"April, April..."

April 2006 - Are countries becoming wise or are we stuck on April Fool's Day?

Whether France was wise to have permitted the mass immigration of people culturally very different from its own population to solve a temporary labor shortage and to assuage its own abstract liberal conscience is disputable: there are now an estimated 8 or 9 million people of North and West African origin in France, twice the number in 1975—and at least 5 million of them are Muslims. Demographic projections (though projections are not predictions) suggest that their descendants will number 35 million before this century is out, more than a third of the likely total population of France.

Was the United States wise to not enforce immigration laws over past decades to solve a labor shortage:" The Pew Hispanic Center used Census Bureau data to estimate that the United States had 11.1 million illegal immigrants in March 2005. The center used monthly population estimates to project a current total of 11.5 million to 12 million. " (AP writer) Stephen Ohlemacher.

"Most countries have laws requiring workers to have proper documentation, often intended to prevent the employment of illegal immigrants. However the penalties against employers are not always enforced consistently and fairly, which means that employers can easily use illegal labor. Agriculture, construction, domestic service, restaurants, resorts, and prostitution are the leading legal and illegal jobs that illegal workers are most likely to fill. For example, it is estimated that 80% of U.S. crop workers are without valid legal status. Illegal immigrants are especially popular with employers because they can violate minimum wage laws secure in the knowledge that illegal workers dare not report their employers to the police.
Some members of the public react negatively to the presence of immigrants, whether legal or illegal, and such sentiments are often exploited politically. However, allegations that the presence of illegal immigrants means increased rates of crime and unemployment are conversely attacked as "anti-immigrant" or "xenophobic" to exploit the opposite political mentality. When the authorities are overwhelmed in their efforts to stop immigration, they may issue periods of amnesties (often called regularization, earned legalization or guest worker programs). (Wikipedia)

Illegal immigration is a crime. Are countries wise to decriminalize illegal immigration? We see laughter and mockery of police by illegals as they demonstrate in France. In the United States they demand to be treated as equal to those who came into the country legally. Do children know better than adults what are best for them? What are the consequences for this policy? These are serious questions and they do have resonable answers.

"April, April - laugh thy girlish laughter: / Then the moment after, / Weep thy girlish tears!" --- William Watson