By Jamshid S. Irani, Attorney at Law
The recent increase in
raids by immigration officers and other law enforcement agents have augmented
the urgency for comprehensive immigration reform. The almost daily occurrence of
"sweeps" and "roundups" has made clear the underlying problem that
America's current immigration system
is severely broken.
Anybody living in immigrant
community knows that our nation's immigration policies have failed miserably. By
not having a reasonable immigration policy in place, we have a system that
practically begs people to break the law. As our own labor force grows older and
better educated, our economy is looking for younger, less educated workers to
replace the growing number of American workers who are pursing other
opportunities. Instead of providing legal pathways for the workers our economy
needs, and a modern system for ensuring that employers follow the law, current
immigration policies are pouring millions of dollars into policies that are
meant to send a political message not solve the problem. Perhaps we, as
Iranian-Americans, can feel this urgency more personally.
Round-ups in small
communities won't stop the influx of immigrants from entering our country
illegally. And spending $50 billion for a 700 mile fence to nowhere is a
colossal waste of time and money. The truth is that we need 21st century
solutions to the problems we face at our border, and we need an immigration
system that can respond to the economic realities of today. Our economy relies
heavily upon the contributions of these workers, many of whom are willing take
jobs Americans are less interested in. A clear example of this situation is when
we all worked jobs while students in anticipation of paying for our education.
Working late and odd hours and often at less desirable places have surely taught
us how to appreciate what this country has offered to us.
The raids clearly point out
that our immigration system is broken, and that America needs
comprehensive immigration reform now. We just cannot allow these raids to go on
and disrupt not only our economy, but our local communities. They create panic
and devastate family unity, love and cohesiveness.
The increases in sweeps
have struck fear in immigrant communities everywhere, forcing people back into
the shadows and making them more vulnerable to crime and
exploitation.
The most recent raid has
torn many of our neighboring communities apart. It's not just the farm workers
in California or restaurant workers in New York, but their families, the
schools, other businesses and agencies in the community that have
suffered.
Immigration enforcement is
required of federal agents, this is true. But piecemeal enforcement such as
raids and other tactics that give the appearance of "cracking down" on
immigration don't address the deep problems plaguing our immigration
system.
What America needs is
an immigration policy that allows us to grow our economy with legal workers. A
reasonable, orderly, tightly controlled worker program would go far in helping
to eliminate the dangerous human smuggling and border crossings that currently
plague our system, and would also alleviate such related crimes as the use of
false documentation. In addition, such a policy would significantly diminish
illegal immigration by creating a legal avenue by which people could enter the
U.S.-something that barely exists
today. In fact, current U.S. immigration law provides just
5,000 annual permanent visas for low-skilled "essential" workers, versus an
estimated annual demand for 500,000 such workers. There lies one simple
problem.
The time is ripe for
Congress and the Administration to step up and enact real reform legislation
that benefits the economy, by providing a legal path to match willing employees
with willing workers; that benefits national security, by allowing law
enforcement to go after real criminals and leave honest working people alone;
that benefits our country, by helping undocumented immigrants come out of the
shadows, earn legal status, and continue to contribute to the economic and
social wealth of the nation. We, Iranian-Americans, play no small role in this
process. We must recognize our own ability and influence and get involved with
other communities hand-in-hand to demand a sound and humane immigration formula
for our elected representatives. It is time for the Iranian-American community
to stand up and be counted. We, no one else, should, could and will help
ourselves to be counted and taken seriously.
Jamshid S. Irani
The
Voice of Iranian-Americans
Attorney at Law
1170 Broadway, Suite 510, New
York, New York 10001
Tel: (22) 683-7700
... Payvand News - 7/9/07 ... --
