“Breaking Point”
One of the narratives around the rise of immigration is that the nation is at its “breaking point.” This is nonsense. First, who amongst us has actually been effected in any kind of negative way by this immigration wave? The breaking point is the migrants themselves, who our nation is forcing into very rough situations by herding them under freeways and the like. That’s far from ideal. But they are persevering because once you’ve actually succeeded in getting to the U.S., you aren’t going back, at least not until you make some money. And most of this wave of migrants probably don’t ever want to go back at all, at least until the violence stops in Honduras, Venezuela, etc.
Second, if there is a “breaking point,” it’s in city services. It’s true, cities aren’t really prepared for this. Congress is of course a complete failure. Frankly, I am not that upset by Trump blowing up this immigration deal, because it is a bad deal. If the choice really has to be funding Ukraine for a little while and also shutting down the border versus not funding Ukraine for the present and keeping the border as is, I’ll take the latter. I very much support Ukraine’s fight, but not at these costs. Immigration should be encouraged to the U.S. But we also need to be prepared for it and that includes the Biden administration, for which this has all been an unfortunate sideshow on an issue Biden clearly doesn’t care that much about.
The first thing that needs to happen is the administration needs to open up widespread work authorizations for undocumented immigrants going through the asylum process. This is such a no-brainer on so many levels. We have no unemployment problems in this country. There is a shortage of labor in a lot of low-income entry positions. There is a huge group of people who want these jobs. What’s the problem?! Moreover, the Biden administration absolutely has the ability to change this unilaterally. It already did for some of the Venezuelans. It has this authority. And not using is disastrous for everyone:
Checking in at the shelter later that day, Johnston was soon swarmed by people grateful for the help being offered, but full of questions: How long can the city help them, but most of all, when can they work?
He asked if they came from Venezuela, and then when they arrived in the US, having to explain if they came after July 31, 2023, there is no way for asylum-seekers to work legally unless the federal government extends TPS. And that is frustrating for both the mayor and migrants.
“You talk to people who say, ‘I walked 3,000 miles to get here, and all I want is a job. Can you help me find some place to work? I don’t need charity. I just want to be able to support myself. Can I work?’” Johnston said. “And at the same time, we got employers all over the city who call me every day and say, ‘Hey, I know you’ve got migrants who just arrived. I got open jobs. Can I please hire them?’”
But right now, the answer is no.
“The federal government could provide next to no support to cities if all these folks have work authorization, because they’d be supporting themselves,” Johnston said. But with some being told they may have to wait six years for their asylum claims to be heard, he said, much of the need to support them will fall on the cities where they are waiting.
Yorgelis Fabiola, who is from Venezuela, said she was pleased to see the mayor asking about their situation, but she still needed answers. “It really is worrying. I don’t have a job right now, I’m afraid that when my stay ends here, they’ll throw me out on the street with my son, because I have nowhere else to go.”
Look, I get the real problem. This is a racist nation, from liberals to conservatives. Racism is endemic to the United States. There’s no political will to help these people. Biden is undoubtedly nervous that extending the right to work to migrants would lead to a political backlash. But these people are here. There are three choices. The first is rounding them up and kicking them out. This would no doubt be popular among some circles. Of course, a lot of those people would be killed upon going back to their home nations, but most Americans wouldn’t care. Still, that’s a bad option. The second option is treating them like human beings and allowing them to work, which would help the economy, reduce government aid, and get people in real housing. But there’s political risks there. The third is the current situation. This seems to be where Biden is most comfortable, but it’s also completely unsustainable.
Biden needs to show some leadership here. Just extend the work program and explain it to the public. Yes, he would be ripped on Fox News. OK. But what’s the real alternative here?