Immigration 2
Illegal immigration was hot national news a minute ago.
Now it seems to have dropped off the map nationally, while growing as a local issue. Here in the greater Philadelphia Co-Prosperity sphere, two localities have enacted tough anti-illegal immigrant laws: Riverside, New Jersey, and Hazelton, Pa.
Yesterday, I heard a report on Here and Now:
Mr. Bowden sees the pressure of immigration from Mexico and Central America to the United States a analogous to the pressure from Africa to Europe–driven by economic pressure as persons flee poverty looking for hope–a world-wide, rather than a local phenomenon.
Consequently, he suggests that neither fences nor temporary amnesties, not to mention gun-totin’ militia (we’ll save the part about Sam Adams rolling in his grave for a future date), will do much to hold it back.
I think anyone who wants to get beyond the slogans and consider this situation carefully would find this report well worth a listen.
Listen here.
Follow the link–the article is fascinating reading.
September 6, 2006 at 7:02 pm
Part of the reason the immigration debate has dropped from the headlines may well be that the press despaired of ever understanding the intensely complex opinions many of us have on the topic. Saying “I’m for legal immigration, but against illegal immigration,” sent many pundits into “Does Not Compute” mode. Questions from the uneducated classes like “Well if it’s racist to enforce our borders, then is there any further point in budgeting money for customs offices?” frustrated and confused many experts on the matter. It may not be the whole reason the debate fell from sight, but I’ll bet it’s part.
September 6, 2006 at 7:20 pm
Frankly, I suspect the primary reason it has dropped from the news is that the Majority Party is so hopelessly fractured over the issue that it realized there was no political hay to be baled before the election.