{"id":13366,"date":"2016-11-01T11:29:15","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T15:29:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/live-immigrationreform.pantheonsite.io\/?p=13366"},"modified":"2018-12-28T13:09:32","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T18:09:32","slug":"the-fate-of-undocumented-tech-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/2016\/11\/01\/the-fate-of-undocumented-tech-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fate of Undocumented Tech Workers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Newspaper\u201cInc.\u201d<\/i> an online tech news outlet recently ran a piece entitled \u201cAs Election Looms, Undocumented Tech Workers Face Uncertainty Over Their Future<\/a>.\u201d The article bemoans the plight of aliens with technology backgrounds who are unlawfully present in the United States. It also highlights what\u2019s wrong with most American media coverage of immigration issues. Although it does quote FAIR and Californians for Population Stabilization, the piece is inaccurate and far from balanced or objective.<\/p>\n

First off, it uses the term \u201cundocumented workers\u201d to refer to immigration law violators. This is a blatant rhetorical device, intended to cast opprobrium on the appropriate term \u201cillegal aliens.\u201d Then it sets up a false dichotomy, quoting a Mexican illegal identified as Jorge Orrantia. He says, \u201cEven though I have this high-tech education, I don’t have the freedom to go and apply wherever my services can be used.\u201d<\/p>\n

The author implies that Mr. Orrantia is suffering discrimination because he isn\u2019t \u201cfree\u201d to work in the United States. Of course, that implication sidesteps a crucial point. Mr. Orrantia lacks any authorization to live or work in the United States. He\u2019s a trespasser. And nothing is keeping him from departing the country and returning to Mexico, where he can legally take any job he wants. Yet the American reader is supposed to feel ashamed because he\u2019s not able to put his tech skills to use here.<\/p>\n

From a humanitarian perspective, Mr. Orrantia may represent an empathetic case. He\u2019s identified as a polio sufferer, who originally entered the U.S. seeking treatment. But one must wonder \u2013 who paid for his medical treatment and his education? A betting man would wager that Mr. Orrantia has been the beneficiary of significant amounts of American largesse. Every year, thousands of illegal aliens receive medical and educational benefits at taxpayer expense.<\/p>\n

The article closes with the observation that \u201cAs Americans cast their votes [in the upcoming election], they could be deciding the fates of undocumented tech workers\u2026.\u201d But this too is wildly inaccurate. The will of the American people regarding immigration has been clear for years \u2013 they want the law enforced. As such, Mr. Orrantia\u2019s fate should be decided by an immigration court. The only people who don\u2019t seem to understand that are mainstream journalists and establishment politicians.