ILLEGAL LIMBO
BY DANIEL W. DRAKE ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
The United States is a land of immigrants. Nantucket has been a land of opportunity, first for the Cape Verdeans who came back with the whaling ships and, in the last decade or so, for a steady stream of people from other places who have come to earn money and help make the economy hum.

Nantucket, as it is today, could not function without the immigrant community. Fifty years ago, and even twenty years ago, with a two month summer season and significantly less construction activity, there weren't always enough jobs for everyone and college students on summer break could fill most of the need for seasonal labor.

As the tourist season has expanded into the fall and even started earlier in the "spring", as school calendars changed to send people back as early as the middle of August and as construction boomed, there are no longer enough bodies available to supply the labor needs. Thus, since the mid-90s, Nantucket has compressed into a few short years an immigration cycle that reflects the history of immigration in the United States.

The Irish were among the first. Then came Jamaicans and Brazilians. The next wave arrived from Central America. More recently, it has been Bulgarians and folks from the Baltic countries, as well as Southeast Asians. A recent get-together of people participating in the Atheneum's English literacy program drew well over 100 people of more than 10 nationalities.

As did those who came before, the recent arrivals to Nantucket work very hard, frequently perform tasks that most of us don't want to - and will not - do, live in crowded, often substandard conditions and quickly become part of the fabric of our society. Some are able to demonstrate their entrepreneurial bent and become business owners; many continue just to work very hard supporting themselves and their families here and far away. However, over time, they better their condition and enter the mainstream of the society.

How many such people there are on the island, we literally do not know. However, we can see that they are everywhere. As with the rest of us, the immigrant population fluctuates seasonally, for both economic and visa-related reasons. However, a substantial core remains, supplemented by the stream of "immigrants" to and from Hyannis who come over for the day to work.

The legal status of our recently arrived neighbors varies from those who have obtained permanent legal residence (with some gaining citizenship) to those who are here on seasonal visas to those who are here having no visas at all. The last group made up of those without legal status, is what causes discussion and creates passion.

In this respect, Nantucket is no different from the rest of the country. The comment on the illegal segment of the immigrant population ranges from the blatantly racist to the economic - how the costs of health care and education required to support the immigrant population are so high. It is often difficult to respond to the reasoning of those speak against immigration because the emotions are so strong and because the federalist system in which we live makes it difficult to put together good information. Misinformation or complete lack of information only fuels the flames of the discussion.

In fact there is some information. A study done a couple of years ago, a copy of which is buried somewhere in my bookcase, determined that the contribution of the Mexican population in North Carolina, through taxes paid, was very nearly equal to the expenditures by the state on their behalf. The conclusion drawn by the William R. Kenan Institute for Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was that this particular segment of the community was essentially paying its own way and, more importantly, that its presence and contribution was vital to maintaining the economic well-being of the state.

At the national level, immigration has been one of the issues of the moment for many years. Finally, earlier this year, under intense pressure, the Bush administration introduced a bill that would, among other things, legitimize residency for many of the illegals after payment of a substantial fine and a sojourn of undetermined length in one's country of origin. Whether the provisions of the proposed bill made sense is not as important as the fact that there was a bill at all.

The reason there was not earlier attempt at immigration "reform" became obvious last week when a well-organized chorus of protest caused the United States Senate to back away from the administration's bill, not on its merits, but on the fact that there was a bill at all. The irony is that the opponent of the bill featured in the New York Times article on the legislation's downfall in the Senate has as her last name one that cries out that at least one of her ancestors came to the United States to escape religious and political repression and economic deprivation in Western Europe around the turn of the eighteenth century.

Whether this is true or not, the point is that all of us are immigrants or descended from immigrants, and it is remarkable how soon we forget. The argument is not even, "I was here first." It is, "I am here, but you don't belong here," like the admissions committee of a private club throwing a blackball. But, we are not a club.

None of this is to say that the immigration issues are simple. The dilemmas are obvious. Given the realities of the world, the United States can not have a wide-open door. On the other hand, the current system is clearly broken. The law is arcane and enforcement is arbitrary. When it does happen, enforcement is often draconian, separating families and eliminating the principal wage earner. Yet nothing goes to the core of the issue. How do you deal with the present situation and what can be done to try to avoid its recurrence?

With the Senate action last week effectively killing the immigration reform bill, it is likely that nothing will change. Politicians will retreat to dealing with less contentious and more easily - to them - solved problems.

In the meantime, here on Nantucket - as with hundreds of thousands around the country, some of our neighbors, our co-workers, indeed our friends, will continue in a state of limbo, going about their lives but always looking over their shoulders. They

deserve better! I

The "Lighthouse Keeper" reflects the views of the author and does not necessarily represent the editorial position of The Nantucket Independent. Please send any ideas or comments to drake@nantucketindependent. com.