Forcing people into underground status makes it more likely they will feel the need to escape their condition, at least temporarily, with a bout of drinking. Welcome all people above ground and permit them legitimate status with recreational opportunities and divert energy positively.

Repeat studies have shown that undocumented immigrants are much less likely to commit crimes than US citizens. That’s a settled fact, despite know-nothing cries to the contrary.

The financial equation is complex, however, numerous studies and reports have shown that the positive influence on the economy far outweighs the remittances to home nations. After all, they must maintain households in the USA as well. And, starting from nothing, they are large consumers of clothing, food, household goods. The costs of medical care are cited, but not the positive growth in the economy which is much greater. Property taxes are paid by all renters and sales taxes are paid by all retail purchasers, regardless. Those two taxes are what supports medical care in Texas. There is no income tax in Texas.

For over 200 years, Mexicans have been used by the USA for our dirty work, the difficult jobs, the jobs that our citizens won’t accept or won’t pay much for. Periodically, we try to toss everyone out in a huge fit of unfairness, inequity and hostility. We did it in during WWII, then “Operation Wetback” forcibly deported huge numbers of people including US citizens in the mix (yes, that was the actual name of the Federal operation). We do it again and again. Who is it that cannot make up their minds?

Then, we welcome Mexicans back with our pocketbooks as soon as they are needed again. Every time.

Of course, some have the attitude that we can “weigh” which humans of the earth are more deserving of going where they wish because some humans are better or worse than others.

I submit that when it comes to putting food on the table, most any of us would do whatever it took, including taking an undocumented job in another nation, before we’d let our family starve to death. I hold no grudges against anyone who seeks to better themselves and care for their loved ones.

I believe in legitimate guest worker programs for Mexican to work in the United States. However, our local school system spends almost twice as much per pupil for children of Mexican immigrants, the overwhelming majority of whom are here undocumented, than they do to educate children of American citizens. Then, those same children of Mexicam immigrants drop out of high school at more than 60%. Anyone who drops out of high school in the United States, whatever their race, color, or ethnicity is going to be a real problem for the economy here and will not be prepared to face the realities of educational ability which will be needed. That means they are more likely to get involve in crime and be unable to care for themselves and their families. Dropouts infuriate me, irrespective of what race, nationality, or ethnic background from which they arise.

Additionally, here in this area in which I reside, our undocumented Mexican workers buy old vehicles and then drive them without insurance, and as a member of MADD, I can assure you that our statistics demonstrate that undocumented workers from Mexico are THREE times as likely as hispanics who are second or third generation and other citizens to DRIVE DRUNK. Personally, I am against importing drunks, since we have plenty of our own.

The last part of the Mexican undocumented worker in America is that they send back to Mexico much of what they earn, meaning that it creates a foreign exportation of our money and our earnings paid to workers and since it is either the second or third highest source of income for Mexico, that is a tremendous drain on our economy. Enormous drain, especially when Texas and Texans citizens had to spend over $627 Million dollars last year for medical care for undocumented citizens of Mexico and Central America. That is not a positive for the United States, whereas having U. S. citizens emigrate, legally, to Mexico and bring a heavily positive cash injection into the Mexican economy is very different from what we see happening to the United States due to Mexican emigration.

Employment is not a zero-sum gain. Economies can expand as well as contract, but they are rarely static.

The so-called “free trade” policies liberated Capital (cash flow) and Trade (flow of goods), but left out Labor. Labor always goes where demand is found. Economic demand is never stiffled by a mere law, regardless of demand for labor or products or drugs, etc.

Just like most of Mexico is not involved in the drug wars, yet that’s all we read in the media; most of the USA is not opposed to reasonable immigration, yet all we see in the media are the foot-stompers and wall-builders. A recent poll showed over two-thirds of the US support a plan to allow people to become “regularized” through immigration reform. The problem right now is a very vocal minority who get the attention. The polls vary, but one was nearly 80% in favor:

More than three-quarters of Americans (77%) favored allowing undocumented immigrants who have been in United States for more than five years to stay and apply for citizenship ifthey have a job, pay a fine and any back taxes. Twenty percent said they opposed such a measure.

This administration seems capable of doing more than one thing at once so far. Let’s see how this issue plays out. A resolution cannot come too soon.