U.S. Border Control

Illegal immigration is a real issue in the Midwest

January 08, 2006

To hear some critics of the Minnesota Governor's report and proposals on illegal immigration, you'd think that he'd suggested mass deportations and a fence around the state. The governor's opponents have thrown ugly words his way, among them "race-baiting,"xenophobic" and "fear-mongering."

We've come to expect overheated rhetoric on highly charged issues such as illegal immigration. But one allegation by some DFL critics really takes the cake: That illegal immigration isn't a real or central issue for Minnesotans. DFL state chairman Brian Melendez charged Pawlenty in a news release with cynically using immigration as a divisive election-year "wedge issue."People are sick of this kind of electioneering," echoed DFL gubernatorial candidate Becky Lourey in her news release.

Not a central issue? Consider this:

• A recent survey conducted in Mexico by the Pew Hispanic Center reveals a startling fact: Twenty-one percent of Mexicans surveyed said they would enter this country illegally if given the opportunity. (That's over 21 million people.) Roberto Suro, the center's director, told reporters that the survey indicates "how broad and deep the whole psychology of migration has penetrated in Mexico."
  "About 80 to 85 percent of the migration from Mexico in recent years has been undocumented," according to a separate Pew Hispanic Center study.
• Since the mid-1990s, the most rapid growth in our nation's illegal immigrant population has been in states that previously had relatively small foreign-born populations, according to the center.
• The Midwest is a "high-growth" region for undocumented immigrants, according to a recent study by the Urban Institute.

Illegal immigration produces a host of social problems.

Undocumented aliens make up a significantly disproportionate percentage of our state prison population - nearly 6 percent of the prison population compared with less than 2 percent of the state's total population, according to Pawlenty's report. If the governor's critics are right that his estimate of illegal immigrants in Minnesota is too high, the disproportion is even greater.

Unlawful immigrants also add to the cost of public education. They often lack health insurance, and tend to use costly emergency room services. Undocumented immigrants themselves are a highly vulnerable population. They are easily exploited by unscrupulous employers and criminals, since they generally fear approaching civil authorities.

Is it racist to be concerned about such matters? A large majority of Hispanics in America don't think so. Sixty-one percent of U.S. Hispanics questioned in a recent Time magazine poll said that illegal immigration is either an "extremely" or "very serious" problem. In a recent survey by Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg, 53 percent of Hispanics questioned said they would be more likely to support a Democratic candidate who "supports stricter controls on immigration because the current level of immigration threatens American workers and our national security." A Pew Hispanic Center survey found that 60 percent of U.S.-born Latinos approve restricting driver's licenses to U.S. citizens or legal immigrants.

America benefits greatly from legal immigration, which is a constant source of national renewal. Where illegal immigration is concerned, there's plenty of room for disagreement about potential solutions. But the raucous reception to the governor's report and proposals makes clear that a civil debate will be hard to come by. Opponents have generally tried to shout Pawlenty down, not discuss his ideas.

It's time for the governor's critics to turn down the volume. We need an informed discussion about what illegal immigration - one of our most pressing issues - means to Minnesota and to our nation.