Few political topics garner more vitriol than the subject of immigration. President Trump has made undocumented immigrants, and the mass deportation of those here illegally, a top priority for his administration.
He believes that we are being invaded from the southern borders at a rate that has overwhelmed our health care and police protection abilities.
Some agree and some don’t. The issue, however, is far more complicated than many realize.
Illegal immigration is not a new phenomenon. This has been a generational issue dating back for over a century.
What is being overlooked is the entrenched nature undocumented immigrants play in our corporate structure. This, also, has taken generations to occur.
Here are two examples of what the vital roles these individuals play in our daily lives. Nearly 2.5 million illegals are fully employed in the construction and agricultural industries.
If, (and this is a very big if) the Trump administration were to successfully deport all those in one big swoop (as he wants to do) who would fill the void? How long would that take?
Who will build the housing? Recent published figures indicate that 13.7% of the construction workforce is undocumented. 39% of those are plasterers and stucco masons; 36% are drywall or ceiling tile installers; 36% are roofers; 31% are painters.
In agriculture it is estimated 12.7% of workers are undocumented. 28% are graders and sorters – the people who evaluate and classify agricultural products.
I am not saying that illegal immigration is an issue to ignore. Quite the contrary. I agree that we must stem the “invasion” at our southern borders and absolutely deport any illegals with criminal intent.
What I am opining is that any action to be effective and sustainable must be an incremental and systemic action plan that does not adversely impact the rest of us. Any knee jerk reaction to complicated issues always has unintended consequences that none of us want!
Is it realistic to think that we can deport all 15 million undocumented immigrants all at once without any kind of damage to our way of life? I don’t think so!
