Project Economic Refugee

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Now, let’s tackle the most common misconceptions about “illegal immigrants” and immigrant rights activists:

Myth: immigrant rights activists want open borders.

Fact: no one is talking about “open borders.”  In fact, we argue quite the opposite: by having a more humane and comprehensive immigration reform, we would be able to control our borders better by keeping a legal record of and knowing exactly who comes into the U.S. This is an issue similar to the Driver’s License debate: why shouldn’t you give a Driver’s License to an “undocumented” immigrant so that you could have a better record of and keep track of him/her? 

Myth: “illegal immigrants” and “immigrant rights activists” complain about the U.S.’s “inhumane” immigration policy when other countries have worse immigration policies of their own than the U.S.’s.

Fact: two wrongs do not make a right.  For the sake of argument: just because Mexico or any other country might have been guilty of having an inhumane immigration policy of its own in the past, it does not mean that it is okay for the U.S. to have an even more horrible one.  The U.S. is supposed to be better, not worse, than other countries.

Myth: the U.S. can’t be a welfare state for the rest of the world.

Fact: the U.S. shouldn’t be a welfare state for the rest of the world.  That is precisely why the U.S. needs to start treating the “illegal immigration problem” as what it truly is: a HUMANITARIAN crisis.  By talking about it and treating it as such, international bodies could be brought in to help out: such as the U.N. and the Organization of American States (O.A.S.).  Until the U.S. starts to address to root cause of “illegal immigration”: the poverty that creates “illegal immigrants”, no amount of deportations, no border walls no matter how high, and no detention centers will stop human beings from trying to escape their abject living conditions by crossing the border and seeking a better life for themselves and their families.

Myth: if the living conditions of these immigrants’ home countries are so damn bad, why do they not stay in their countries and do something about it?

Fact: they have tried, and they have done so for years, oftentimes with dire consequences not only to themselves but to their loved ones.  Don’t you think that if they could’ve changed things so easily, they would’ve done so already, a long time ago?  Do you not watch the news?  What do you think all those Latin American guerillas and bloody socio-political chaos across many decades were about?  They were about trying to change the status quo.  It is a process, and change will not come overnight.

Myth: by having immigration reform or “amnesty”, you are rewarding criminal behavior.

Fact: first of all, crossing the border to escape poverty, hunger, or to just pursue a more dignified life for you and your family with no documents on you formally allowing you to do so is not a “criminal” offense.  It is a CIVIL violation; BIG difference.  For a detailed explanation of this, go here. What kind of language is used in this topic is no small thing; as anyone knows, it is absolutely central to the interpretation of our laws.  Point in case: do you call a jaywalker an “illegal walker”?  Do you call any U.S. citizen that speeds in his car an “illegal driver”?  There is certainly something occurring here that has been forced to go under the shadows because of a humantarian crisis that is taking place.  However, shutting down the debate and being staunchly against immigration reform just because you think that a “criminal offense” took place and decide that that is the end of the story is like tryinig to block out the sun with one of your fingers.

Myth: well, if you choose to cross the border and complain about our laws, then you should’ve thought about that before crossing our borders and start taking responbility for your own actions.

Fact: if you want to talk about doing illegal and/or wrong things then maybe you should talk about how the United States has many times contributed to the economic woes of the countries many of these immigrants come from. If you want to talk about taking responsibility for your own actions, then maybe the United States should take responsibility for what it has done with the International Monetary Fund’s INTERVENTIONS(click here for details) in third world countries. If you want to talk about wrongdoing maybe you ought to be talking about American companies like WalMart and its low wages/cheap labor practices. Maybe you ought to look into how some American business interests have gone into many countries, sucked them up dry, and bailed out; adding to their economic woes. It is time for the United States to take responsibility for its own actions and for it to be once again a shining beacon of hope that sets the example for others to follow.