That’s the whole point of keeping workers undocumented. They will work for a lot less, they won’t complain or litigate if they are abused or cheated or victimized. They are so desperately dependent on their jobs they won’t go to the police or the press if they are treated illegally or even violently and they won’t unionize. Unrepresented, disorganized and divided, they will tolerate unfair, unsafe or unhealthy conditions because they know they have no choice. Their employers know this and take advantage of it, in fact, they work tirelessly to ensure these conditions persist. And as we all know, “employers” are primarily Republicans, and their interests are represented by the Republican party.

There is one other advantage to hiring illegals: the sight of all these brown people speaking foreign languages and stealing American jobs is perfect for firing up citizens who lose their jobs to these folks to cooperate and support the bosses who are the ones actually victimizing them. Its happened with Hispanics, the Irish, Southern and Eastern Europeans, Asians, and of course, Africans. The racist dimension is obvious, and the failure to recognize that is obviously racist.

Although illegals consume very little in the way of social services, the idea that they might only further inflames the knuckledragging class and divert their attention from who is actually swindling them. What few social services aliens do consume also helps maintain a ready and permanent population of illegals here, poised to be hired or fired at a moment’s notice. It all works out conveniently for the bosses, doesn’t it? They don’t even have to pay them enough to provide return bus fare when the season is over. Welfare benefits for illegals is not a giveaway to workers, it is a government subsidy for employers.

The immigration system in this country is doing precisely what it has always done, what it is deliberately designed to do: provide cheap, docile labor for exploitation by businessmen. A useful side benefit is that it can be used politically to mobilize the racism and xenophobia of Americans whose jobs and social services are threatened. The whole point of having “aliens” here REQUIRES that they be kept “illegal”. If they were legal, they would not only have protection under the law, they would also be able to use labor market forces (yeah, their precious god alfuckingmighty free market) to compete for higher wages and better conditions.

A comprehensive Immigration Act would work out a compromise that would not only serve the legitimate needs of business, but would also provide justice for the immigrants and protection for our own workers. No one could collect food stamps without a green card. There has always been strong bipartisan support for this (remember the Gang of Eight and the Bush II effort to help immigrant labor?) but the TParty and FCaucus have consistently opposed this based on the phony issue of “Amnesty”. The only Amnesty they will support is the assurance that employers can violate the immigration hiring laws with total impunity. I say, “Lock ‘em Up”. Hiring illegals is, after all, illegal.

I apologize for repeatedly bringing these same tiresome points up but I do have a dog in this fight. My family was once welcomed here as “illegal immigrants”. In fact, they sent ships over to pick us up, and subsidized the industrialists who employed us. It wasn’t until our skills were no longer needed that we were expected to become “documented”. My parents were “anchor babies”. Although I personally support strong curbs on immigration and strict controls on our borders, as long as this Conservative hypocrisy persists I will do everything I possible can to support the “illegals”, and I encourage others to do so as well.

I piss on their fucking Wall.

https://d24jnm9llkb1ub.cloudfront.net/icpn/00602547143723/00602547143723-cover-zoom.jpg