Thursday, December 28, 2023
PMT: The Refugees
The New York Times is reporting that there really is a crisis at the Southern border of the United States, as record numbers of people cross over to claim asylum from very real calamities in their home countries.
It's not political to recognize that this crisis is occurring. What politics is failing to do is come up with a coherent response.
We're a nation with a labor shortage. A case can be made that we can take these people in and all be the better for it. That position, of course, seems politically unpalatable for many. There is a sense that these immigrants will "take away American jobs" or "live off welfare"-- positions that, if you think about it, are directly contradictory. In truth, the more accurate answer is that they would work at jobs Americans are loath to do, and do it for little pay. That's problematic in its own way of course, because it invites exploitation of labor.
One easy answer is that we need more infrastructure to process all of their asylum petitions. Congress too often limits increases in "border security" funds to the Border Patrol and other enforcement mechanisms, but it is the slow processing of petitions that leads to many people staying in the country.
But, I doubt we will get even that...
