Here's Noahpinion's take on the matter.
First of all, much of the debate revolves around the question of whether illegal immigrants benefit the economy. Bush, who famously claims that illegals take the "jobs that Americans won't do," is taking flak for that statement from liberals and nativist conservatives alike. This editorial in the liberal Huffington Post claims that, without illegals, companies would have to hire American workers at higher wages, boosting both employment and wages. The article points out:
When the demand for workers is high and the supply of laborers is low, the rational solution would be for employers to raise wages, increase benefits, or both to ensure that supply catches up to demand. But that would mean actually spending more money, and we can't have that. Instead, employers have found a way to get around their obligations by employing "undocumented" workers (and thus creating a demand for illegal labor).Rich Lowry, editor of the conservative National Review, stated a similar thing in an interview, when he said that the labor market clears (i.e. employers will always be able to find someone to do any job), and that curbing illegal immigration thus helps American workers.
These guys aren't seeing the whole story. The market might always clear, but the size of the market isn't constant. In other words, the companies who now hire illegal immigrants wouldn't all just fork over more cash and hire legal workers if their illegal labor force dried up - some of them would just have to close shop. There are some jobs that no one (or almost no one) in America can afford to pay $10 an hour for someone to do (trust me on that - I picked cotton for a summer while I was a teenager). Without illegals, these jobs wouldn't go to Americans, they would just vanish. Cheap labor is one way companies make money - without cheap labor, you have higher wages, but also fewer companies.
Also, having cheap workers take all the low-end jobs means that Americans - adults, not teenagers - are forced to "move higher up the value chain." Having low-paid immigrant workers take all the cheap low-skill jobs means that most Americans have to improve their skills, go back and get another degree, learn how to use technology, and actually (gasp!!) make their kids skip football practice to study math. That can't be a bad thing.
Now, there are other good reasons to impose stricter controls on illegal immigration. One of these is terrorism - the fear that terrorists could come across the border from Mexico is real. The second is assimilation - illegal immigrants take about 15-20 years longer to assimilate into mainstream American society than their legal counterparts. That's bad, because it keeps immigrant families poor longer, creates ghetto areas where crime flourishes, and builds barriers between segments of American society.
Thus, I support the guest-worker program. Turning illegals into legals is the best solution for all concerned. We should secure our borders, but we should keep taking the tired, hungry, and poor. America's almost supernatural ability to assimilate immigrants is this country's greatest natural advantage, and we'd be insane to squander it. Those immigrants work hard, make the rest of us compete, and add diversity to our society. Their children speak English, start businesses, and become richer than their parents. This is an old story.
Every time a new wave of immigrants comes in, nativism rears its head. But every time so far, America's pro-immigration tendencies won out, and the country was strengthened as a result. Let's hope that happens again this time around.
PS - This article in The Economist echoes my post about France, but says it better. And here's a funny study...so much for the "power of prayer."
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