Immigration: Pushed into the background

September 24, 2008
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel

In the clamor of the Wall Street meltdown, perhaps you missed the Census Bureau report released Monday on immigration.

The upshot is that the number of immigrants entering the United States, both legally and illegally, was down dramatically last year.

Until last year, the number of people coming to this country had been on a massive upswing since 1990. But, according to the census report, only half a million immigrants came in 2007, compared to 1.8 million the year before.

Demographers were quoted in news reports attributing the decline to two factors: a faltering economy in the U.S. and stepped-up border enforcement.

Certainly, the economic factors will only exacerbate this trend. The end of the "housing bubble," for instance, has cut into the job market for immigrants. If the U.S. slips into a full-blown recession, as some government economists are forecasting, then the lure for immigrants, particularly unskilled laborers from Mexico, could further dim.

In addition to the economy, federal agents have been aggressively raiding businesses that employ immigrants who have entered illegally. Border enforcement, including construction of a border fence, may also keep people from trying to enter.

Still, the need of reforming immigration policies in this country remains unmet.

Neither Sen. Barack Obama nor Sen. John McCain, however, has talked much about immigration in the presidential campaign. One reason for this is the feeling that most voters care only about the economy.

Another is that the candidates really haven't differed significantly in how they'd reform current immigration policies. Both agree future reform packages should include a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants and both agree that any such plan should also include stepped-up enforcement.

Both are running Spanish-language television ads charging their opponent with failing to back immigration-reform legislation that many Latino voters support.

Unfortunately, in what is becoming a hallmark of a disappointing election campaign, neither one is really telling the truth.

Obama has accused McCain of giving in to restrictionist Republican talk-radio hosts such as Rush Limbaugh, while misquoting Limbaugh and playing up some fraudulent and highly inflammatory remarks.

McCain, in his attack ads, has accused Obama of helping kill a comprehensive, bipartisan immigration bill last year by proposing amendments that supposedly weakened the legislation. The truth is that Republicans turned on the legislation, which McCain, to his credit, had helped put together.

McCain has backed away from last year's failed reform measures, and Obama is pretty much ignoring the entire topic of immigration.

Please, someone demonstrate some courageous leadership.

The truth is that both candidates know that meaningful and honest reform includes tougher enforcement, an expansion and clarification of legal immigration -- plus a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already here.