Is Ramesh Ponnuru wrong about illegal immigration?

Posted Sat, Mar 18, 2006 at 12:51 pm

I don't know because the full text of his latest article is not online: "Illegal Detour: Thinking reasonably about immigration".

It starts with this:

Illegal immigration is not a big problem in America. Okay, let me amend that before pots and pans and worse things come flying at me. America has some serious immigration problems, but they are not distinctively problems of illegal immigration. If we focus narrowly on illegal immigration, we are likely to come up with counterproductive solutions.

I believe his point is that both legal and illegal immigration have similar effects and both need to be discussed. Fair enough, however illegal immigration is per se devastating to this country in its own unique ways.

For instance, as pointed out many times in the past, illegal immigration leads to political corruption: companies that profit off illegal immigration donate to politicians who look the other way. And, that leads to undermining our political system.

Comments

Anonymous (not verified)

Sat, 03/18/2006 - 18:11

Apologies for posting this anonymously, but I can't figure out how to email you. The answer to your question, BTW, is "Yes."

Illegal Detour
Thinking reasonably about immigration

RAMESH PONNURU

Illegal immigration is not a big problem in America. Okay, let me amend that before pots and pans and worse things come flying at me. America has some serious immigration problems, but they are not distinctively problems of illegal immigration. If we focus narrowly on illegal immigration, we are likely to come up with counterproductive solutions.

Almost all of the things that cause people to complain about illegal immigration are true of much legal immigration as well. If your worry is that illegal immigrants tend to raise government spending, for example, then you ought to be worried about legal immigrants, too. Half of legal immigrants have not gone past high school. Like illegal immigrants, they cost federal and state governments billions of dollars each year.

Or perhaps you

Aakash (not verified)

Sat, 03/18/2006 - 15:38

I was actually just reading that article (not online, but rather, in the bathroom) earlier this afternoon; it did raise some provocative points, and I'm glad that he doesn't take a neocon view on the issue.

Don't worry, I'm not a subscriber to NR, but they are still continuing to send me the issues for free.

[I heard that the Weekly Standard does that to some people. If they started doing that to this conservative, I might just have to leave the mags in the...]

Aakash (not verified)

Sat, 03/18/2006 - 15:33

I was actually just reading that article (not online, but rather, in the bathroom) earlier this afternoon; it did raise some provocative points, and I'm glad that he doesn't take a neocon view on the issue.

Don't worry, I'm not a subscriber to NR, but they are still continuing to send me the issues for free.

[I heard that the Weekly Standard does that to some people. If they started doing that to this conservative, I might just have to leave the mags in the...]

LomaAlta (not verified)

Sat, 03/18/2006 - 13:47

Lonewacko said "For instance, as pointed out many times in the past, illegal immigration leads to political corruption: companies that profit off illegal immigration donate to politicians who look the other way. And, that leads to undermining our political system."

Nice post. This is what the open borders/mass amnesty supporters miss. When millions of illegal aliens and millions or American businesses are conspiring and breaking our laws each day it is a cancer on the rule of law in America.