jOI is working on a plan for immigration reform and hopes to have something to post in a few weeks. Immigration has been a tremendous boon for most in this nation of descendants of immigrants. (Though Native Americans might very reasonably disagree.) From top scientists and entrepreneurs through janitors and fruit pickers, these people have contributed not just labor and discoveries, but also culture and outlook to our nation. Regardless of ancestry and birth, all Americans are a little Mexican, German, Nigerian, Chinese, Native American, Lebanese, English, Italian, Vietnamese, etc., because all of these and many more have influenced the common culture that most Americans share.
But it is sometimes possible to have too much of a good thing. Too much immigration too fast, particularly if concentrated in one area, can lead to conflict and slow the necessary cultural assimilation. Assimilation is a two-way street. The immigrants must change to assimilate into their new community, but the community must also change as they assimilate to accept the immigrants.
Economics tells us that in the absence of restrictions, jobs will eventually expend to absorb available labor, though the adjustment may take a while. A large number of immigrants arriving in the same area in a short time can disrupt the local economy.
Because our economy is shackled by laws that reduce its ability to create jobs, and because we have failed to adequately prepare many of our native-born to compete in the working world, immigrants often displace American citizens from jobs. These are important issues, but not ones that can be effectively corrected by immigration reform.
As the United States of America is a membership-organization, it is up to our citizen-members to establish rules for admitting new members and guests into our “club”. It is not surprising that the citizens do not all agree on what the rules should be. It is surprising that a large number who have in the past demanded stringent rules, now do not want the rules they demanded enforced.
JOI takes the position that whatever rules we agree on should be enforced, and that while the rules should include a little flexibility for special cases, they should be inflexible enough so that people can reasonably know in advance what the rules will be and plan accordingly.
As JOI works on his plan he has been reading other plans. Most call for adjustments within the structure of the current immigration system. Some call for reducing immigration and cracking down on employers. Others call for granting citizenship to those who have contemptuously ignored immigration law. JOI’s plan will call for neither.
JOI’s plan will propose restructuring the immigration system, and address related controversial issues, but leave many details unresolved in the belief that many parts of the old structure will be able to be inserted into the new.