Becoming Uncomfortable: Discussing Moral Issues of Immigration Reform
In the last two months I have taken to this blog to update you all on the latest immigration reform efforts in Congress. I, like most who discuss immigration reform, have cited the economic benefits of a path to citizenship as well as countless other provisions in the immigration reform bill S.744. However, today I would like to discuss something different, something controversial and yet very poignant: the complete disregard of morality in talks of immigration. I myself have fallen into this argument template, and I believe that while important, it is just wrong and inhumane to solely discuss immigrants (both documented and undocumented) as a source of human capital. When we discuss matters that directly impact the lives of human beings it is important to discuss not just the economic factors, but the personal as well.
Today I was privileged to attend a forum concerning the importance of a path to citizenship in talks of immigration reform presented by the AFL-CIO and the Economic Policy Institute. The group of speakers at this event ranged from Dreamer activists, decorated professors, prominent businessmen, and current politicians including Representative Xavier Becerra and Senator John McCain. However, the most powerful impact came from undocumented Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, who discussed both his personal experience being undocumented as well as multiple anecdotes that he retained from his travels, leaving those in attendance and on stage in awe. In his last words he encouraged the audience to have uncomfortable discussions surrounding the issue, and to not just fall into the same bullet pointed memos that are read by organizations or politicians.
The tone by which a path to citizenship was discussed immediately shifted at that point. What was a discussion on the economic benefits of citizenship for undocumented immigrants became a discussion of undocumented citizens as individuals trying to make a living and support and keep their family together. They were not spoken of as “illegals” or criminals but as people, no different than the millions of Americans trying to do the same, The only thing separating them being a country of birth, influenced irrefutably by chance.
Therefore it is very important for us to approach the issue of a path to citizenship from an economic perspective, but also from a human perspective. If asked to define what being an American is, many Americans would not simply a state owning or receiving a certificate of citizenship or birth. America continuously prides itself on being a nation that is inclusive and accepting. Simultaneously there is an under class of people living in the shadows without basic protections from abuse and mistreatment.
That is why a blog post like this is important. There are very few statistics that can adequately display the difficulties of living below basic protections, and there is nothing that can detail the strife of a family separated by deportation. I am not advocating against a secure border, nor am I condoning breaking the law. However, I would like to push anyone reading this post to, as Jose Vargas encouraged, be uncomfortable. I would like to encourage everyone to not look at this debate in the way that the media or Capitol Hill sells it to you. I would like to see everyone look at a path to citizenship and the availability of basic fair wages and safety net protections as a foregone conclusion when discussing reforms. To allow for these men, women, and children to obtain the rights that, despite many misconceptions, they have risked their livelihood for. We need a secure border and a reformed immigration system. However, as Americans we also need to handle our reform in a way that ensures liberty and justice for all. At least that is my definition of being an American.
-Paul Stern, Worker/Immigrant Rights Intern