At our March 4th precinct caucus meeting, we attempted and failed to form a resolution on illegal immigrants. Are Republicans and media pundits right? Do we only focus on problems without offering solutions? In this case, they may be right, but it does not make us wrong. I would counter that Republicans often offer solutions without understanding the problems. A good solution must be basted on a good understanding of the problem and that is not always easy to obtain.

So I decided it was time for me to get a better understanding of the illegal immigrant problem. Following is some of what I have learned. It is not the total picture, but it is a beginning.

According to the video “Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary” by Arturo Perez Torres over 3000 migrant workers attempt to cross the US border every day. Less than 300 make it. In 2003 undocumented workers in this country sent over $30 billion dollars back to their home countries. In Nicaragua, this money represented 25% of the GNP. In Honduras the money sent surpassed the income from coffee and bananas. In 2001 El Salvador considered this money so important that they replaced their currency with US dollars. In Guatemala, 36% of its population depends on this money for basic sustenance. While in Mexico, this money is the 2nd largest source of foreign income after oil. The fact most shocking to me is that in 2003 over $15 billion was paid by undocumented workers to the Social Security Administration. This money will never be collected by these workers.

It was recently estimated that there are 12 million illegal immigrants currently in the US, accounting for 1 out of every 20 US workers. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, efforts to stop illegal entries have actually been counter productive. Because it is harder to go back and forth, immigrants are staying longer. The net effect is that the increase security does more to keep illegal immigrants here then it does to keep them out. (PI*, March 8, 2006 page A4)

Bush’s administration is pressuring Mexico to stop this immigration by threatening to withhold financial aid. They encourage Mexico to use any means necessary. Should financial aid be withheld, though, it will only increase the pressure to immigrate. People immigrate when jobs are scarce. As a safe house manager in “Wetback” said “You can try to stop them by force, but you will never stop the will of the hungry.”

There is some possible good news on the horizon. According to David Horsey in his article “Liberating women from macho culture frees all” (PI*, 3/6/06), in 1974 Mexico amended its constitution to guarantee all citizens the right to determine how many children they wanted to have and with what frequency. Prior to this amendment contraception was illegal. Now the government is actively pushing family planning. In 1972 Mexican families had an average of 7 children. Currently, that number is 2.1. Mexico’s population growth rate has decreased significantly and should this trend continue, by 2015 the working age population could drop sufficiently that migration will be less of a necessity. BUT then Bush wants to cut our funding to International family planning by nearly one-fifth – another counter productive move.

I still do not have a solution to this problem, but understanding the forces driving these immigrant workers better tells me that building walls, increasing border patrols and threatening to decrease financial aid is inhumane. It is also insufficient when compared to the forces driving these hungry people north.

*PI = Seattle Post Intelligencer