Cause To What Effect

Today is May Day, or International Workers Day as the more revolutionary (read: anarchist) and populist supporters call it. The day, which celebrates the social and economic triumphs of the labor rights movement, is marked with protests and demonstrations by hundreds of thousands of workers…who do not go to work on that day. To me, it sounds a lot like celebrating a wedding anniversary with an affair. But the real news of the day is the massive rallies here in LA and other major cities across the country to advance the cause of illegal immigrants. You see, because illegal immigrants happen to work here, immigration laws and reform somehow are now relative to the cause of labor reform. Much the same way that abortion laws are relative to traffic laws, you know, because women drive cars, so therefore…

There is no question we have a major problem with illegal immigration. While the government insists that without strict monitoring, the next Al-Qaida is going to come waltzing across our borders, the reality is more likely your next busboy or strawberry farmer will. I can appreciate the concept of going somewhere where there’s opportunity if you want to make your life better, but it’s not like people are fleeing political regimes or human rights violations, looking for asylum here. The majority of illegals come from México and across Central America, countries with (fairly) democratic processes where you don’t need to worry about disappearing in the middle of the night for something you said. They also have rampant poverty and governments that are not seeing that those in the worst position get help. None of those countries are going to get their shit together and make living there worthwhile, so the United States will always be attractive. And that’s fine, us being the land of opportunity and all, but there is a process and a reason for legal immigration.

One hundred or so years ago, massive waves of immigrants flooded the eastern seaboard from all over Europe. They came here with nothing and worked the worst jobs in the hopes their children would perhaps have it a little better than they. While today’s immigrant faces the same challenges, it’s that little matter of legality that still stands out to me. Not only does it disrespect all those who went though the process because it was the legal, correct way, it also creates bad reasoning. It is not acceptable to disregard the law just because while they came with good intensions and are working hard at an undesirable job. Civil disobedience disciples would ask you to boycott a law you feel is unjust, but I don't think that extends to laws in a country you are not a citizen in.

And now, we come back to the point. I, like many of you, will go off on the tangent of looking at illegal immigration, which is only tangentially relative to the workers movement as it is brought up today. The smokescreen is there to cloud your mind and prevent clear thought on immigration. Publicizing both on the same day makes it look as though if you don’t agree with illegal immigration proponents then you are also anti-worker. Believe me when I tell you the AFL-CIO and other pro-labor and workers rights organization are not at all concerned with illegal immigrant rights or immigration reform. No more than astronauts care about maritime law. It is a great, opportunist attempt to try and tie the two things together so the lesser gets maximum exposure, and for that I give the immigration reform movement less legitimacy and credibility.

If you are looking for a fictional yet poignant take on the struggle of the illegal immigrant in the shadow of the middle class in Los Angeles, read T.C. Boyle’s The Tortilla Curtain. He is by far my favorite author and this is one of his best books.