Column: Social justice for immigrants

Let's be honest, if any one of us lived south of the border, we too would look north for a better life. I don't fault people who desire to come here. I do fault whoever thought of the idea of protesting this issue while carrying Mexican flags. Not only is it a slap in the face of every citizen of this country, it sours much of the sympathy they would otherwise have.

That being said, there is a legal way to immigrate to this country and an illegal way. The legal way is to apply for permission from the United States, and once that permission is given, to move here. Not all forms of immigration are legal and there is legitimate reason to regulate it.

In the quest to get here, illegal immigrants are often taken advantage of by the coyotes (immigrant smugglers). Once here, they face a slew of problems from unsafe working environments to substandard wages and poverty. This is a problem of the government's own making by not enforcing the laws on the books. It's easy to see why there is an objection to calling it illegal immigration because of the obvious non-enforcement of the law.

However, using the term 'undocumented worker,' or any other like-minded term, is to participate quite directly in the very same objectification and oppression that this community faces. It isn't because they are Hispanic - it is because they got here illegally and have become relegated to the shadows of society where they are left prey to less than honest people.

If an illegal immigrant objects to unsafe working conditions they run the risk of the boss calling the government. If an illegal immigrant objects to low wages they run the risk of the boss calling the government. The fear of being deported allows immoral employers to unfairly extract more from their employees than is just, ethical, or safe.

Not enforcing immigration law and looking the other way has lead to exactly what one would expect would happen when laws aren't enforced. Lawlessness. Drug runners regularly cross the border with armed escort to get their shipments into the U.S. This has lead to hundreds of armed confrontations between the U.S. and Mexico.

To be fair, making illegal immigration a felony is stupid. Our jails are full with about two million people now. Adding 11 million more doesn't strike me as good for the system. However, human traffickers should be punished, and punished harshly.

A border wall makes good sense and the idea that a wall is hard to enforce is stupid. Patrolling a 2000-mile stretch of desert and wilderness is hard. Patrolling a couple of gates at border crossings to make sure people have paperwork is easy. In fact, all the legal residents manage to go through these crossings now.

The immigration enforcement crowd (about 80 percent of this country and almost all legal immigrants) aren't asking for new laws, they are asking for the existing democratically passed laws to be enforced. It has always been illegal to knowingly hire illegal aliens, yet in 2004 only four companies were prosecuted for doing so. Where exactly are these 11 million people working?

Immigrants play a vital role to the American economy. We should return to a system like Ellis Island that allows for relatively easy immigration of those wishing to be here. However, not enforcing the law on the books has led to lawlessness and abuse that has been felt on the backs of the illegal immigrant community.

Until we have real border and immigration enforcement we cannot move to a fairly open immigration system. The real shame is that it will continue to relegate the illegal immigrant community into second-class status and only continue the flow of people into the waiting arms of those who will abuse and oppress them.

John Bambenek is a graduate student and academic professional at the University. His column appears on Wednesdays. He can be reached at opinions@daily illini.com.