On Immigration

The immigration debate is a frustrating illustration that American politics is now played in the red zone. Between the forty yard lines we (should) all agree that America is both a nation of immigrants and a nation governed by law.

In one red zone, any attempt to enforce any immigration law is protested as racist, even, nazi-esque. (It [should] go without saying that such rhetoric is wildly overblown: there is a meaningful distinction between the consequence of being caught w/o papers in Arizona 2010 and in Germany 1942).

In the other end, there is a shocking lack of racial sensitivity. To compare and contrast: Opponents have accused the Tea Party of racism. As far-fetched as the smear is, Tea Party activists are conscientiously working to counter it. There is precious little mirror effort -- to articulate a clear differentiation between anti-illegal-immigrant and anti-Latino -- from anti-illegal immigration activists.

This is likely, in part, due to there being a distinct racial edge to anti-illegal-immigration advocacy. One illustration is Ross Douthat's otherwise unintelligible argument that immigration policy ought counter the natural forces of geography. Another illustration is the near radio-silence maintained regarding the meaningful Asian component to illegal immigration.

The reason that illegal immigration from Asia, drives less opposition than that from Mexico is less simple racism as much as Asian immigrants do not raise the specter of Reconquista -- a fear that, perhaps, could be more sensitively treated by some Mexican-Americans, but that will inevitably be inflamed by the assertion that Americans are wrong to regulate entry into their country.

To the degree that opposition to unfettered Mexican immigration is driven by a desire to maintain a certain vision of this country, conservatives would do well to remember that illegal Mexican immigrants are often cultural conservatives -- hard working, G-d fearing, and, by definition believers in limited government. If anti-immigration conservatives, ultimately, want to live in the US, not Mexico, they would do well to remember that the same is true, by definition, of immigrants.