Tucson Citizen.com

Arizona's Unapologetic Liberal

I love It When I’m Right By Being Left On Immigration

by on Mar. 27, 2011, under Arizona Politics, Arizona's 50th legislature, Uncategorized

In 2009 I read a short statement to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. At that time I unequivocally stated that Arizona’s economy would continue going into the ditch if the attack upon their low skilled labor continued. I have continually asked the question, when will national economists provide reports or statistics reflecting the true detrimental economic impact on Arizona created by it’s failed immigration policies?

Whether on my radio show or in my writings I have always used a clear and very basic example to illustrate what is happening to Arizona. “The house of cards will always collapse when you pull the bottom card out.” So it has been, as we have watched in horror, as Arizona’s lawmakers create laws that lend credence to an attack upon the very foundation of Arizona’s economic infrastructure, our low skilled labor force comprised in majority of undocumented Immigrants.

Being a first generation Immigrant, business owner and a member of Arizona’s media has permitted me to better understand the plight of the immigrants, and of course, the value of the immigrants. I fully understand their buying trends, their most intimate fears, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

As the attack upon those Immigrants via a racial hyped and politically charged populous commenced, I started to see the change in purchasing patterns and a tightening of the financial belt by the Immigrant community. It’s common nature to hoard or bank money for a rainy day or difficult times. Immigrants however, are a very financially astute community. They are certainly savers, and, they are consistent spenders when the economy permits it. They understand the importance of savings, be it for those difficult times that no one can foresee, or for that all expected and dreaded time in which they or a family member may face deportation and ultimately a high bond while sitting in the holding cell at the Immigration & Customs Enforcement building.

There is no doubt that we have all observed a mass exodus since the “attack” began. Senate President Russell Pearce proudly calls it attrition by enforcement. After the initial wave of laws I started to see the results of Arizona’s irresponsible legislation and aggressive law enforcement policies. Arizona’s failure to understand the complexities involved in embracing the Immigrant community while balancing the enforcement of existing laws that serve to protect our communities has been glaringly evident. I think we all understand that we can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Arizona desperately needs to know how to balance for the good of Arizona.

Recently we observed a slight change in Arizona’s fiftieth legislature when they overwhelmingly shot down five harsh immigration laws as a result of constant protests at the Arizona State Capitol by people of all walks of life and all colors of skin, that, coupled with a letter that carried a resounding no from CEO’s of huge corporations caused Arizona’s legislature to take a step back, or should I say, a step towards the center regarding the current Immigration policies.

Just a short two weeks after some of the more aggressive bills proposed by Arizona’s fiftieth legislature were shot down, a report from Center for American Progress and the Immigration Policy Center titled “A Rising Tide or a Shrinking Pie” has been released. A clear and concise outline of the value of the Immigrants in Arizona and the the devastating impact their absence will have on Arizona.

The report for me is just a confirmation of what many of us that have no voice in Arizona fiftieth legislature have been aware of for many years. Perhaps as more organizations churn out the undeniable facts and the statistics continue to pour in, Arizona will turn the corner on Immigration and embrace those who built the roads Arizonan’s currently drive on, those who built their houses they sleep in every night, picked the vegetables and fruits they enjoy with their families every evening and those who cook those delicious meals they devour on their lunch hour daily.

Until then, I will continue in resistance at the Arizona State Capitol lending a voice and lobbying for those who have no voice or representation within Arizona’s fiftieth legislature as I have been for the last 32 days straight.

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana Arizona. www.nospinonair.com/http://www.carlosgalindo.com

Listen to our live radio broadcast every Friday from 5-7 PM on The JOLT Tucson 1330 AM or via the web on www.nospinonair.com

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 27th, 2011 at 9:27 pm and is filed under Arizona Politics, Arizona's 50th legislature, Uncategorized. Tags for this post: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

RSS feed for this post (comments)
  • Fraser007

    You talk about the “plight of the immigrants”..are you talking about the illegal ones. My heart goes out to the LEGAL ones who apply and wait and get in line and try to do it right. Guesss you dont care for them. You also seem to lie in bed with the “business interests” who want  “low skilled labor”, a codeword for illegal peons to do their will. Looks like you are an Open Borders schill. You ised all of the codewords. Words mean something and we all know what you want.

    • kagenin

      When were your ancestors granted amnesty for coming here illegally?

      • steve

        Good job assuming everyone has ancestors who came here illegally.

  • ben

    The author of this article skillfully avoided presenting all the facts so detrimental to his short sighted feel good plight of saving all the criminal immigrants. yes, i described them correctly and if you want to change the law, feel free to seek to convince lawmakers of the merrits of your cause. however, do not expect that you can break the laws until they change. illegal immigrants (criminals) are a drag on society and the economy and the pittance they put back in would be better saved for those who worked for it lawfully. there is no substitute for civilization sir.

  • Sean

    Yes, I don’t understand how business is supposed to get along without very low paid labor.  If those pesky Americans would work for less than minimum wage, no health care, no worker’s comp insurance, if they’d live several to a room like during the Great Depression, we wouldn’t need illegals to fill our low wage needs.

    We have the same problem with offshoring to India and China.  We’re looking at something called global labor arbitrage that the man calls “free trade.”  The whole point of free trade all along was to get workers to accept less pay.  Because it started with manufacturing like cars and tvs and things, everybody who worked in an office said, “what do I care?  they are only moving the ‘low skill’ jobs offshore. those people should go back to school and get a college degree in history or political science or some other worthless subject to push paper in an office like me!”

    But now  you can see that this is not about manufacturing. It’s about everyone and every job. It’s a war between capital and labor. And like the CEO of ING bank said a while back, every American falls into two categories: rich and soon to be rich 1% owns something like half the wealth and the bottom 85% owns like 10% and these fools are always voting and acting like they are going to be rich any day now so they want rich people to have lower labor costs and lower taxes.  Idiots deserve what they get.  And what Americans are about to get is a heaping serving of poverty. But just like before, we can all sit around as poor sharecroppers and factory workers like we were before the Depression and this time we can watch TV and buy lottery tickets and in our own minds think about how we’re just days away from being rich!

  • Jon

    Thank you for your support on this issue.  Most people have no idea how hard it is to immigrate legally.  Unless you have immediate family in the US, or you have an advanced degree in a field where jobs are in short supply in the US (not many these days), you are out of luck.  It’s not as simple as just saying “be legal!”  The system needs to be fixed, so people who want to work and pay taxes and contribute to the US economy can do so, legally.

  • http://jonathanfield.com/ Jfield

    Fraser, since the author is talking about negative impacts on the larger economy, obviously the concern is for all people. The point you seem to be missing is this: the policy of marking hard-working people as “illegal” is harming everyone. You complain about cheap labor, but after decades of failed immigration policy it is clear to me that the force driving labor prices down is the very fact that some workers are marked “illegal”, and thus they do not have the same rights as others. This makes them vulnerable to exploitation. That drives down wages for everyone else as well, and creates a breeding ground for criminals who know their victims can’t work with law enforcement.

    Our inhumane immigration policy creates these problems. You know it’s true because we’ve had the policy for a long time and the harder we push the problems just keeps getting worse.  When laws attack people who are just trying to live, the law is the problem. History has shown this time and again. Do you like supporting things that don’t work?
    Finally, there is simply no morally supportable reason for denying good, hard working people the right to support their families – no matter where they come from. That is the American dream. I am surprised that people like yourself fail to understand the values of our great nation.

  • RadioListener

    Nice to have someone who walked the walk, write the article.
    OK, these low skilled jobs ought to provide health insurance for all of the illegals.
    That way the employer takes responsibility of their valuable personnel.
    It would also help to spread around some healthcare money in the community, instead of over-burdening county or city hospitals. 
    Employers get their workers, the workers get work and healthcare, and I get fresh produce.

    • Halibut

      Want fresh produce? Start a garden.

  • jordan

    Illegal immigrants did not build AZ, citizens did. Get outta here with the failed lefty throw up, there’s a reason you’re becoming extinct. This is the USA, illegals should not have nowhere near the amount of rights that citizens do! If illegals want to change a country, they can go back to their homeland! We are not a nation of la raza, la mecha, naacp, kkk or whatever stupid racist organizations exist today. This is the USA, if you don’t like our laws then get the hell out!

  • http://yahoo.com martin

    You know america needs cheap labor and fuck all the haters. Fuck you

  • http://www.nospinonair.com arizona-unapologetic-liberal

    I see a lot of complaining about the workers, and absolutely know effort to hold employers responsible. A continued policy of double dealing, double talking and double standard from those on the right and those who love to use code words like illegals even as they are sitting in the restaurant stuffing their face from food just plated by undocumented cooks and served on their table by an undocumented server.
    Shame on you for turning a blind eye!

    • http://liquidsreign.blogspot.com/ Liquid Reigns

      So you put the onus onto the patron to determine that a Hispanic cook or server is illegal (racial profiling)? You want people to hold the employer liable, yet they are not the ones obtaining fraudulent documents to work, they are accepting the documents based on the laws as required (I-9 requirements). If not for the illegal alien using these fraudulent documents they would not be working (unless they are paid cash). Ah yes, the “they pick the food” argument…. how much of that food comes from the US, how much is imported, how much is actually done by illegal aliens when they make up less then 45% of the agriculture workforce? The “shame” is in you not holding all accountable, you should have your “blind eye” looked at.

    • Fraser007

      Throw the book at the businesses who hire the illegals. You sure seem to be in bed with the businesses who hire them.

  • http://yahoo.com martin

    This is our land stupid. Read the history dumb pilgrim. America is our continent. You are the ilegal inmigrants god will give us our land back. There is more latinos than whites its just a matter of time……..lol

    • Fraser007

      Good example of La Raza studies. Did you get an easy “A” in the class?

    • Fraser007

      God will not give you your land back. By the way Native Americans held most of what is now the USA. You must be thinking of mexico and Central and South America.
      When “there are more latinos than whites” then I hope that I am dead by then. This country will be nothing more that a cesspool piece of crap so called country just like Mexico. Thats what will happen when the peons take over.

  • http://jonathanfield.com/ Jfield

    Ben, if we made a law that people named “Ben” were not allowed in the US, of course you would be a criminal too. And you’d become a problem: with no bargaining power you’d end up working for low wages and living in slums, you’d be unable to pay taxes, and you couldn’t avail yourself of law enforcement. As you yourself said, there is no substitute for civilization. Why do you want to deny families civilization?

    Look: everybody understands that illegal immigrants are criminals. Just like escaped slaves were criminals and people who got married interracially before the 60′s were criminals. The question is: _why_ do we define them as criminals?. Why do we have a law that prevents some people from supporting their families and seeking the American Dream? What is the moral justification for telling someone “you aren’t allowed to take part in society – stay in your broken country and suffer”? If you have a moral compass, use it, and you’ll see there isn’t one.

    If you don’t have a moral compass, maybe self-interest will convince you: look at the history and note that our great country was built by people, and their children, who came to the US under a far more open immigration policy. If you want America to continue being a beacon of light in the world, stop denying people the right to come here and work.

    • Joe McFarley

      So, you’re for abolishing the passport?  Let anyone live where they want without government control.   What happens when millions of Chinese or Indian migrants displace Latinos and leave them unemployed?  Will Latinos want some form of immigration control?  If people know that coming to America is open to anyone, the floodgates will open and Latinos will be left high and dry.  Don’t let an ocean do the discrimination for you.

      • Commentator

        Chances of mass immigration of millions of Chinese or Indian migrants to Latin America to the point of threating native workers are very low, unless war or natural disaster of great magnitude force them to do so.
        No one here is for open borders. What is being defended in this forum is an opportunity for those who are already here.
        Border security enforcement is already happening.

        • Joe McFarley

          The United States has already tried what you are proposing: it happened in 1986 under Reagan.  The 1986 law had good intentions, but it only encouraged more illegal immigration.   Giving those who broke the immigration laws of the country a step ahead is unfair, and unwise.  People in poorer countries are not stupid; when they see the US giving those kind of incentives for illegally immigrating, they will take their chances by crossing the border repeatedly.  And you shouldn’t presume that others around the world will not be listening.
          You said no one is for open borders, but the incentives you propose have been shown historically to promote open borders.

        • Fraser007

          “Border security enforcement is already happening” LOL Nappy thinks all is well, she removes the paltry 400 National Guardsmen, we are being overrun with Mexican illegals, drugs are shipped through here every day by the ton, Cartel Drug War in Mexico spilling over and you think that security is already happening. LOL, LOL

    • Fraser007

      The compass you must mean is pointing south. Thats where they need to go. This country was not built with the values from Mexico.

      • Joe McFarley

        Who cares about values?  The culture of the US is always in flux.  The problem if America is going to be responsible for making foreigners’ lives better, that improvement in standard of living must be done in those peoples’ countries.  By creating incentives for illegal immigration, we are letting Mexico and others export their problems to us.
         
        The standard of living in Mexico has been getting worse for probably three reasons: drug lords, oil depletion, and illegal immigration to the US.   We can solve the drug lord problem by legalizing drugs in the US.  (Philip Morris is a lot less evil than a drug cartel)  We can’t really solve the oil depletion problem.  But!  We can stop stealing the hardworking honest laborers of Mexico and force them to create a prosperous Mexico by making them stay in Mexico.  The more we create incentives for this behavior, the worse Mexico gets.
         
        9% of native-born Mexicans live in the US.  What a disaster for Mexico!
         
        If we are talking about creating a good life for the world’s poor through immigration to the US, then Mexico and other Latin American countries are at the bottom of the list.  The truth is Latin America is poor, but are clearly middle income countries with relatively – comparing the true global poor – high standards of living.   If we had a moral immigration policy of this kind, there would be very few Mexicans in the US.

  • Commentator

    I personally think that all immigrants in USA now who do not have a criminal background should be put on a path to citizenship. Illegal immigrants are not criminals (If you trivialize the use of the word criminal, then a traffic violator will be considered a criminal. Both illegal immigration and traffic violation are now deemed misdemeanors.) They are not a social burden either since they are not eligible for most social benefits. Legal immigrants are eligible to social benefits only after 5 years after their legalization.  Illegal immigrants pay taxes when consuming products and services and when they rent houses and many pay taxes through social security.
    The issue of illegal immigration is USA is different from the issue of decades of deregulation of labor market and its dire consequences. Many people believe that their bad situation is caused by illegal immigration. However, big business employers may be the culprits. They will pay what they want regardless of your status as an American Citizen, born or naturalized, legal or illegal immigrant if the labor market is not appropriately regulated. Without strict labor laws to protect the workers, exploitation of labor will exist. Proof of it is a growing concentration of wealth in the hands of a few and growing income gap between haves and have-nots. The income decline of American workers (citizens, legal and illegal immigrants) has been steady. Part of it is the recession, part of it is the weakened labor force. Take the example of Walmart who employs American citizens. Consider their workers’ income and work conditions. Consider also Americans who have to sell everything they have to pay for health care when they need it or those who simply can not afford to pay for it when this benefit is not provided by employers.  If the big corporations, defended mainly by republican politicians, can not get what they want here in American soil, they will resort to offshore outsourcing.
    Poor immigrants are only trying to make a living and pursue their dreams and if they can not make it through the legal via, it is because the bar is set too high for them to qualify. The immigration law is strict, expensive and time consuming and the border was left porous for many years.  Leave them alone!

    • Eric

      Well said and while I agree with you, it’s becoming apparent that far-right Republican D-bags are so angry and lathered up about this overblown “problem” that any attempt to reform immigration so that a path to citizenship is offered will simply be deemed “amnesty” and rejected immediately.

      The problem is, the Republicans in charge (Pearce, Arpaio, Glenn Beck, Limbaugh, etc.)  have a firm hold of uneducated minds and just tell them to think a certain way and they do. For example, have you ever noticed how many times you see these right-wing idiots using the same tired old phrase “what part of ILLEGAL do you not understand?” or “ILLEGAL is ILLEGAL” Blah blah blah? It’s like a cult of chanting rednecks.

      You can talk about how much illegals benefit the local economies until you’re blue in the face, but these people filter out that logic. They’re angry and they’ve been given a target. The only thing that will change their mind is one of their cult leaders telling them to. In a way it’s kind of sad. They’re being used as pawns and they’ll never see it.

      • Halibut

        “d-bags” “uneducated minds”, right. Way to take the high road.

        • Eric

          Oh I’m sorry. Do you think I was too harsh on the vitriolic tea baggers? Sometimes that’s necessary to get a point across, as they know all too well. I only wish more Democrats in power had the balls to do so.

          • Plain ol’BO

            Do you honestly think there is some difference between politicans?

            If I were you, I would look up the term “peak oil” and worry more about  what a $150. a barrel is going to do to these very folks in the near term.
            Completely uneducated,undocumented, and in the shadows- Allowing them to stay BUT drawing no benefits at the public trough is not going to help anyone- When they DO start drawing all the assistance they need, then tell me who we will need to assist next.

  • Joel Wischkaemper

    You have not presented any evidence at all.. and you expect to be believed?  That attitude is why Mexico is where it is as a 12 ranked economy in the pits.  Mexican Nationals would love to do it to this country too.  In the meantime.. have some FACTS!City of Los Angeles welfarehttp://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/05/local/la-me-illegal-welfare-20100906 Staggering Cost Of Illegal
    Aliens In Americahttp://www.rense.com/general81/dtli.htm No thanks.

  • Brittanicus

    The 14th Amendment clarifies that any child born on the soil of the United States, has immediate citizenship and all the benefits that is commanded by that law. Until this law is amended of rescinded the repercussions on this country are immense, spending in the billions of dollars each year. Many pregnant women lie to the Immigration and Customs official at airport terminals or just slip across the US borders, in the dead of night. Illegal immigration has become a controversial issue, as painful as the unemployment issue. After the 1986 Immigration Control and Reform Act, the American people expected the federal government to enforce the laws, which included severe penalties for businesses that hired illegal workers; instead the US people were financially-raped. Instead millions of Guest Workers received amnesty then left their farming jobs and vanished into the workforce nationwide. Those numbers that received amnesty, snowballed the chain migration, bring in family members that taxpayers now pay.Since then-SIX-other furtive amnesties has slipped by public notice and that doesn’t include the importation of approximately 1.5 million legal immigrants annually. By revising the 14th amendment the billions of dollars in education, health care, food stamps, Medicaid, Section 8 housing, cash payments and other undisclosed welfare programs could cease.In some States illegal aliens can collect Worker’s compensation and unemployment benefits. All that money could be diversified to senior Citizens, who haven’t received no cost of living payment in two years. Veterans living under bridges or in shelters could be allocated the low income homes that illegal parents allowed to stay, get preference for their offspring born here. All these public services and entitlements have been drawn away from the US workers, who paid into the system since the beginning of their working life. No matter what the pessimists and open border zealots say, every taxpayer would be willing to pay a few cents more to stop the fraudulent-oriented Guest worker programs.Taxpayer are being ripped-off by paying for those agricultural laborers when they get sick or injured, as the farmer is not obligated to pay for their children’s education the families health care. This has become a financially vicious circle that will not end, with either the deep entrenched Liberal-Democrats, Republicans or any political entity other than the committed TEA PARTY. The TEA PARTY is growing much faster from the dominant Republicans, and certain politicians are discarding there old parties to join this third party. The Tea Party is secular in definition, non-partisan with open registration for all legal racial, including ethnic majorities and minorities. The Tea Parties core values of Fiscal Responsibility, Limited Government, Free Market and a Strong National Security. We have great substance in the leadership who are fighting against the old, tired “Business as Usual” political hard liners, who will keep our taxes spiraling and spending our grand children’s futures.There will be no compromise with either party who keep the dollars flowing; printing more as our US debt are extended uncontrollably. All elected officials should be on notice that if you are anti-sovereignty and pro-illegal immigrant, they will be removed from office. That will be every Governor, Mayor, Police Chief and city manager. Every form of illegal immigration must be terminated, with businesses accountable and should be heavily fined, assets taken and long prison sentences. Obama’s team also needs to be held accountable, as with prior President George Bush and even Ronald Reagan’s leadership. Unions are also not be held to the same policies of enforcement, even though amongst their membership illegal workers are in their midst. The 1986 travesty sent both legal and illegal immigration, in the tens of millions and beyond into our country. The ultra-leftists are demoralized and the TEA PARTY has rattled their fetid cages, because the TEA PARTY has erased their wide open border ideas. Once the illegal immigrant war is won by building the real double fence and deploying 5000 troops along the border, we can cut-out all the special preferences such as Political Correctness “Press One for English.” If any minority wants to legally come here, they had better learn the national language, which is causing great hardships in our overcrowded schools.Extremely intelligent, the highest skilled workers don’t not need public welfare and never will and therefore should get special preferences to immigrate America is a place of opportunity, but the taxpayers are being overtaxed to pay for the foreign nationals who come here to steal the American dream, using child tax credits to profit. Criminals have compromised our tax code, and are thieving millions of dollars, as if the government stays ignorant to this fact. Our prisons are full of criminal aliens, drug dealers, murders, gang members and a complex assortment of  nefarious activities. No more amnesties, immigration reform dream acts or anything else.  The Illegal immigration issue should be important to every legitimate American, as it affects every-bodies pay check. There should be no exceptions to every county using Secure Communities police fingerprinting and detainment of individuals being processed, along with the new version of E-Verify. The new innovations to E-Verify will make it almost impossible, for any illegal worker to slip past the verification procedure. 287 (g) is still enforce around the country, to question any wrongdoer who is driving a vehicle. These tools must be made permanent and Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) can suck a lemon, as he tried to eradicate all these restriction programs. Other than California, Nevada has the highest population of foreign nationals in the country. America is a pressure valve for other corrupt governments for their unemployed and those living in abject poverty.Attention: Using veiled threats Acorn and its ilk, threatened the banking industry with boycotts, unless they loosened laws on lending. “Ninja loans” reluctantly given to low income, illegal aliens, with no credit, no assets, which crippled the housing market, were causing the financial crash in the USA. The Leftists will not advertise this explosive revelation; read about it on Google and the consequences.

«
»