Immigration Debate Divides Nation
by Mark H. Levine
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Amidst cries of “traitor” and “racist,” angry protestors squared off on May 1, 2006, in Los Angeles, California.The controversy that set their blood boiling was illegal immigration. According to estimates, 12 million “illegals” live in the United States, a fact that prompted lawmakers to consider legislation to tighten border security. Beyond this initial consensus,however, agreement proved impossible; Republicans and Democrats disagreed about treatment toward illegal immigrants already living here. One bill, passed in the House of Representatives, emphasized strict measures to capture and deport illegal aliens. Another bill, passed in the Senate and embraced by President Bush, created a temporary-worker program for illegals, and a path toward citizenship. “We have an obligation to secure our borders,” says the president, “and…to treat people with dignity and respect.”

POLITICAL FACE-OFF
Despite intense efforts to break the legislative deadlock before adjourning lastspring, Congress failed to reconcile the opposing bills. As a result, activists on both sides have launched vigorous grassroots campaigns to sway the electorate.

NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT?

Judicial Watch (JW), a watchdog group that supports the House bill, claims that illegal immigrants threaten national security.“Some illegals have ties to terrorism,” JW experts write in a recent study. They note that Osama bin Laden established an Islamic center in Tucson, Arizona, near the porous Mexican border. Officials conclude the JW report saying, “it’s not coincidental that the terrorist who flew the plane into the Pentagon on September 11th came fromTucson.”In contrast, Justice for Immigrants (JI), a Catholic organization that endorses the Senate bill, rebuts the national security argument. Most of the 9/11 hijackers entered the United States legally, say JI representatives; furthermore, “no security expert since September 11, 2001, has ever said that restrictive immigration measures would have prevented the terrorist attacks.”

ECONOMIC THREAT?

Economics, too, plays a role in the illegal immigration battle. Judicial Watch claims that illegal immigrants not only take jobs from American workers, but also drain the national treasury. Because they are undocumented, illegals pay minimal amounts in taxes—about $16 billion per year; because they are poor, illegals use large amounts of public services—about $26 billion per year. “If these people were allowed to stay, the net deficit would triple,”say JW experts.Then again, Harvard economist Jorge Borgas says that illegal workers do not steal jobs from Americans; instead, they generate new jobs by increasing the demand for goods and services, such as groceries and clothes.

THE JEWISH VIEW

Activists who lobby for a more welcoming policy toward illegal immigrants, and those who seek a tougher approach, can find support within Jewish tradition. The Biblical concept of ger toshav (resident alien) describes a foreigner who lives among Jews but is not a citizen; i.e., not a convert to Judaism. In exchange for renouncing idolatry and forswearing murder, resident aliens become like guest workers, people entitled to public assistance: “If your sibling becomes impoverished…you shall strengthen him or her” (Vayikra 25:35). Alternatively, Judaism has supported the communal right to lock out immigrants and to deport illegals who threaten economic security. The Talmudic principle herem hayishuv banned strangers from settling in Jewish communities and competing in the local economy.