Economy to Provide Immigration Reform

Lost in the whirlwind of bailouts and stimulus packages is immigration reform. Not that long ago, it was a hot issue. It’s hardly lukewarm these days. As the New York Times reports, however, we still have a lot of immigrants, some legal and some illegal. While all Americans are suffering from the recession, the immigrant community is moving toward dire straits.

The Times article focuses on Morristown, Tennessee, where Latin American immigrants have swelled the population there for years. Some of the immigrants were there legally, some not. Almost all of them had jobs, however, until recently. True, they were the worst, lowest paying jobs, but compared to work they would have in Mexico, the American jobs were golden.

With the recession and the recent crackdown on illegal immigrants, the unemployment rate among immigrants is high. Unemployed legal Immigrants, as well as American citizens who are out of work, have access to unemployment benefits, training and job assistance programs, food stamps and the like. Illegal immigrants either go back home or take any kind of job they can find, working for any kind of wage.

American citizens and immigrants, both legal and illegal, have coexisted peaceably in Morristown. But there are worries that if the economy doesn’t turn around soon, unemployed American citizens will, as a last resort, take the “dirty” jobs heretofore reserved for immigrants, causing tension and perhaps litigation.

Just a year ago, we were talking about building walls, deporting illegals, and eliminating government benefits — as well as granting amnesty, allowing long-term illegals an easier path to citizenship, and making it easier for illegals with families to stay here. Regardless of which side of immigration reform you were on, it looks like the economy is going to provide the reform politicians couldn’t agree on.