In a number of elections in recent months, two problems figuring strongly are immigration and crime. In a country faced with threats of would- be or true dictators at home and abroad, where climate disasters remind us constantly ( and expensively ) of the reality of climate change, immigration and crime would seem to register lower on the scale of people concerns- especially here in the Midwest.
This is reinforced by the fact that when we look at the actual numbers concerning, for instance, harsh crime in America the numbers are encouraging. Excluding the foolish and frequent mass shootings that seem to truly aggravate America in our schools and public meetings because of weak gun legislation, violent crime has actually fallen in each of the last three decades. It has also dropped from great of 758.2 per 100, 000 people in 1993 to 369.8 per 100, 000 people in 2022. Overall crime dropped .3 % from 2022 to 2023, and homicides have dropped by 10 % in America’s largest cities from 2022 to 2023.
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As for refugees involved in committing acts, some- like Texas Governor Greg Abbott- complain violently and frequently about this issue. Nevertheless, the traditional CATO Institute, in a 2021 release, reported that in Texas, native born Texans were roughly twice as likely to commit crimes as illegitimate refugees. This suggests that probably Gov. Abbott may divert his blaze at goals closer to home.
Regarding multiculturalism in general, especially here in the Midwest, how this ranks among top problems is something of a puzzle. Aside from the fact that immigration is what gave birth to our country ( we are fundamentally a nation of immigrants ), immigration in our part of the country has been largely beneficial. In Illinois, 1 in 7 ( or about 14 % ) of the population are first generation immigrants, 50 % of whom are naturalized U. S. citizens. These individuals hold 1 in 6 ( or about 17 % ) of all Illinois jobs.
In Iowa only 6 % of the population are second generation immigrants of whom 40 % are naturalized citizens. It’s been estimated there are about 35, 000 illegal immigrants in Iowa out of a community of 3.2 million- or just about a eighth of 1 %. And 66 % of these people are employed and tax paying members of the public. This compares favorably with about 60 % of all Americans who are employed.
If these amounts seem less than alarming, it merely underscores how the emigration” problems” has been inflamed by certain social media and political figures for political social functions.
Then add to these facts that the populations in Illinois, Iowa, and surrounding states have been relatively flat in recent years, with immigration accounting for most of our gains. Meanwhile, nationally we face a severe shortage of workers. With historically low unemployment of about 3.7 %, our country now experiences a shortage of 1.9 million workers. That means that nearly 2, 000, 000 jobs are going unfilled due to lack of employees. Anyone trying to hire wait staff for restaurants, or cashiers for retail establishments, or even factory workers, knows the problem well.
These factors suggest that the real problem is n’t” building a wall” to keep immigrants out. Rather, we should be reforming the immigration system to allow more willing and able immigrants to legally enter our country. Then they can join the rest of us “fellow immigrants” in building a stronger America.
As noted before, some want to exploit the immigration issue for political advantage. Some have even gone so far as to cynically stonewall bipartisan immigration legislation this election year so they can continue to complain about the problem. These folks ( and, in particular one criminally- indicted presidential candidate ) clearly do n’t really care about immigration reform. They’ve likewise forgotten that their families were immigrants not so long ago, and that immigration is what made” Made America Great” in the first place.
As our economy continues to grow at a robust rate, as inflation continues to drop and consumer confidence rises, let’s hope these considerations all inspire us to worry less about immigration as a problem and instead see it as an opportunity. Let us encourage our members of Congress to support the sort of bipartisan immigration reform already approved by the Senate, instead of obstructing change.
In the process we can live up to our nation’s motto of” E Pluribus Unum”, or” From Many One”.
Mark Schwiebert, a lawyer, is a former mayor of Rock Island.
