Illegal alien from Canada OR unemployed Hispanic American?
The title of this blog was the choice of priorities that I offered Thursday in the studios of Fusion/Univision in Miami.
While this giant ABC-owned network aimed at Hispanic audiences is almost consumed with aiding as many illegal aliens as possible, I tried to raise the idea of helping as many Hispanic Americans as possible.
In the show, I made the point that all Americans are of equal value in my thinking but that I think it is helpful for these so-called Hispanic advocates to consider hypotheticals such as this:
Who should have the U.S. government's priority support in this case:
- An unemployed 25-year-old Hispanic American seeking a construction job?
- OR an illegal alien from Canada who already is illegally holding a construction job?
I think too many advocates of amnesty think of illegal aliens primarily as Hispanics. They see leglaization as a civil rights issue for Hispanics.
But all illegal aliens are NOT Hispanic. They come from all over the world.
And most Hispanics in America are NOT illegal aliens.
We at NumbersUSA are concerned about Hispanic Americans -- citizens who were born here or who are legal immigrants who have naturalized.
As equal members of our national community, Hispanic Americans have a strong claim on our consciences as they suffer, on average, low wages, low incomes, high unemployment and high poverty.
To try to get amnesty advocates to understand priorities better, I want to know what they think about an illegal alien from Canada taking a job from an Hispanic American.
Thus far, I've not been able to press an amnesty advocate to answer the question I posed above.
Will the supposed great advocates for Hispanic Americans say that the U.S. government's primary reponsibility is to help a white illegal alien from Canada keep a job rather than using mandatory E-Verify to open up the job for that unemployed Hispanic American who is trying to get back to work in construction?
How could a true advocate for Hispanic Americans say the Canadian has priority?
Yet, I suspect that the amnesty advocates will not be able to openly favor the unemployed Hispanic American over the illegal alien from Canada because, if they did, there really would be no logical non-racist reason to favor any illegal alien over any unemployed American.
I would love to hear of any experience any of you readers have in posing this same question to anybody who favors legalization and work permits for illegal aliens. Please let me know.
In the meantime, I won't budge from my contention in the Fusion/Univision studios that it is NumbersUSA that is working for the true betterment of the Hispanic-American underclass by promoting less immigration, the resulting tighter labor markets and the better wages and incomes for Hispanic Americans that would follow.
ROY BECK is Founder & President of NumbersUSA.