The Immigrants and the U.S. election
September 5, 2016 By Abiodun Giwa
I am an immigrant. But I am not an illegal or undocumented immigrant. Why would I for any reason be an illegal or undocumented immigrant, when I am aware of the evil stigma? Why would I want to be like donkey for any politician or politicians to ride to power or sustain their hold on power?
I ask these questions, because today illegal or undocumented immigrants have become instruments with which a section of the United States politicians get elected or sustain their hold on power. Who are these immigrants in the U.S and why are many of them, about 11 million here as illegal immigrants?
They are people who have traveled from their home countries to seek greener pastures and have not been born in the country. They are either from the Asian countries, the European countries, the Caribbean countries, the African countries and the Latino countries - South of the U.S, just like the Caribbean countries' nationals .
First, my understanding of being an illegal or undocumented immigrant is that they are people who for one reason or another have not complied with the host country immigration laws, meaning that they have not been law abiding. Don't they know or understand what it means to not be law abiding? Why would anyone want to come into a country other than his own without the readiness to obey the law and avoid the punishment disobedience to the law attracts? why would anyone want to or prefer to live in perpetual fear of the immigration officers?
To be law abiding as an immigrant to my understanding is to live without the fear of the immigration officer and deportation such a position may expose one, just like the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S are currently experiencing. Many people, immigrants like have told me that if a particular politicians is elected president, I am gonna be deported and I have said that no one can deport me like, that because my papers are to date as an immigrant.
Meaning that I am not illegal or undocumented immigrant and that I don't live with the fear of deportation and i will not go out of my way to commit an offense that will make any politicians conclude I am his or her product for deportation. The fear of deportation, being the current language that politicians and supporters of the Democratic Party are using to lure support away from the Republican Party.
Donald Trump, the Republican Party's presidential candidate has said that he would deport the illegals or undocumented immigrants, while his opponent, Hillary clinton of the democratic Party has said that both the illegals or undocumented are in to make America great. One candidate is disapproving illegality, while the other is supporting illegality.
While would anyone support illegality without the gain that would accrue from such support? Why should not both candidates encourage the illegal or undocumented immigrants to regularize their papers? Would not given cover to the illegal or undocumented immigrants encourage illegal immigration? Why would anyone arrive in a country other than his or her own with a visa that has expired and not work to regularize his or her stay in the country?
For the illegal or undocumented immigrant, getting a job is like traveling on a narrow path like the one jesus Christ described in the holy scripture or may be a wider path that will eventually lead to trouble and bigger trouble too. It will mean using someone's else social security number, getting paid abysmally low wage and under the table without prospect for future aspiration. of course, people say that after the September 11 attack on the world Trade Center, the government has cracked down on the misuse of the social security card by legal helping the illegal or undocumented.
But it is still worrisome why so many people still prefer to remain as undocumented, despite the stigma and the emotional trauma and its capability to stunt human progress and waiting for politicians to manna every election cycle. I was once undocumented, but the stigma and the horrible knowledge of people getting to know what I was kicked me into getting out of the cul-de-sac, six months after my arrival in the country and working at a car wash with slavish low wage.
My boss gave me $500 a week for me to stay put in the car wash and promoted me to be a supervisor. I rejected it, having got my papers together, for a preference to search for another job, not for a better pay, but where I could pay tax and be eligible for the entitlements that tax payers enjoy. If one is an illegal or undocumented, it also makes one to be a tax evader. Some undocumented say they have a tax pin from the Internal Revenue Service and that they pay their taxes. But why pay tax and still choose to remain in that boxed reputation and the evil stigma?
The most one can plead for the undocumented is for the government to give them a period of time for them to regulate their papers with payment of back taxes or ship out. Many people agree that any politician promising to condone or accommodate the illegal or undocumented without setting out a period for them to get their acts together and pay back taxes is encouraging illegality.
People know it is tough living in countries that cannot ensure employment and three square meals a day and the unavoidable pull to travel to advanced countries plus the push to abandon the hunger and lack of future aspiration in backwater countries. Yet, people say it is necessary to avoid breaking the law in host countries, for the undocumented immigrant avoid finding themselves traveling back against their will to the hunger and lack of future aspiration they have abandoned in back water countries.
If one presidential aspirant promises and with a hope to overhaul immigration law and the law makers oppose his or her ideas, the undocumented or illegal will realize the uselessness of depending on any politician's promise. Imagine and consider the failure of President Barack Obama's effort to overhaul immigration his own way, because he lacks the majority of the Congress members to agree with him. What automatic magic does anyone has to avoid that next time? The illegal or undocumented should seek ways to legalize their papers and live normal lives, than waiting every election cycle for a miracle.
It is true that the immigrants' population has increased over the years enough to threaten the votes of the naturally born Americans, but the same immigrants have interests in other areas that ally with that of the natural born Americans capable swaying them from voting on a parochial line or solely thinking of voting to help the illegal or undocumented to encourage illegality.
I ask these questions, because today illegal or undocumented immigrants have become instruments with which a section of the United States politicians get elected or sustain their hold on power. Who are these immigrants in the U.S and why are many of them, about 11 million here as illegal immigrants?
They are people who have traveled from their home countries to seek greener pastures and have not been born in the country. They are either from the Asian countries, the European countries, the Caribbean countries, the African countries and the Latino countries - South of the U.S, just like the Caribbean countries' nationals .
First, my understanding of being an illegal or undocumented immigrant is that they are people who for one reason or another have not complied with the host country immigration laws, meaning that they have not been law abiding. Don't they know or understand what it means to not be law abiding? Why would anyone want to come into a country other than his own without the readiness to obey the law and avoid the punishment disobedience to the law attracts? why would anyone want to or prefer to live in perpetual fear of the immigration officers?
To be law abiding as an immigrant to my understanding is to live without the fear of the immigration officer and deportation such a position may expose one, just like the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S are currently experiencing. Many people, immigrants like have told me that if a particular politicians is elected president, I am gonna be deported and I have said that no one can deport me like, that because my papers are to date as an immigrant.
Meaning that I am not illegal or undocumented immigrant and that I don't live with the fear of deportation and i will not go out of my way to commit an offense that will make any politicians conclude I am his or her product for deportation. The fear of deportation, being the current language that politicians and supporters of the Democratic Party are using to lure support away from the Republican Party.
Donald Trump, the Republican Party's presidential candidate has said that he would deport the illegals or undocumented immigrants, while his opponent, Hillary clinton of the democratic Party has said that both the illegals or undocumented are in to make America great. One candidate is disapproving illegality, while the other is supporting illegality.
While would anyone support illegality without the gain that would accrue from such support? Why should not both candidates encourage the illegal or undocumented immigrants to regularize their papers? Would not given cover to the illegal or undocumented immigrants encourage illegal immigration? Why would anyone arrive in a country other than his or her own with a visa that has expired and not work to regularize his or her stay in the country?
For the illegal or undocumented immigrant, getting a job is like traveling on a narrow path like the one jesus Christ described in the holy scripture or may be a wider path that will eventually lead to trouble and bigger trouble too. It will mean using someone's else social security number, getting paid abysmally low wage and under the table without prospect for future aspiration. of course, people say that after the September 11 attack on the world Trade Center, the government has cracked down on the misuse of the social security card by legal helping the illegal or undocumented.
But it is still worrisome why so many people still prefer to remain as undocumented, despite the stigma and the emotional trauma and its capability to stunt human progress and waiting for politicians to manna every election cycle. I was once undocumented, but the stigma and the horrible knowledge of people getting to know what I was kicked me into getting out of the cul-de-sac, six months after my arrival in the country and working at a car wash with slavish low wage.
My boss gave me $500 a week for me to stay put in the car wash and promoted me to be a supervisor. I rejected it, having got my papers together, for a preference to search for another job, not for a better pay, but where I could pay tax and be eligible for the entitlements that tax payers enjoy. If one is an illegal or undocumented, it also makes one to be a tax evader. Some undocumented say they have a tax pin from the Internal Revenue Service and that they pay their taxes. But why pay tax and still choose to remain in that boxed reputation and the evil stigma?
The most one can plead for the undocumented is for the government to give them a period of time for them to regulate their papers with payment of back taxes or ship out. Many people agree that any politician promising to condone or accommodate the illegal or undocumented without setting out a period for them to get their acts together and pay back taxes is encouraging illegality.
People know it is tough living in countries that cannot ensure employment and three square meals a day and the unavoidable pull to travel to advanced countries plus the push to abandon the hunger and lack of future aspiration in backwater countries. Yet, people say it is necessary to avoid breaking the law in host countries, for the undocumented immigrant avoid finding themselves traveling back against their will to the hunger and lack of future aspiration they have abandoned in back water countries.
If one presidential aspirant promises and with a hope to overhaul immigration law and the law makers oppose his or her ideas, the undocumented or illegal will realize the uselessness of depending on any politician's promise. Imagine and consider the failure of President Barack Obama's effort to overhaul immigration his own way, because he lacks the majority of the Congress members to agree with him. What automatic magic does anyone has to avoid that next time? The illegal or undocumented should seek ways to legalize their papers and live normal lives, than waiting every election cycle for a miracle.
It is true that the immigrants' population has increased over the years enough to threaten the votes of the naturally born Americans, but the same immigrants have interests in other areas that ally with that of the natural born Americans capable swaying them from voting on a parochial line or solely thinking of voting to help the illegal or undocumented to encourage illegality.