An intelligent immigration policy

ALTHOUGH illegal immigration has only recently become an issue in the Virginia governor's race, it has long been simmering across the country. Last month, Republican gubernatorial candidate Jerry Kilgore raised the issue by denouncing a publicly funded gathering site for illegal immigrant day laborers in Herndon. As Virginia attorney general, he also made it impossible for illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition in public colleges and universities. At the same time, the Democratic governors of New Mexico and Arizona declared states of emergency, requesting immediate federal help to deal with the influx of illegal immigrants in their states.

Without a thoughtful compromise that acknowledges all of the costs and benefits, the problem with the current debate is that both opponents and apologists for illegal immigration hold untenable positions. Banning, deporting or otherwise discouraging low-wage, predominantly Latin-American workers would deal a devastating blow to the American economy. On the other hand, illegal immigration as we know it cannot continue unabated without undermining American law and order, burdening border-state property owners, and compromising the safety of the immigrants.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, more than half a million illegal immigrants enter the country each year. For the most part, these illegal immigrants toil diligently at housekeeping, agricultural, janitorial and construction jobs. By undercutting market-distorting minimum wage and employment laws, they contribute to our economic growth and keep prices low. In fact, one could say that illegal immigrants epitomize the laissez-faire economy.

Just as opponents of illegal immigration must confess its economic benefits, its apologists must also acknowledge its costs. Illegal immigrants undermine the rule of law by cutting ahead of everyone patiently waiting in the immigration queue. Given that roughly half a million immigrants, according to the Pew Center, enter the country legally each year -- many of whom wait several years for the privilege -- it is fundamentally unfair that a slightly greater number openly flouts the law to get in.

Moreover, while all of us benefit from lower labor costs, ranchers and property owners on the border disproportionately bear the costs of the thousands of people who sneak across their lands each year. Illegal immigration apologists would be singing a different tune if they had their land and livestock constantly trampled on by trespassers.

Yet, all of these problems pale in comparison to the threat that illegal immigration poses to illegal immigrants themselves. Instead of "deer crossing" signs, yellow signs bearing the image of a family on the run admonish motorists in border states to watch out for illegal immigrants crossing the road. It is also commonplace to hear of illegal immigrants dying of thirst, heat and other intolerable conditions while furtively crossing the desert.

The positions taken by Kilgore and Democratic Govs. Janet Napolitano (Arizona) and Bill Richardson (New Mexico) to discourage illegal immigration are understandable in light of these social costs. However, they ignore the economic contributions of illegal immigrants. In light of this dilemma, what is needed is a more intelligent immigration policy.

Before Sept. 11, President Bush proposed granting amnesty to the illegal immigrants who were already in the country, while also perhaps requiring them to pay a large fine. In addition, a temporary worker program would be created that would allow a controlled number of Latin-American workers to come in each year to continue performing the low-skilled labor. The Bush plan acknowledged both the economic benefits and legal penalties that should be part of any illegal immigration solution.

Despite the fact that support for the Bush plan has fizzled in Washington, the next Virginia governor should look to it as a model for the more than 200,000 illegal immigrants who are now in the Commonwealth. If they cannot become legal residents of the U.S., they should at least have the status of legal state residency, provided they pay penalties for breaking the law. At the same time, the state should do everything possible to discourage more illegal immigration. Beyond that, states like Virginia can do very little but hope that the federal government enacts a coherent plan that is considerate of the full costs and benefits of Latin-American laborers to the American economy.

Eric Wang's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at ewang@cavalierdaily.com.