07 JUL 08 / "Krikorian's Argument Against Immigration"

In a National Review article this past weekend, Kathryn Jean Lopez relates her interview with Mark Krikorian, author of a new book on immigration entitled "The New Case Against Immigration: Both Legal and Illegal."

To be fair, I have not yet read the book; but according to his responses to Lopez's questions, Krikorian's primary thesis is that both legal and illegal immigrants today are a burden on our society. I believe the opposite is true. Immigration makes America stronger.

Krikorian states most immigrants do not make enough money to support their families, most are on some sort of welfare program, and most have no place in our "advanced society." The truth is that most do earn enough to support their families, most are not on welfare with the exception of emergency room visits, and most assuredly have a place in our society since employers have hired them for jobs most Americans will not do.

Immigrants come to the United States to look for better employment opportunities and to provide for their families. They don't come here to go on public assistance. I see evidence of this daily and personally know immigrants who are in top 1 percent of American wage earners. These immigrants made their own success. They overcame obstacles and found lucrative opportunities. They were persistent and tireless. They exhibited personal qualities that are considered classically American.

While the inability of many immigrants to fully assimilate is increasingly a troublesome challenge, I believe it is due to the fact that there are upwards of 20 million illegal immigrants who do not feel welcome in our society. Their illegal status makes it more difficult for them to integrate into our culture. Reforming our current immigration laws to allow those currently here illegally to work legally would encourage immigrants to take a greater stake in the United States. Assimilated immigrants are a great benefit to the United States.

The economic downturn we are currently experiencing puts pressure on the immigrant community. The unemployment rate is now about 5.5 percent. If there are not enough jobs in the United States, the labor market can naturally expel immigrant workers just as it attracts them when GDP growth is higher. No legal resident or citizen should be denied a job in favor of an illegal immigrant, but if an employer cannot find a legal worker to fill a job, what is the alternative?

Most immigrants are decent and hard-working. They are not unskilled because their willingness to work as hard as they do is a skill in itself. They didn't come for a free lunch. They came to work. And -- like those that came before them -- that's exactly what they've been doing.

On farms across the country, they're harvesting the crops. Migrant workers in California have supported the agriculture industry there for more than 100 years. On construction sites, they're building residential and commercial structures. In restaurants, they're waiting tables and working in the kitchen. In shopping malls, they're cleaning the floors. In office buildings, they're working through the night emptying the trash. In cities across the country, many immigrants are opening their own businesses. In Iraq and Afghanistan, they're bravely serving beside American service men and women -- fighting and dying in the military ranks of a country that has not yet accepted them into its civilian ranks.

The debate about immigration is as old as the country itself -- and it has always been contentious. But the waves of immigrants that came to America's shores always enriched us. Every successive wave stirred controversy, yet every wave impacted the United States positively. The waves have not eroded our nation's foundation, they have strengthened it. Immigrants came seeking a better life and made America a better place.

Comprehensive immigration reform legislation is likely to pass in the next Congress and the next president will undoubtedly sign it into law. So it appears we will have the opportunity to see what immigrants can do for our society and economy. I believe it will make us more competitive with the burgeoning economies of China and India.