Issues in Ethnicity and Immigration A Custom Book Compiled by CQ Press Custom Editions CQ Press Immigration Policy Spring 2012 CQ Press Custom Books 2300 N Street, NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20037 Phone: 202-729-1900; toll-free, 1-866-4CQ-PRESS (1-866-427-7737) Web: www.cqpress.com CQ Press content included in this publication is copyrighted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. CONTENTS 1. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION 1 Peter Katel. From CQ Researcher. 2. IMMIGRATION DEBATE 27 Alan Greenblatt. From CQ Researcher. 3. AMERICA'S BORDER FENCE 53 Reed Karaim. From CQ Researcher. 4. CENSUS CONTROVERSY 75 Thomas J. Billitteri. From CQ Researcher. 5. EUROPE'S IMMIGRATION TURMOIL 97 Sarah Glazer. From CQ Global Researcher. Page iii Page iv CHAPTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION 1 BY PETER KATEL Excerpted from Peter Katel, CQ Researcher (May 6, 2005), pp. 393-420. CQ Press Custom Books - Page 1 CQ Press Custom Books - Page 2 17 CQR Immigration 3/14/06 2:25 PM Page 395 Illegal Immigration BY PETER KATEL The Democratic Party sees massive immigration — legal THE ISSUES and illegal — as a massive he only future await- source of voters. The Re- ing María and Juan publican Party looks at the T Gomez in their tiny issue and says, ‘Wow, that’s village in Mexico was work- a lot of cheap labor coming ing the fields from sunup to across that border.’ ” sundown, living mostly on Some other politicians are tortillas and beans. So 10 years following Tancredo’s lead. In ago, when they were both late April, California Gov. 17, they crossed into the Arnold Schwarzenegger ratch- United States illegally, near eted up his anti-illegal immi- San Diego. Now ensconced gration rhetoric. Praising anti- in the large Latino commu- immigration activists monitoring nity outside Washington, D.C., the Mexican border in Arizona, they are working hard at he said, “Our federal govern- building a life for themselves ment is not doing their job. It’s and their young son. a shame that the private citi- Juan and María (not their zen has to go in there and real names) follow a simple start patrolling our borders.” Getty Images/Joe Raedle strategy — staying out of trou- Mexican immigrants in Homestead, Fla., negotiate with a There are more than 10 ble and undercutting com- man seeking four workers on May 7, 2004. Illegal million immigrants living il- petitors. Juan does land- immigrants make up only about 5 percent of the U.S. work legally in the United States, force, but critics say they are taking many Americans’ jobs scaping, charging about $600 by offering to work for low wages and no benefits. compared with 3.5 million for major yard work — Immigration advocates counter that immigrants do the only 15 years ago, accord- about $400 less than the typ- jobs Americans don’t want and bolster the economy. ing to the non-profit Pew ical legal contractor. María Hispanic Center. 2 And since cleans houses for $70; house-cleaning the real ones that employees present 2000 the illegal population has been services normally charge $85 or more. to prove they’re here legally. growing by a half-million illegal im- They aren’t complaining, but María But Harvard economist George Borjas migrants a year — nearly 1,400 peo- and Juan know they offer bargain- counters that when an American em- ple a day, according to the Census basement prices. “You walk down the ployer claims he cannot find a legal Bureau and other sources. 3 street, and every house being built, or native-born worker willing to do a While illegal immigrants make up Hispanics are building it,” María says certain job, “He is leaving out a very only about 5 percent of the U.S. work in Spanish. “This country is getting key part of that phrase. He should add force, they are rapidly making their more work for less money.” ‘at the wage I’m going to pay.’ ” 1 presence known in non-traditional areas Indeed, some sectors of the econ- Many Americans blame illegal im- such as the Midwest and South. Will- omy might have a hard time func- migrants like María and Juan not only ing to work for low wages, undocu- tioning without illegal workers. Bren- for depressing wages but also for a mented workers are creating a politi- dan Flanagan, director of legislative host of problems, including under- cal backlash among some residents in affairs for the National Restaurant As- mining U.S. security. the new states, which have seen a sociation, insists “Restaurants, hotels, But the U.S. government refuses to nearly tenfold increase in illegal im- nursing homes, agriculture — a very tighten up the border, they say. migration since 1990. broad group of industries — are look- “The reason we do not have se- “Immigration is now a national phe- ing for a supply of workers to remain cure borders is because of an insa- nomenon in a way that was less true productive,” he says, because in many tiable demand for cheap labor,” says a decade ago,” Mark Krikorian, exec- parts of the country, native workers Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a lead- utive director of the nonpartisan Cen- aren’t available at any price. Moreover, ing immigration-control advocate in ter for Immigration Studies said. “In lobbyists for employers insist that their Congress. “We have the ability to se- places like Georgia and Alabama, which members can’t tell false papers from cure the border; we choose not to. had little experience with immigration Available online: www.thecqresearcher.com May 6, 2005 395 CQ Press Custom Books - Page 3 17 CQR Immigration 3/14/06 2:25 PM Page 396 ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION Most Illegal Immigrants Live in Four States More than half of the nation’s more than 10 million illegal immigrants live in four states — California, Texas, Florida and New York. Estimated Distribution of Illegal Immigrants (average of data from 2002-2004) Wash. N.D. Minn. N.H. Mont. Vt. Maine Ore. S.D. Wis. Idaho Wyo. Mich. N.Y. Mass. Neb. Iowa Pa. Ill. Ind. Ohio Conn. R.I. Nev. Utah Colo. W.Va. Kan. Mo. N.J. Ky. Va. Del. Okla. Tenn. N.C. Calif. Ark. Md. Ariz. N.M. Miss. S.C. D.C. La. Ala. Ga. Texas 300,000-2.4 Million 200,000-250,000 Alaska 100,000-150,000 Hawaii Fla. 55,000-85,000 20,000-35,000 Under 10,000 Source: Jeffrey S. Passel, “Estimates of the Size and Characteristics of the Undocumented Population,” Pew Hispanic Center, March 21, 2005, based on data from the March 2004 “Current Population Survey” by the Census Bureau and Department of Labor before, people are experiencing it first- whose group favors strict immigra- to illegal immigrants and finishing a bor- hand. Immigrants are working in tion policies. “The depth of anger der fence near San Diego. “We will never chicken plants, carpet mills and con- should not be underestimated.” 5 have homeland security if we don’t have struction. It’s right in front of people’s Grass-roots organizations have formed border security,” Sensenbrenner said in faces now.” 4 in seven states to push for laws deny- March. 7 Sensenbrenner’s tough, new The debate has taken on populist ing public services for illegal immigrants Real ID bill, which has been endorsed undertones, says Dan Stein, president and Rep. Tancredo hints he may run by the Bush administration and passed of the Federation for American Im- for president to “build a fire” around by the House, appears close to passage migration Reform (FAIR), because the need for immigration reform. 6 in Congress. some in the public perceive a wide But reform means different things To Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., re- gap between policymakers’ positions to different people. form means enabling illegal immi- and popular sentiment in affected re- To Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., grants to stay here legally because, he gions. “The issue is about elites, R-Wis., chairman of the House Judicia- contends, the nation’s economy de- major financial interests and global ry Committee, reform means imposing pends on them. “As long as there are economic forces arrayed against the new restrictions on asylum seekers, block- jobs to be had . that won’t be done average American voter,” said Stein, ing states from issuing driver’s licenses by Americans [illegal immigrants] are 396 The CQ Researcher CQ Press Custom Books - Page 4 17 CQR Immigration 3/14/06 2:25 PM Page 397 going to come and fill those jobs,” he said in April. 8 Majority of Immigrants in U.S. Are Legal Echoing McCain, President Bush has More than 21 million legal “permanent” immigrants live in the endorsed the creation of a “guest work- United States — more than twice the number of illegal immigrants. er” program that would grant tempo- rary legal status to illegal workers. “If there is a job opening which an Amer- Status of Immigrants in U.S. ican won’t do . and there’s a will- ing worker and a willing employer, Refugee Arrivals (post-1980) that job ought to be filled on a legal Temporary Legal Residents (2.5 million) basis, no matter where the person comes (1.2 million) from,” Bush said after a meeting at his 3% 7% Texas ranch on March 23 with Mexi- Undocumented can President Vicente Fox and Cana- (illegal) Immigrants dian Prime Minister Paul Martin.