Anything but fair on immigration

The Hill (Op-Ed)

By Lindsay Schubiner

October 6, 2015

Anything but fair on immigration

In his Oct. 1 Congress Blog post “Important role Pope Francis can play in addressing immigration” published by The Hill, Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) President Dan Stein writes about Francis’s concern for immigrants and people around the world struggling to survive. Mr. Stein argues that the best way to help those in poverty is to severely restrict immigration to the U.S. while working to improve economic conditions in migrants’ home countries. This argument, coming from Mr. Stein, is disingenuous at best.

FAIR is a widely recognized hate group because of its virulent and false attacks on non-white immigrants. FAIR’s current work builds on its long history of advancing deeply racist, and sometimes unconstitutional, immigration enforcement legislation that maligns immigrant and native-born communities of color. Mr. Stein’s views do not appear to be an exception to FAIR’s deeply racist principles. He has stated, “Immigrants don’t come all church-loving, freedom-loving, God-fearing. … Many of them hate America, hate everything that the United States stands for. Talk to some of these Central Americans.”

Mr. Stein is also wrong on the facts. There is scant evidence that immigrants lower wages of even low-income native-born workers. In fact, research shows that immigrants drive economic growth.

Of course, the U.S. absolutely has a moral duty to address poverty and violence around the world. That obligation begins by taking responsibility for U.S. actions that have helped create violence and instability, particularly in Central America. But it does not stop there.

The deeply flawed U.S. immigration system keeps children and mothers locked up, turns away people fleeing for their lives, deports fathers away from their families and contributes to hundreds of deaths at the border. If we are morally obligated to work for freedom and justice around the world, then we are certainly bound to do so for those directly harmed by the anti-immigrant policies of our own government.

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com