The ongoing migrant crisis is a tale of catastrophic generational failures from the federal and state governments across many decades. While it’s difficult to blame some of our sitting elected officials for all of the chronic reasons for the porous border, tiresome immigration procedures, and legal loopholes, some of the more acute symptoms can absolutely be pinned on politicians of the current era.
To recap our take on the problem: we don’t think it’s an issue that people from other countries wish to emigrate to the United States in search of opportunity and prosperity. That is the core of the American Dream and it applies to natural-born citizens and immigrants alike. However, we do think that our system must work in a way that citizens are prioritized and our services and resources are dedicated to those who are citizens, either natural-born or not.
Opening the floodgates of the world to our country, while an admirable goal, is fiscally, socially, and logistically unrealistic. In lieu of a naturalization process that allows for state resources to be adequately used, hundreds of thousands of people pouring across our border diminishes quality of life for our citizens and only delays the immigration process for those obeying the law.
Instead of imploring that the laws be upheld, or properly rewritten by Congress, as they have neglected to do for decades, leaders like Governor Kathy Hochul (D) and company have opened their arms to show everyone just how loving and welcoming they are. Only to realize the massive financial and logistical strain they just put on their states, cities, and municipalities. Then, after declaring themselves a sanctuary for illegal immigrants, they told migrants to look elsewhere for opportunity and that the United States could not support them. In September, Governor Hochul herself said “If you’re going to leave your country, go somewhere else.”
Now, counterintuitively, the solution seems to be to offer the migrants jobs.
The job opportunities will only be levied in the form of temporary entry-level state jobs, with the number said to be around 4,000 positions. Only migrants with federal work authorization will be allowed to screen for the jobs.
On its face, it’s not the worst thing, other than the obvious flip-flopping on whether or not New York is open for business for literally anyone in the world.
The massive problem is that the jobs’ requirements are being dramatically eased to allow for their quick fulfillment.
The proposal includes removing proof of a high school diploma, certain certifications, and even loosening English proficiency requirements.
In what world does this benefit anyone, even migrants, in the State of New York?
Natural-born and naturalized citizens will then see a further diminished return on investment in their state services, more than they already have, while dealing with employees with whom they cannot communicate properly or who are not educated enough for their specific jobs. Meanwhile, immigrants who sincerely seek a productive life in the United States will only be the bane of citizens’ frustrations and will not be able to accurately and adequately hone skills to increase the value of their labor with the more time they spend within our borders.
Furthermore, what sense does it make to remove English proficiency requirements in a country where the de facto official language is English? Not only is it counterproductive to any new arrival attempting to obtain work, but it’s an insult to those who call the United States home, especially those who learned English as an alternative language to properly immigrate here.
Finally, not holding people to the same standards is not “equity,” it’s simply changing the rules to fit a desired outcome. There’s no reason that applicants of any background, race, or origin should experience eased requirements over others. Would this mean natural-born citizens do not have to produce a high school diploma or test satisfactorily in English proficiency to hold a temporary state job?
Not to mention, according to the latest statistics only a single-digit percentage of recent arrivals to New York City have applied for federal work permits. This isn’t exactly casting the wide net they’re expecting, mainly because many who have arrived here don’t seem keen on finding jobs just yet.
We’ve said it before: we cannot keep ourselves afloat if we willingly allow the boat to be swamped. If our country is to serve as the beacon of hope and opportunity as it always has, its institutions, resources, and culture must be preserved. Otherwise, it becomes an ATM that anyone can take for granted, until it’s too late.
