This article originally appeared on page 14 of the No. 4 February 2025 edition of The Gettysburgian magazine.
By Joe Zimbler, Guest Columnist
With ICE scouring the streets, politicians of both parties pledging to reduce “illegal” (or irregular) crossings into the country and fear mounting by both American citizens and immigrants, the current situation regarding irregular immigrants must change. However, the solution is far from simple. While the majority of Americans do not support irregular crossings, immigrants are a staple to the economy.
Among other things, they pay over $579 billion in local, state and federal taxes; address America’s rapidly aging population (which, if not addressed, could destroy social security and diminish the workforce) and prop up the American economy with their spending.
On the other hand, an increase in immigrants can result in draining resources (cities spending money to help immigrants can deplete its capital/using up living space) and stretch social and health services (if a town had 100 people with one doctor and 30 immigrants move in, the towns health services may be in trouble). On the topic of increased crime rates, “numerous studies show that undocumented immigration does not increase violent crime.” Nevertheless, immigration has both positive and negative results for the United States.
So, how do we make a system that helps immigrants, decreases irregular crossings and aids American citizens? Improving the already-existing migrant worker system is a good first step. Migrant workers, who work in fields ranging from agriculture to housekeepers, restaurant workers and construction laborers, are brought into the U.S. to fill temporary roles before eventually returning to their country of origin. Currently, only four percent of all immigrants in the country are temporary workers. If we use the migrant work system correctly, it can improve our economy, decrease irregular crossings and reduce strain on the country’s resources. How? Let me explain.
The approach taken should be both top down and bottom up or led by both the federal and local governments. For the federal government, they should look to hire migrant workers in fields that are struggling to find employees. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, many industries, such as food service and hospitality businesses, are unable to maintain workers. If Americans won’t work there, why not hire migrant workers to do so? Specifically, the government should determine which jobs need workers and then employ migrants at those locations. This practice would both avoid the fear of stealing jobs from Americans, as they would already be available, and add more taxpayers and economic galvanizers to the economy.
On a more local approach, towns and cities should be able to “apply” for migrant workers in their community. Remember the small town I mentioned whose resources became stranded because of the influx of immigrants? Well, that town would be able to apply for a migrant worker to work as an additional doctor for the town. That way, the town’s medical services won’t be stretched. Instead of overextending resources, this plan can be used to tackle already existing fund conundrums.
One small town in Florida is so desperate for a doctor its inhabitants have taken to a “nationwide recruitment campaign” to find one. Plenty of well-qualified doctors exist outside the country, so why not recruit one of them? And since towns and cities would be able to apply for migrants, areas already facing a housing crisis can simply not. That is, until their neighbors prosper, and they want to get in on the action.
This plan can also help immigrants, as they will have a guaranteed job when entering the country and can assuage fears by some Americans of desperate and homeless immigrants turning to crime. Additionally, with around 70% of immigrants reported feelings of homesickness during their first year in the United States, the migrant work program would allow them to spend time in the U.S. working before returning to their country of origin. Essentially, they would get the best of both worlds.
Clearly, this extension of the migrant worker program would not solve all the problems surrounding immigration in the United States today. Nevertheless, it is a good starting point, and the government would be wise to give this proposal a chance.
