All the chin music in the world is not going to change the reality of this situation--and people simply won't face the fact that this is, first and last, a political issue of convenience.
Although Spanish speakers are the obvious, visible illegal immigrants, there is a huge exploitation of Asian illegal immigrants, most of whom are Chinese or Philippino--and they are sufficiently invisible that INS does not even attempt to make reasonable estimates of how many are here. They are exploited as virtual slave labor.
The electorate is insufficiently exercised about this issue for it to rise above the "to do list" horizon of politicians. Although this issue is hot in border areas in which the highly visible Hispanic illegals are to be found, it is not important in the rest of the country. Hispanics are everywhere in this country, and one only has to drive to a fast food restaurant to see the legal immigrants at work--and to know that just a many or more illegals are at work out of sight.
Without a broad, national concern for the issue, it remains one which Congress will ignore, apart from the occassional lip service. In cities like New York and Los Angeles, the invisible Asian illegals make up a significant low wage, even slave labor, pool, whose presence helps keep wages down. Even those employers who do not employ illegals benefit from this effect of the problem. Politicians do benefit from the contributions of business men and women, and that makes it unlikely that politicians of any stripe will decide to make this an issue with which to further their careers.
We get robbed at the gas pump, no significant portion of the electorate complains, so nothing will be done. The same thing is in operation with illegal immigration--as long as no significant number of voters express any interest in the issue, politicians will happily take the campaign contributions of those who benefit directly or indirectly from illegal labor, and do nothing.
The status quo remains inviolable because people just don't care.
"Increase federal reimbursement for border enforcement
Immigrants contribute to the richness of life in California, and I embrace them.
Border enforcement is a federal responsibility. However, state taxpayers currently bear the costs of providing public services to undocumented immigrants, such as incarcerating undocumented immigrants in the state prison system. I will work with other border states, the President, and the US Congress to increase federal reimbursements for these costs.
Source: Campaign website, JoinArnold.com Aug 29, 2003 "
"WHY HAS STATE SPENDING INCREASES IN THE LAST EIGHT YEARS?
According to the impartial Legislative Analyst, General Fund spending increased $30 billion from 1993-94 through 2001-02 for major selected programs, just about matching the General Fund revenue increase for the same period. About half of the spending increase was for workload increases, basically the result of an increasing population and for inflation. The other half was for new or expanded programs, with the funds spent as shown below:"
"Hispanic - Persons of Hispanic origin, who may be of any race, comprise approximately 32% of California's population, or about ten and a quarter million people. The projection for the year 2010 is an increase to 36% and to 41% by the year 2020. This is a result of both legal and illegal immigration and higher birth rates than whites. The distribution is not spread evenly throughout the state. 1990 California Census reports show the counties with the highest percentage of Hispanics are Imperial (65%), Fresno (35%), and Los Angeles (38%). Low percentage counties include Alameda (14%), Marin (8%), Sacramento (12%) and San Francisco (14%)."
"SERGIO BUSTOS
Gannett News Service
04-21-2005
WASHINGTON -- From a desperate call to close the border by the governor of California to the audacious protest of a band of civilians in southern Arizona, frustration over illegal immigration is intensifying, especially in border states.
Adding to the tension: President Bush and lawmakers in Washington can't agree on a solution to control the relentless wave of undocumented immigrants trekking across the southwest border.
The latest sign of frustration comes from California, home to 2.4 million undocumented immigrants, the highest of any state.:
Illegal aliens cost California billions
