Minutemen protest may not be bad idea

Hold on a second before criticizing the Minutemen over their latest strategy. They may be the only ones who get it. This Friday, the Utah Minutemen are planning a demonstration in front of Utah banks regarding illegal immigration.

They are willing to act to bring public attention to the issue of illegal immigration — employers and businesses that are capitalizing on Americans' insatiable appetite for cheap goods and services. The Minutemen are taking action to demand that Washington politicians fix our failed immigration laws. Current immigration practices have created needless animosity in our communities and a strain on local resources and our quality of life.

Then there are those who are primarily concerned about the consequences of failed national policies — the human side. They include the human and civil rights advocates and religious organizations, which talk about the abuses, exploitation and discrimination. They work on trying to repair the damage of the failed laws but seem reluctant to work to correct the causes.

The Mexican government, along with the U.S. business sector, sees immigrant labor — legal and illegal — as an economic bonanza. It is the beneficiary of the current laws and would resist changes. Mexico has turned out-migration of its poor into an economic development program. The $14 billion-plus Mexicans send back to Mexico constitutes one of the largest sources for its economy. Is it any wonder the financial community is now courting Mexicans to use their services, and eager to accept the matricula card as a form of identification? Is it any wonder it is quietly supporting the status quo?

The United States has always seen immigrant labor as a means for meeting its work-force needs. It has been used to build our nation, our railroads, mines, factories, farms and roads. Globalization has changed our economy, which now requires higher skilled workers. Those "good paying jobs" that require higher skills have fled, along with businesses, to other countries where cheap labor and a less-regulated business environment can be found. Jobs requiring physical labor have become fewer, with less pay, less job security and no benefits. Employers are turning to immigrant labor while letting them become the scapegoats for the loss of jobs.

Our elected officials must also bear part of the blame for letting immigration laws become meaningless. In addition, they have failed to remove needless regulations and added more to the workplace. As a consequence, employers have been forced to develop creative ways of meeting work-force needs, including outsourcing, independent contracting, the elimination of benefits and the use of cheap immigrant labor.