I have had the wonderful privilege to develop a friendship with a fellow conservative activist over the past couple of years, Stacy Swimp. Stacy and I have been trading posts on Facebook regarding the Lincoln Club immigration reform policy. Stacy has brought a highly valid concern that I believe needs to be addressed, specifically what he has described as the devastating impact that unskilled workers from south of our border have had on native-born black Americans, and low income families in general. He believes the guest worker program proposed by the Lincoln Club will only exacerbate this problem, and will create an unjust and unfair competition with this new category of workers. Moreover, he feels the policy puts the best interests of immigrants ahead of the best interests of U.S. citizens, which will only reduce the opportunities and wages of the least fortunate and most vulnerable. It is the working poor, Stacy argues, who have the most to lose when competing with unskilled immigrants under any guest worker program.
What I would like to do in this post is to provide a bit more of my own perspective on the policy, and address Stacy’s concern. My belief is that if properly implemented, the policy will not create a new category of workers to compete directly against Americans, particularly those that work low-skilled jobs, but will effectively level the playing field for all while providing American businesses with a viable option when demand for labor is greater than current supply. Now as conservatives, we first believe in God, and the natural law as created by God so that we know there is a God through pure reason, and the Constitution which recognizes God and the natural law as the basis for the supreme laws of our land. So any conservative should have a deep and abiding concern for the illegal immigration problem, not only in terms of its impact on native-born Americans, but also for its impact on those south of our border who come here to simply find a better life for themselves. However, this creates serious tension because those unemployed low-skilled workers here naturally, and rightfully, sense that they are being denied opportunities in their own country that are being extended to people who have come here illegally and are willing work for a far lower wage.
As I have written previously, it is unconscionable that American employers would bypass native-born Americans by hiring illegal workers in order to save money and increase profits. Even if prices are generally lower for consumers, it does not make up for the fact that an American who would have been employed is not employed because he or she has been undercut by an illegal worker. And the fact that the federal government has looked the other way for the past forty-seven years as well as not fulfilling its promise to protect our borders is an even greater outrage. So while some may blame illegal immigrants, the bulk of the blame lies at the feet of employers who would exploit them, as well as the federal government that has been complicit in this exploitation. Now I do believe there are certain classes of jobs such as agricultural and hospitality that lend themselves to bringing in guest workers based on market demand, but the problem is under the current status quo there are no limitations in a wholly underground trade for illegal workers.
So what is needed is a functioning guest worker program that is lawful, orderly, and most importantly one that creates an environment of above board wages so there is true competition. The status quo is not acceptable moving forward, and if for no other reason than a moral one, we must solve this problem to help the truly vulnerable, whether native or foreign born. Mexico is our neighbor, and though we should absolutely give priority to our own country, if there are jobs that cannot be filled by native-born Americans, we should only then extend these jobs to guest workers. A functioning guest worker program would naturally raise costs for employers, who must now pay a market wage that would first be offered to native-born Americans. Employers who would look to bring in guest workers would have to incur whatever costs are involved to transport those workers as well as pay for them to return home once their work has been completed. Additionally, guest workers would not be able to rely on government benefits, so employers would no longer be able to simply pass on what should be their costs to the public in their pursuit of greater profit. Finally, as a key pillar of the overall immigration policy, employers would face harsh penalties for pursuing illegal workers so it would not be in their best interests to consider hiring them. Ultimately, it is up to employers to “do the right thing,” and it is most certainly the job of the federal government to rein in the practice of hiring illegal workers. In fact, it is absolutely vital to the future of America that we no longer engage in exploitative hiring practices.
Americans deserve much better than they are getting when it comes to the way low-skilled labor is being treated. Yes, prices are lower due to the hiring of illegal immigrants, but we can see that even with lower prices on the front end the price is astronomical on the back end in terms of cost to the taxpayer and human misery. Low income American families are hurting greatly due to illegal immigration because they are at a huge competitive disadvantage, and we have literally millions of people living in the shadows with little to no prospects of improving their own lot. The Lincoln Club immigration policy does not solve all problems and is not designed to do so, but it would be a dramatic improvement over the current status quo, and would establish a system that is humane and fair for all involved.
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