Due to a combination of global economic inequality and tightened border controls, hundreds die yearly seeking entry to the U.S. over inhospitable desert terrain and dangerous seas, some even suffocating in containers designed for cargo.
Smugglers are able to charge enormous fees, reducing others to virtual peonage.
Seasonal workers, who would prefer to return to their homes and families periodically, instead languish apart and unemployed in this country for fear of risking multiple border crossings. Payroll audits and workplace raids create fear, unemployment and an underground class. Threats to call in INS enforcement have also been used by some employers to break union organizing drives. We celebrate the fact that immigration to this country has been a significant means of economic uplift and poverty eradication for millions, even as it has blessed us with a dynamic economy and vibrant, diverse culture. Opportunities to enter the U.S. legally in order to work should be expanded not merely to meet the needs of our growing economy but to provide opportunity to the impoverished and excluded.