Some people complain about illegals taking jobs from Americans. I suppose this is true, however (and I think this is probably a common argument from proponents of immigration), most illegals probably hold the shittiest jobs there are. Perhaps this will sound racist and/or prejudice, but when I think of illegals, I immediately think of people who clean toilets and mow lawns. Granted, not all of the people who hold these jobs are illegal, but I think it's reasonable to assume that a fair number of them are here illegally.
I'm sitting here wondering why people would go to such lengths to work shitty jobs in America. My initial thought is that they're here to provide for their families (who are presumably still in whatever country they came from). Perhaps some are also here to advance their own lives. Perhaps there are other reasons, but I think it's safe to say that most of the time, economics are at least partly why illegals are here. I highly doubt they're here for the "honor" or "prestige" their positions "command." I don't think anyone grows up thinking "One day, I'm gonna clean up public restrooms!"
If anything, I think it's at least somewhat admirable. If you're willing to risk arrest, deportation, or whatever other punishment that can be imposed on illegals, in order to build a better life for yourself or those you care about, you have my approval.
With regards to the shitty jobs these people "take away" from Americans, these people (illegals) probably may need these jobs more than Americans do. Until the shit really hits the fan and Americans are willing to clean toilets & pick strawberries, I don't think the argument "They took our jobs!" is particularly strong.
Now, one facet of the immigration issue that I'm still largely undecided on is the who notion of integration. Some immigrants form communities where their traditions & languages are not only upheld, but it's as if these people never left their home country. They speak their language (in most cases, Spanish), eat traditional foods, hold traditional celebrations, etc. I don't have a problem with people celebrating their heritage, but it can get in the way of integration.
The reason I can sit here and write reasonably well in English is because immigrants like my mom, aunt, and grandma integrated. I asked my mom about how they went about doing this. The story goes something like this: My grandma really wanted her daughters to learn English, so she avoided placing them in hispanic neighborhoods in LA where they would be surrounded by more Spanish. Instead, she moved them to a primarily white neighborhood, sent them to white schools, etc.
Now, I feel like maybe some will see that last sentence as racist. I don't mean to say something like "Avoid hispanics! They're trouble! Live with whites, and you'll be fine!" I'm just saying my family made an active effort to integrate into American society. They did not just take refuge in a place where everyone spoke Spanish. My mom has told me about how she would us an English-Spanish dictionary just to read for her classes. Can you imagine how painstakingly slow that would be? Using a dictionary to read every last fucking word? Suffice it to say that now I feel lazy whenever I don't do any reading assignments.
Perhaps if more illegals made an effort to integrate, there would be less Americans who have a problem with them. Although now I wonder: Why don't some illegals make more of an effort?
Anyways, it's 3:00 am, and I think this blog post has served it's purpose, which is two-fold:
1) Let me get out my thoughts regarding illegal immigration in America
2) Tire me out so that I can go back to sleep.
thoughts anyone?
--Jonathan
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