Like I’ve said before, it’s immoral to discuss the concept of keeping people from moving freely while capital and US bombs/interference move freely. My tax dollars go to destroy the countries that people flee from. To keep these very people from seeking refuge from my actions is obscene. The concept of restricting human movement internationally is not one I support.
That said, I’m not unsympathetic with those that want to greatly improve things at the border for now. I would support an immediate demilitarizing of the border, and increasing support for interviewing and documenting immigrants crossing the border. The goals would be to:
- Make crossing safe. People should not be paying to be shuttled through unsafe deserts and often left to die.
- Make crossing the border out of the US safe. There is a “caging effect” of those who are in the US but fear traveling temporarily out of the US because their return may lead to arrest.
This is a human right’s issue, but it’s also a global class issue. Discussions of immigration are really talking about those who are fleeing the results of brutal US foreign policy and don’t have the means to do so in more “legitimate” ways. Highly-skilled wealthy Indian software developers have little trouble receiving work visas, while a farmer in Honduras doesn’t have this luxury – even when it means s/he is fleeing for his life.
Additionally, the reason people oppose immigration is that it undercuts class solidarity. Making workers from other parts of the world the “enemy” allows capitalists to continue to exploit US citizens, who internalize nationalist beliefs and choose to side with their exploiters. It also means that capitalists can hire “illegal” labor, which allows them to exploit humans beyond what is even allowed by law. Having a scared, “illegal”, obedient workforce increases profit.
So, in the longterm, it’s clear that we can’t separate US imperialism with the issue of immigration. You can’t ethically discuss one without the other. In the short term, however, we need to take immediate steps to demilitarize the border and put all efforts and money towards saving lives and helping people cross, regardless of their income or skill.