10/18/2007

News / Immigration reform will benefit all of us

Linked from: http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/206790
By: Donna Poisl

Everyone in this country will benefit if we have immigration reform and illegal immigrants are legalized. This even includes the people who insist they should all be deported.
We all agree that people should not be here illegally and that we should document everyone entering and leaving our country. Legalizing these illegal residents will benefit the whole country: the military, Social Security, our economy, education, even our national security.
The most immediate benefit would be to business. Our unemployment rate is below 4.5 percent. With so few people out of work now, there would not be enough available workers to replace undocumented workers if they were suddenly deported. Our birthrate is low, our population is aging and the workforce is shrinking.
If farmers can't hire enough workers to plant or harvest, they would close and more of our food would be imported. This would raise safety concerns and bring higher prices. Hotels, restaurants and landscape companies would close.
Even with the recent economic slowdown, there wouldn't be enough workers left to build houses. Factories that could outsource their work overseas would. The companies that close would leave all their legal workers unemployed. Besides these obvious problems, there would be a smaller tax base for affected towns and the country.
A major benefit would be to Social Security. Fifty years ago, there were 20 workers for every retiree on Social Security. By 2030, there will be two workers to cover each retiree. The young immigrant workers here now (and their children) may be the answer to the Social Security funding problems of the future.
Our military would benefit, too. There are almost 30,000 non-citizens on active duty in our military. Active-duty immigrants can apply for citizenship in less time than usual without having to return home before applying. Many immigrants place a high value on training and education available through the military. When citizenship requirements are eased, more immigrants will sign up, which will help enlistment numbers.
All immigrants know they should speak and understand English, but since they could be deported at any moment, there is little incentive to learn. If the undocumented people were required to learn English in order to stay here, they would all learn it.
If all legal residents have to know English, the lines in the grocery store and bank will move faster, neighbors can discuss problems, we'll have safer traffic when everyone can read the signs, women can report domestic violence, parents and teachers can discuss a child's progress, problems can be discussed with a doctor, and contracts and agreements will be understood.
The high school dropout rate for immigrant children is very high. They know that even if they qualify, they won't be able to attend college at an affordable price. If they manage to get a college degree, they can't get a good job because they are here illegally. This defeats the purpose of their education and our country loses the benefits of these young people educated in our schools.
If undocumented people are offered legal status, they would have to register with the government, be fingerprinted and have a background check before receiving an ID card. People who do not pass these tests would be deported.
We will all be safer when all residents have been identified and investigated. And more drug smugglers would be caught when border guards don't have to chase poor men, women and children trying to come in to work and live.
There are many reasons why we need immigration reform and why we all should be happy when we get it. Everyone will benefit when we get a comprehensive immigration reform package passed.


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