Downtown Austin
Illegal Immigration Tied to Jobs
RECEIVED Mon., Aug. 28, 2006
Dear Editor,
The TV today (Aug. 25) and yesterday carried stories about the various state officials gathering to strategize about controlling illegal immigration from Mexico and other places into the U.S.
The candidate for president of Mexico, Mr. Obrador, posited the following (and I paraphrase): The only way to stop or limit illegal immigration into the U.S. from Mexico is to create jobs for Mexican citizens in Mexico.
So, the opposite of the adage "if you build it, they will come" applies here: If there are no jobs for the illegal immigrants to be had in the U.S. (i.e., if no one would hire them), the illegal immigrants would not come.
Many people point out that, should various U.S. industries (e.g., construction and the agricultural industry, especially in California) stop hiring illegal immigrants, those industries would collapse.
Do we have a chicken-and-the-egg conundrum here?
The TV today (Aug. 25) and yesterday carried stories about the various state officials gathering to strategize about controlling illegal immigration from Mexico and other places into the U.S.
The candidate for president of Mexico, Mr. Obrador, posited the following (and I paraphrase): The only way to stop or limit illegal immigration into the U.S. from Mexico is to create jobs for Mexican citizens in Mexico.
So, the opposite of the adage "if you build it, they will come" applies here: If there are no jobs for the illegal immigrants to be had in the U.S. (i.e., if no one would hire them), the illegal immigrants would not come.
Many people point out that, should various U.S. industries (e.g., construction and the agricultural industry, especially in California) stop hiring illegal immigrants, those industries would collapse.
Do we have a chicken-and-the-egg conundrum here?
Mary Patrick