You Cannot Fix the Immigration Problem, Without Addressing the International Competition Between and Among Countries that makes Rich Countries Richer and Poor Countries Poorer.
Harry Enten wrote an article in CNN Politics entitled “Why Biden has an Immigration policy problem”. According to Eten, “The issue is one of the first that puts Biden and his administration between a rock and a hard place. It's not clear looking at the data how to politically deal with the issue. For one thing, a flow of illegal immigration across the border divides the Democratic base.” Harry Enten, Why Biden has an immigration problem," in cnnpolitics, updated March 27, 2021)
But Biden’s problems are bigger than that Mr. Enten. You cannot fix the immigration problem, without addressing the International competition between and among countries that makes rich countries richer and poor countries poorer. Where is the will to prop up another country so that their people no longer need to travel or migrate. For in effect, to do so, to make Jamaica like say a Singapore whose people enjoy the benefits of high growth, export and Incomes, would then mean that Jamaica becomes a more viable and competitive economy who will then become part of the competition. So then this puts any strategy to fix immigration by working with another country in perspective. Therefore, if Biden’s strategy to fix immigration is to provide assistance to these countries whose poor peoples are coming to the US illegally, would mean creating another situation where such a country like Jamaica becomes too competitive; unless the “fix” is to provide aid that continues dependency.
But Biden’s problems are bigger than that Mr. Enten. You cannot fix the immigration problem, without addressing the International competition between and among countries that makes rich countries richer and poor countries poorer. Where is the will to prop up another country so that their people no longer need to travel or migrate. For in effect, to do so, to make Jamaica like say a Singapore whose people enjoy the benefits of high growth, export and Incomes, would then mean that Jamaica becomes a more viable and competitive economy who will then become part of the competition. So then this puts any strategy to fix immigration by working with another country in perspective. Therefore, if Biden’s strategy to fix immigration is to provide assistance to these countries whose poor peoples are coming to the US illegally, would mean creating another situation where such a country like Jamaica becomes too competitive; unless the “fix” is to provide aid that continues dependency.
Further, immigration had always follow a draconian policy based on race, class and incomes; where the best and brightest who have ties gets to escape the realities of their colonies, leaving their nascent lands devoid of brilliance and labor that could translate in helping the former colony. Yet this very policy is what benefits the post-industrial countries of the global north. A policy that identifies two types of immigrants, one from the north and another from the south, one that is white and Anglo-Saxon and another that is black or brown, one that is connected and has ties and another that is not. So that such discriminatory policy created a situation where people who really need to emigrate find it harder to do so visa-a-viz their other countrymen of higher esteem who are more welcomed creating a brain drain for the former colonies of the global south like Jamaica. But this situation is good or beneficial to maintaining power and control. It provides the opportunity that allows post-industrial countries to continue holding the advantage within a highly competitive world. Why shouldn’t the consequence of brain drain be an effective strategy for any country to hold an advantage: When the best minds leave a country for another it weakens one country and strengthens the other who gain the brain. Therefore Immigration is not an easy fix as you’d think especially when understood within the politics of international competition where gains and losses are hinged on the movements of CERTAIN people from the global south to the global north.
ON A FINAL POINT: Jamaica is shutting down today due to the Covid pandemic. As such Jamaicans who are heavily dependent on the informal sector (pan handling, sewing, etc.) for revenue will be affected and therefore their ability to survive. Crime and violence is already high and rising, and (Jamaica) without an effective safety net program to cushion the blow that’s coming may create more crime and violence.
Article by:
Rev. Renaldo C McKenzie, M.Phil, M.A.,Doctoral Candidate - Georgetown University rcm118@georgetown.edu
President The Neoliberal Corporation
Lecturer - Jamaica Theological Seminary
renaldo.mckenzie@jts.edu.jm
President & Partner
McKenzie & McKenzie
Manhattan N.Y. 10027
McKenzie.financialcompany@gmail.com
Renaldo’s Articles and blogs:
http://renaldocmckenzie.blogspot.com
Author of the Upcoming Book (Out late March):
“NEOLIBERALISM, GLOBALIZATION, INCOME INEQUALITY, POVERTY AND RESISTANCE”
Comments
Post a Comment