24 November, 2007

No human being is illegal

I am incensed by people in the US, and other countries, who claim undocumented -illegal- immigrants are simply criminals, that no good can come from them. In my family, what's considered criminal is exactly that kind of thinking. The hero of this story is rather remarkable. Would you give up your chance at a better life to help a stranger?

Salaam.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I strongly disagree. Yes, illegal immigrants are criminals. By definition they are violating the law. However, criminals do not revoke their status as human beings with basic human needs. Within criminality their exists a natural moral hierarchy. Many would distinguish between someone who drives with a suspended license or someone who speeds against a person who violates another human being either violently or through other types of criminal behavior (ex. stealing, etc.). Unfortunately, the USA's immigration laws are naturally racist and inherently complicated which leads many of us to wonder what the motivation of our legislature was upon passing such concepts as "quotas" that don't work. What, then, is the purpose of a tax code that promotes legal tax evasion? Sometimes an observant voter can begin to think that some of our elected officials pass laws for the sake of the law without using basic concepts of reason in how that law will work. Is open immigration an answer? Doubtful that our large corporations will agree to such an economic position. h

Unknown said...

Great points, well said. That's another reason we're friends.

Actually, the title refers to the idea of the person versus their legal status - undocumented.

In my opinion it's referring to the broken world economy that drives people to walk across a desert in the wrong shoes with one jug of water or try to cross the Straits of Gibraltar in a flimsy boat. It's about how broken the whole system is - economically, politically, socially.

It's not denying that there are plenty of problems to be solved or that we should just throw open the doors. As I wrote, I am angry at those who see all of this in such ridiculously stark terms and who use stereotypical imagery that is constantly being disproved by study after study - much like oft cited lazy welfare queen in her Cadillac.

It's addressed to The Minutemen, etc. To those who blame "foreigners" for a country's woes without trying to understand what's really going on.

See, two people can disagree without it turning into a screaming mess like Pundit-t.v. The world needs more of this...