President Bush’s boneheaded plan to give amnesty to 3 million illegal Mexican immigrants is a terrible idea. Amnesties encourage illegal migration by rewarding lawbreakers; they insult the millions of law-abiding immigrants whose families play by the rules, waiting patiently outside this country in order to enter legally, and they are hugely unpopular with the American public.

Today’s level of mass migration from Latin America is unprecedented. Mexican poverty has existed for decades, and we have had other periods of business expansion, but never before have we required millions of illegal workers to fill labor shortages. Business hired from within, and wages rose. Despite today’s unprecedented economic boom, many are left behind. This outcome is an entirely new phenomenon, deliberately created by Congress in response to a conglomeration of special interests: business lobbies, immigration lawyers, church-related charities, Hispanic interest groups, and the Mexican government. Pandering to these groups in decision after decision, Congress has refused to approve highly effective measures against illegal immigration and ended enforcement policies that were effective in the past. And by rewarding the lawbreakers with multiple amnesties, (this will be the fourth amnesty since l986) they have cheapened the meaning of American citizenship.

Congress has ignored the recommendations and the warnings from three blue-ribbon bipartisan commissions: The Rockefeller Commission, the Hesburgh Commission, and the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform (The Jordan Commission). All three recommended greatly reduced levels of legal immigration. In addressing illegal immigration in l996, the Jordan Commission was very clear: no more amnesties. To quote the refreshingly blunt chairwoman, the late Rep. Barbara Jordan from Texas: “Credibility in immigration policy can be summed up in one sentence: Those who should get in, get in; those who should be kept out, are kept out; and those who should not be here will be required to leave.”

The present level of mass migration is not typical for our nation. The one period of high immigration at the turn of the century lasted only a few decades, but throughout most of our history, immigration was a fraction of our current level. Periods of low immigration offered newcomers the opportunity to assimilate, learn English, start new businesses and build relationships with the people already here. This process of assimilation has enabled us to escape the ethnic conflict so prevalent in other countries. An amnesty for millions of illegal Mexicans simply encourages more migration from Mexico and enlarges Mexican communities in this country, making the assimilation process less likely, creating a bicultural, bilingual nation.

According to a new study from the nonpartisan Center for Immigration Studies (www.cis.org/articles/2001/mexico/release.html) entitled “Immigration from Mexico,” the Mexican immigrant population has grown from less than 800,000 in l970 to nearly 8 million in 2000. Almost two-thirds of adult Mexican immigrants have not completed high school, and they now account for 22 percent of all high school dropouts in the labor force. The more than 10 million native-born Americans without high school diplomas face significant job competition from these Mexican workers, whose rapidly growing numbers have reduced the wages of entry level workers by an estimated 5 percent. These are the working poor who are trying to move from welfare to work. A recent oped in the Bangor Daily News (“America’s working poor need a raise,” Aug. 9) by Barbara Ehrenrich, author of “Nickel and Dimed: On (not ) Getting By in America,” describes the dilemma of these unskilled workers trying to survive on wages which do not cover basic needs, such as waitresses, hotel-housekeepers, maids, nursing home aides, and floor clerks.

Despite welfare reform, 25 percent of the households headed by illegal Mexican immigrants use at least one major welfare program, and even Mexican immigrants who have lived in the United States for more than 20 years have double the welfare use rate of natives. In effect, we are importing poverty from Mexico, providing American businesses with low-wage workers, and leaving the taxpayers with the costs of providing social services, such as low-income housing, food stamps, education, etc. to a much larger and poorer indigent population. Congress is forcing us to subsidize cheap labor for business and building an economy based on low-wage workers. It is hardly surprising the subject of immigration is often labeled “too sensitive” to be discussed.

And what about Mexico? Mass migration out of Mexico does not solve the institutional and social causes of poverty. The most successful anti-poverty programs in developing nations are those which focus on women?s empowerment and which fund grassroots micro-enterprise. These very effective programs build community networks and establish the connections between citizens that are basic for stable democracy and economic development. Mass migration destroys community connections and undermines the very heart of anti-poverty efforts.

When we idealize the brazen individual who defies our laws and runs to America, we undermine the rule of law in both countries. Finally, by giving amnesty to Mexicans, we open ourselves to the demand for “fairness” and a similar amnesty for all nationalities. Current estimates of our total illegal population range from 8 million to 13 million, and most of these people arrived only recently. Under present laws, each of these potential future citizens would eventually be allowed to sponsor for immigration any number of extended family members. Continual amnesties falsely masquerade as compassion, and enable Congress to duck its responsibility to enforce our laws and to protect the wages of our most vulnerable citizens.

Yes, we are a nation of immigrants. But we have never been a nation of criminals. Encouraging mass lawlessness on the part of individuals, both the employers and the workers, is a radical change in American policy and a disastrous precedent for the future.

Jonette Christian of Holden, a member of Mainers for Immigration Reform, can be reached at jonette@acadia.net