I would start off by having them spend some time in the native country of the undocumented worker. Not for purposes of subjecting them to the harsh conditions found in most of these countries that produce our low skilled labor force, but because I want them to truly understand the complexity of the issue, and it starts at the source, the birth country of the undocumented worker. It’s important to understand that in each of these countries, those who have left for a better life in America act like a calling card to those back home. Some of these Immigrant workers send money, others send larger items through transport firms that specialize in bringing packages to local towns. Some of the Immigrants, previously undocumented, have now through an adjustment of status become Permanent Residents, perhaps even U.S. Citizens. Each one of these scenarios creates a virtual invitation for those that stayed behind by somehow confirming the achievement of the American Dream. This, coupled with comments from the employers who hire the undocumented worker such as: “Jose, I wish I had two of you,” “do you have a friend or a relative that’s looking for work?” “Maria, you’re a sweetheart, my sister, my neighbor, my co-worker would like to have someone like you help them clean their house” serves as an enticement to take that leap across the border.

Equally, each one of those scenarios triggers an action from the undocumented worker and ultimately a reaction from the relative at home. It’s an invitation that’s tendered daily to those in foreign countries as they chat long distance using calling cards or international plans on their cell phones. The good news from the United States of pending employment solidifies a decision for that desperate foreigner who seeks to feed his family in his native country or just simply seeks to live a life like their hermano, primo or tio.

The journey that commences once that decision is made is a dangerous one that traverses the desert region between our neighbor to the South and the land of opportunity.

I have personally interviewed hundreds of Immigrants that have crossed that unforgiving desert. Many share horror stories of abuse at the hands of the human trafficker. In one interview the now U.S. Citizen Immigrant, entrepreneur, and job creator, shared with me that out of a group of thirteen, only six of them survived the treacherous desert. It’s simply heartbreaking to listen to the stories as they sob and break down, at times sharing a story they have never shared with anyone in such vivid detail.

I’ve also personally traversed the desert floor with the Desert Angels, a desert rescue and body recovery organization. As you follow the hidden paths the undocumented Immigrants take, you find shoes that have disintegrated, jeans that have been abandoned after making a desperate effort to strip away the clothes that serves to bake their bodies at extreme temperatures with a terrain that reaches temperatures as high as 160 degrees in the summer. Water bottles abandoned because the water gets so hot that it is undrinkable and simply causes the desert crosser to vomit the near boiling water. Any food consumed is canned or non-perishable, but even that food that would traditionally help give them strength, becomes a cumbersome burden as their strength diminishes hour by hour. Children’s strollers, baby clothes and toys are left behind, telling the story of a tender life at risk as Mom attempts to carry, not just her own weight, but that of that child that may be near death.

I don’t share this with you to invoke some hidden or suppressed compassion. I’m well aware that most of those who oppose illegal Immigration, or oppose the presence of millions of undocumented workers currently serving as our labor force don’t possess an ounce of compassion. I know many of you have been desensitized by political rhetoric and a constant barrage of misinformation and denigrating words like invaders, criminals, wetbacks, and leeches to name a few. I share the Immigrants journey because it’s an important component in the dialog we engage in daily when we converse about what to do with those millions of Immigrants that have been here 10, 15 or 20 years hiding in the shadows.

Every employer that hires an undocumented worker is responsible for the wave of Immigrants who arrive in the U.S. seeking employment. Most pro-Immigrant activists don’t want to touch the employer sanction issue. It’s a double edged sword. They feel as if they would lose credibility if they somehow address the workplace of the undocumented Immigrants. That somehow they’ll be responsible for collateral damage that may result from advocating for enforcement of an aggressive employer sanction law that will penalize the employer and not just the employee utilizing a false identity.

I differ from these activists. As a pro-Immigrant activist and radio talk show host that not only advocates for Immigrants on a daily basis, but converses with them daily, I insist that the problem has always been with the employer. An employer who is willing to hire undocumented workers at an extremely low wage, work them long hours, brag about the productivity or efficiency of his company, yet donates faithfully to the reelection campaign of those same politicians that are creating omnibus anti-Immigrant legislation that of course omits any meaningful employer sanctions. It’s a hypocritical system that utilizes a double standard.

If we pursued the employer aggressively with an employer sanction law that would not just criminalize the employee as it currently does here in Arizona, but focus the criminality on the employer, we would resolve the “illegal immigration” issue. With a criminal focus on the employer, that company or individual that seeks to profit from cheap labor would immediately scream bloody murder, and at the same time they would scream for Immigration Reform, and they would most certainly insist on having at their disposal a system in which they could hire the workers they needed from a foreign country, while having the ability to adjust the employees status to permanent residency based on the longevity of the employment and the value factor to the employer. The practice of talking out of both sides of their mouth in hiring undocumented workers yet funding anti-Immigrant legislators would drastically change to yelling out of both sides of their mouth, screaming out of pain from the stiff criminal penalties imposed from an aggressive employer sanction law while screaming out of the other side of their mouth for immediate relief in the form of Comprehensive Immigration Reform that would meet their needs and the needs of a modern day United States extremely dependent on Immigrant labor.

The private prison industry long ago understood that they could utilize the hypocrisy and the double standard utilized by the anti-Immigrant lobby and the employers. They saw this as as a perfect business model. Utilizing the hatred for undocumented Immigrants, politicians that represent the anti-Immigrant constituency and powerful and eager investors like ex Vice President Dick Cheney, wall street moguls, and financial institutions, the private prison industry successfully cashed in on the anti-Immigrant hype. The private prison industry successfully met behind closed doors with anti-immigrant legislators and were instrumental in creating and nurturing anti-Immigrant laws that serve as a net to capture those undocumented Immigrants so badly needed to occupy the vacant beds at the private prison facilities that ultimately generate billions of dollar.

Make no mistake, there’s a virtual sign on the border that states, “wanted, for employment, undocumented Immigrants.” Further inland, there’s another virtual sign that states, “wanted, for deportation, undocumented Immigrants, no experience preferred.”

I’m in no way advocating for an open border. That’s a common mistake made by most pro-Immigrant advocates. I understand that we’re a sovereign nation, and as such, we must have borders. I also understand that the border issue has been utilized as a tool by both sides of this issue.

Americans need a better understanding of this complex issue that contains some very basic and glaring necessities. We need an expansion of our visa program to meet our work force needs. We need to issue a much greater amount of visas to the country that we most draw upon for our low skilled labor force. That, would clearly be our neighbor to the south, Mexico. We need to address our options when it comes to those that are currently here already serving as our undocumented work force, we need to provide relief for those children that were brought here at a very young age and that have now been woven into the fabric of our country, and, we need to quit moving the fence post when it comes to border security. That decision should not be made based on the whims of a politician that either represents racist, xenophobe or white supremacist constituents, nor should it be a politician who is influenced by private prison lobbyists. We need a bipartisan commission that will submit a reasonable plan based on all the above. We can’t bank on opportunist Latino politicians like Senator Marco Rubio (R) Florida who doesn’t truly understand the complexity of the Immigration issue, nor can we heed advice from “pro-Immigrant” opportunist politicians like Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D) Illinois who seeks an omnibus reform bill that would incorporate the undocumented Immigrant that arrived yesterday.

Archaic laws that remain on the books simply serve to destroy any advances that this country has achieved or serve to maliciously prosecute those “violators” who break these laws while actually serving the basic needs of this country, e.g. current Immigration laws and those who serve as our labor force.

The time has come, we cannot put Comprehensive Immigration Reform on the back burner. We have to be realistic about this country’s needs and we have to somehow deal with those millions currently living in the shadows. After all we invited them in.

Undocumented Immigrant Holding The American Flag

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. Carlos Galindo is a founding member and President of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

Two extreme sides that outline today’s reality regarding the precarious immigration issue. There are many who supported a broad and unrealistic immigration reform proposal tendered by Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois, 4th) last year. An unrealistic request from a congressman who claims to champion immigration reform. On the other hand the GOP and their extremist splinter called the Tea Party, label any attempt to bring forth the immigration issue as an attempt to grant amnesty to thousands of “illegals” [sic]. The same, claims, that these are illegal Democrats and that Obama will have instant voters if some sort of immigration reform were to be instituted.

The reality is that ignorance in general from both sides regarding the immigration issue lends itself to manipulation of the masses. The pseudo leaders in the Latino community tug on the immigrants heartstrings by telling them that Obama failed them and that he is responsible for Bush’s secure communities program. They have essentially placed blinders on the immigrant community and have dangled the immigration reform carrot in front of their noses, allowing them to drag them here and there. The GOP and the Tea Party has used a combination of tactics to lead the blind. In some cases they cater to the white supremacist claiming that we are being overrun by “illegals” [sic]. They can also tug on those racists heart strings by claiming that America isn’t what it used to be since the “illegals” [sic] came in. Yet others are deceived by catering to their xenophobic tendencies by claiming that “illegals” [sic] are bringing in disease and that they are like cockroaches, dirty and unkempt. They further the paranoia for all the previous categories by claiming that the immigrants breed like rabbits and that their children want to grow up to be gang members.

The United States has been undeniably polarized by the immigration issue. In the end, just like anything else, it’s going to require a financial interest to pass immigration reform and new leaders will have to emerge. The snake oil salesmen on both sides will need to retire into obscurity allowing a responsible and more centered leadership to egress.

Finally for those pro Immigrant critics of President Obama’s policies I have linked a recent article outlining the surging effect of the Obama administration’s new policy, and for those fear mongers who claim it’s a back door amnesty, understand this, what you are seeing is a responsible and centered approach to a much needed relief for those people you currently utilize to wash your cars, cook your food, mow your lawns and build your houses.

Wait! Read the memo first!

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

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