Yes, we briefly distract ourselves from the business world to devote this section to politics.

In recent weeks, the US has experienced countless demonstrations by illegal immigrants and their supporters. This could mark a very important shift in politics, and its ramifications are as yet unknown. There are 40 million Hispanics in the US, of which 11 million are estimated to be illegal residents. Most of them lead peaceful and productive lives, and some have been here for decades.

Illegal immigration can be viewed from an economic perspective: most of the illegal residents perform work that legal residents and citizens do not want to perform. In most cases, these workers pay taxes, as well as Social Security; a benefit they will most likely never receive.

The illegal workforce has no unions, no insurance of any type, no paid vacations or any of the standard benefits enjoyed by legal immigrants and citizens. Large sectors of the economy are dependent on illegal immigrants, who fear a lack of acceptance, probably due to the misery they endured in their countries of origin. Their circumstantial vulnerability, combined with other cultural and social factors, allows employers to take unfair advantage of them.

The current wave of demonstrations could mark the beginning of the realization by working immigrants that the United States does, in fact,  need them.  It could signal the beginning of their solidarity and mobilization as a crucial part of the work force. Changes in dynamics for large sectors of the economy would be inevitable, and have been due for generations.

There are currently two different legislations being proposed, each coming from an opposite extreme of the socio-political spectrum. One faction views all illegal immigrants as felons, and advocates prison sentences for those working illegally in the United States.

On the other side are those who want to see amnesty declared. This polarization has brought the issue to a head that can no longer be ignored. The time has come for it to be dealt with. The reaction by working immigrants shows that, as a group and as individuals,  they will no longer settle for being spectators to their own future.

From a social perspective, the problem has even more ramifications. Historically, first generation immigrants always maintained their native society’s traditions, language and culture. More than a century has passed since a new arrival to Ellis Island would have seen newspapers published in German, Russian, Yiddish, Italian, etc. But because those immigrants came to make the US their home, they longed for their children to adapt to their new culture. Through school and social interaction they learned English, and they learned to love the US and truly integrate.

Most illegal immigrants came to the US, not necessarily out of love for this country and what it stands for, nor out of love for its values, but out of necessity. Most came looking

for a way to feed their children, and they longed for their home countries. Whether or not they plan to return to their native country at some point in their lives, the United States is now their home. Once here, they often find themselves welcome to work, but not to integrate into society. They are discriminated against, and the sword of deportation is held to their necks if they complain or demand dignity. There is no incentive for them to try to integrate into society, even after decades in this country.

This poses a danger, since it undermines the fabric of society and the engine that made this country what it is. Without immigration there would have been no need for railroads, for factories, no call for the western expansion or the Manifest Destiny. 11 million people living underground, neither integrating into society nor looking at the US as the country of opportunities, is a danger in itself.

Today, we seek solutions to the problem. There is no one answer. Nor is there only one problem, but rather, several interconnected problems that have to be dealt with on separate levels.

To date there are 11 million illegal residents already in the United States,  most of them working,  juxtaposed with the constant influx of new immigrants. The immigration laws need to change, and more accessible means of legal immigration would mean a sharp decline in illegal immigration.

The general US unemployment rate is the lowest in decades -- theoretically a full employment rate -- so it’s clear that the US can absorb immigrants. Turn the tide, so the immigrants to the US are not those who can hide most easily, but those with needed skills to offer, from technology to manual labor. Background checks and employment history reviews in an immigrant’s native country can help facilitate immediate productivity and smooth their integration into society. If contraband was eliminated eliminating prohibition, the same principle can be applied successfully to illegal immigration. Give the people legal ways to immigrate, and they will.

Another way to reduce illegal immigration is through aid to the origin countries of greatest need, creating lesser need for people to leave their homes. Most illegal immigrants, if given the choice financially, would stay in their own countries. Latin American nations need to develop a middle class, and livable salary structures need to be created. The United States can and should be helping achieve that goal. Not altruistically, but in its own best interest. With a stronger economy in Latin America,  the illegal immigration influx would taper off, and the risks of armed struggles would also see a decrease with a plan similar to the Marshall plan in place.

Immigrants already living in the United States need to be perceived as members of our society, because they are members; they are workers, parents, consumers, providers, and contributors to our culture and society. They are needed here, now as always, and the United States must face its obligation to create safe and legal employment venues for those who want only to live and work as Americans.