On Assimilation and the Rule of Law
If you read carefully enough, you will see this L.A. Times article telling you what the sheer numbers alone should make clear: the overwhelming majority of those who rallied in L.A. yesterday were not “immigrants’ rights advocates,” they were themselves illegal aliens. When half a million people who have no legal right to even be in the country can essentially sieze control of one of your largest cities, you have a big problem.
Thankfully, the demonstrators didn’t riot and burn like the Arab mobs in France did. This, despite the fact that most are only marginal stakeholders in a civil society. But had even ten percent of them chosen to do so — to riot and burn — there’s little the cops could have done to stop them. Regardless of what you think immigration policy should be, that ought to alarm you.
This isn’t really a discussion of what our immigration policy ought to be. Several proposals I’ve seen have merit, although any of them has more merit than none of them (meaning a system that’s essentially unenforced, which is what we’ve had up to now). The discussion here is more about our last chance to avert a long-term economic and political danger we face. Presume a best case scenario, in which our society maintains a peaceful coexistence with the illegals among us. You can’t even presume that such numbers can be assimilated into American society if trends continue. We’d be headed toward a society divided between two socioeconomic classes, each speaking different languages, watching different movies, and voting — if they can vote at all — for different candidates. A template for that social experiment already exists, fortunately, far from our shores, in France. A new WaPo piece illustrates the state in which France finds itself: economic polarization of irreconcilable cultural groups that turn to street violence to break deadlocks that democratic politics can’t resolve. (In the French case, the extraordinary cowardice of its politicians makes matters worse.) A society divided between patricians and plebians is inherently unstable. It’s probably too late for France to face that fact. We must.
Of course, for far too long, our society has already been polarized by race. For the last several decades, statistical trends told us that the black middle class expanded at a significant rate until it hit a wall around 1990, after which its expansion slowed (but did not stop). Why? Some evidence suggests that illegal immigration may be part of the problem. With so many illegal aliens willing to work for much lower wages in building and manufacturing trades, it is the African-American and native-born Latino working class — once the gateway to the next generation’s prosperity — that’s been hardest hit.
Mexico suffers, too. Contrary to the common assumption that Mexicans who come to the United States to work illegally are mainly unemployed, we’ve learned that most were already employed. In other words, for the immediate gain of remittances from illegals, Mexico steadily loses its relatively more skilled workers to the United States. This brings us to the question of how we can best help Mexico to develop a mature economy of its own, for which the price may well be the loss of more manufacturing jobs here to maquiladoras. It’s reasonable that Mexican workers ought to be able to earn a living wage, for which increasingly open markets can help provide.
Josh,
A great post, but I have to take a few issues of it.
Thankfully, the demonstrators didn’t riot and burn like the Arab mobs in France did. This, despite the fact that most are only marginal stakeholders in a civil society. But had even ten percent of them chosen to do so — to riot and burn — there’s little the cops could have done to stop them. Regardless of what you think immigration policy should be, that ought to alarm you.
It makes me happy. America’s government is debating a law which could destroy thousands of families and create real, lasting, multigenerational hardship on a fraction of our workforce. The potential victims react with large, peaceful protests.
A Danish newspaper publishes a few cartoons. Bodies strewn throughout the world. Before that, a Dutch filmmaker expresses quirky, insensitive views. He’s dead.
You can’t even presume that such numbers can be assimilated into American society if trends continue.
I’m not sure why not. America as a whole has gone through several waves of very high immigration.
We’d be headed toward a society divided between two socioeconomic classes, each speaking different languages
Again I’m not sure why, as Latinos learn English at the same generational rate as previous waves of immigrants.
A template for that social experiment already exists, fortunately, far from our shores, in France.
Fortunately, Americans aren’t French, and Mexicans aren’t Arabs. Neither of us are that culturally insular.
Some evidence suggests that illegal immigration may be part of the problem. With so many illegal aliens willing to work for much lower wages in building and manufacturing trades, it is the African-American and native-born Latino working class — once the gateway to the next generation’s prosperity — that’s been hardest hit.
The harddest hit have been uneducated, manual laborers. America shouldn’t be in the business of encourage low-value-added labor. So from a structural perspective, this is a good thing.
Regarding blacks, problems in black (meaning descendents of American slaves) culture run very, very deep.
Regarding Latinos, they are better off than they would be in Mexico. So while continuing immigration does some marginal harm to recent immigrants and their descendents, they are still better off than without immigration.
Mexico suffers, too. Contrary to the common assumption that Mexicans who come to the United States to work illegally are mainly unemployed, we’ve learned that most were already employed.
Certainly not fully employed — the productivity of a worker is related to the capital he is working with — so the same worker will be more productive in America than Mexico. Further, Mexico gains substantially from remittances — money that bypasses corrupt bureaucracies and goes straight to families and, often, family-owned businesses.
In other words, for the immediate gain of remittances from illegals, Mexico steadily loses its relatively more skilled workers to the United States.
More unskilled workers are more likely to illegally immigrate, because more skilled workers would be in the market for jobs that are more picky on citizenship (say, office jobs v. fieldwork).