@MFJohnston wrote:
The misery is real and there is largely not a "way out" aside from 1) working for a cartel or 2) having a family member working in the States and sending money back.
I think given all the wars the U.S. involves itself in, why not go into Mexico and try to crush these drug gangs also?
They are honestly scary. And I sympathize with those fleeing that violence. The U.S. should grant these people refugee status. It's better than having them come in illegally and work for less money than our own native born workers, because that lowers our citizens' wages.
But, longer term, I wouldn't mind seeing these evil drug gangs wiped off the face of the Earth. I mean, we have the technological capability and firepower to blow them away. I imagine it would maybe be a tough guerrilla (spelling?) type of warfare possibly, due to the cartels taking over cities (at least, that's the impression I get).
This could help solve the problem long-term, because if people have stable governments and free economies, there will be less reason for people to illegally enter the U.S.
As for a case for deporting unauthorized aliens (assuming they aren't from a war-torn nation and deserving of refugee status), I think you could argue they benefit more in the long run by having this type of orderly process/restrictions on immigration. It protects the U.S. economy, which is a major source of money for a place like Mexico. IIRC from my college sociology class, 50% (which is huge!) of Mexico's economy is from remittances (i.e., money sent home there from their relatives who migrated away and work in better economies like the U.S.).
So a question would be: What if the U.S. economy tanked? That would hurt Mexico, because 50% of their citizens' wealth comes from us. And then you ask, well, do these illegal alien workers hurt our economy? Yes, if they are working for less than minimum wage and lowering wages for our own citizens. If undocumented migrant workers destabilize the "host" economy (sorry for using parasitic analogies/language, but honestly, I sort of see it this way - not in a personal, judgmental way, but just as a "theoretical"/conceptual type of analogy) and lead to its demise, then the migrants' own families back home will suffer too. Everyone suffers.
It might seem crazy to call the unauthorized migrant workers selfish, given that they likely come from dire poverty, but in a way they are if they knowingly do what they do and don't care about well-being of others in the host nation.
Just my 2 cents for the moment.
I think everyone wants to help the poor throughout the world. But, I also think we should do it in a way that makes long-term sustainable sense. Maybe it requires some short-term pain, such as some people having to wait longer, but that would be better than destabilizing/collapsing the U.S.A. - in which case, everyone loses long-term.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/18/2019 08:30PM by shoptastic.