davenport: Public not buying immigration lines
Late last month there appeared in these pages a series of immigration-related news articles, all of which broadcast the perspective of those who favor amnesty and the extension of full benefits to illegal immigrants. The frequency of such reports, and the consistency of their congenial tone toward the cause of left-wing activists, creates an illusion contrary to public sentiment. News reports on immigration notwithstanding, the public favors increased border patrol, reduced immigration, and a return to the assimilation ethic.
There is, however, one benefit provided by immigration coverage: an opportunity, if not an obligation, to counter the arguments of liberal agitators. We will examine three articles, in chronological order, the first of which ("Let illegal immigrants enroll, community college leaders say") was published on June 20.
According to Stuart Fountain of the state Board of Community Colleges, everyone, including illegal immigrants, should be able to attend state institutions of higher learning. "Without this option," Fountain claims, "we are creating a second-class citizenry, a group of people who have no option but to go ahead and join a gang."
Fountain's dire pronouncement about illegal aliens having only two options -- go to college, or join a gang -- is patently false fear-mongering. Many of us have been led to believe that only the political right is prone to "simplistic" reasoning; that only the right is incapable of deciphering the "nuance" of public policy issues. Fountain demonstrates otherwise.
Fountain's fellow board member, Joanne Steiner, offers a vacuous argument of her own, a statement designed to distinguish her position from that of the benighted, knuckle-dragging masses. Unlike the rest of us, Steiner proclaims, "I am opposed to creating a subculture of people who have no hope." This, too, is a flimsy assertion. An inability to attend college is not the equivalent of hopelessness. In the Third World nations immigrants abandon, hopelessness is the prevailing condition, rather than the rare exception.
Four days later, on June 24, appeared an article ("Protest tries to keep Dream alive") about a gathering of protesters outside Sen. Kay Hagan's Greensboro office. The activists were perturbed that Hagan has not voiced support for the "Dream Act," a piece of legislation that would give children of illegal aliens "a chance at citizenship and education." Nayely Perez Huerta, who reportedly "works for a Latino advocacy group," laments that, "Every year, brilliant minds and futures are wasted at dry cleaners, restaurants and construction sites."
Brilliant minds are usually not found in such occupations. High school dropouts, however, often end up in jobs that, supposedly, "Americans won't do." (In reality, Americans won't do them for minimum wage.) According to the Center for Immigration Studies, about 57 percent of illegals are from Mexico, and they are, for the most part, uneducated. Two-thirds of Mexican immigrants have not finished high school, and they are six times more likely than natives to lack a high school education. Are these the "brilliant minds" to which Huerta refers?
Finally, an article on immigration reform ("Fairness sought in debate over immigration") was published on June 26. The previous day, in Greensboro, there was a gathering of "people of various faiths who are committed to social justice."
Uh-oh. "Social justice" is always a red flag. As illustrated by the activists quoted in the article, its devotees champion radical causes. Here is the Rev. Maria Palmer, a former member of the state education board, speaking in favor of amnesty: "This is about who we are as a nation. We have a choice: We can stand up for our shared American ideals or do nothing but succumb to our worst instincts."
The Rev. Palmer seems to have overlooked one of our shared ideals: respect for the law. Illegal immigrants have demonstrated their feelings on the matter. Unfortunately, Mexican immigrants are not overly concerned about shared ideals.
They are resistant to assimilation, and the rate at which they obtain citizenship is among the lowest of all immigrant groups. Presumably, "our worst instincts" include enforcing the law and encouraging assimilation.
In the same article, the Rev. Hugo Medallin uses the term "catastrophic" to describe "conditions and abuses against undocumented workers."
But surely, even for "undocumented workers," life in the United States is a vast improvement over life in Mexico. It is doubtful that Mexicans would continue sneaking into the United States by the millions to participate in a "catastrophe."
Authentic social justice, the majority believes, would consist of controlling our southern border, enforcing current immigration law, reducing the number of newcomers (legal and illegal), and reviving the assimilation ethic.
Charles Davenport Jr. (daisha99@msn.com) is a freelance columnist who appears alternate Sundays in the News & Record.
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