Sure, securing the boarder is not just about illegal aliens, but also about all forms of trafficking. I grew up in Kennett square, pa and for many years in the 80’s and early 90’s we had the highest population of non-documented residents per capita in the country and at the time it was a very heavy red leaning area. Great growing agricultural community at the time. Now Kennett is part of the opioid / fentanyl corridor from Harrisburg/Baltimore to the northeast. It is a major hub.
Where are you getting that information? Southern Chester County real estate, communities, schools and towns are thriving. Especially Kennett. Have you not been back in awhile? "Uptown" Kennett was a shithole in the 1980s, it is all restaurants, shops and boutiques catering to affluent shoppers. Maybe they are fencing heroin in there?
All of the other towns down to Oxford on the Maryland border are significantly more developed with better schools and upper middle class neighborhoods. Of course there is a high level of Migrant workers too...in Ag, and other industries. Many of the wealthier kids are too busy going to their travel team games or lacrosse showcase events to have part time jobs.
Any blind fool can see the changing patterns of the working class in Chesyer County. African Americans and "Southern Whites" in the 70s, augmented by Puerto Ricans. Followed by a huge wave of Mexicans, now including folks from Triangle Countries, primarily Guatemala.
The maps are useless because of what some posters have stated. One basic reality is that undocumented immigrants end up in places based on their ability TO GET JOBS. So who is hiring people into physical labor positions where language isn't needed?
Look at the busboy at your favorite restaurant. Check out the folks mowing your grass or spreading your mulch. From South Jersey to Hazelton to Delmarva people are arriving to work. Did you ever drive through Millsboro, DE and see who the shops cater to? Maybe go by the chicken plant at shift change? Who is walking out?
I am 100% NOT FOR OPEN BORDERS. However, the economic reality is that many businesses are taking advantage of these folks. From the "coyotes" who get paid to transport them, to the people who work at hiring agencies, to the drivers who get them to and from work, to the land lords who charge "company town" rents for hovels, to the check cashing stores and Western Union telegram places that charge to send money back "home", wherever that may be.
Is it ALL liberal blue businesses that resort to these workers? Most likely it is 50/50 like everything else. How many on this board have actually talked to undocumented people? How many know the stories of the perils that people take to get here? People trafficking is very real, and rape is a common thing that occurs on the route given the powerless state and fear of reporting that these folks have. The worst part is that most UNDERSTAND what will happen, and they still come. Why? It is better than starving.
My mom is a former Catholic nun. Our nation is debating the value of human life and religious freedoms from the right to life to the right to refuse baking people's wedding cakes. If you overlay a religious perspective of "whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do into me" then you face a real moral dilemma.
The political arguments are overly simplistic, and in practice acolytes of some doctrine are overtly and knowingly breaking their philosophies.For money and GDP. Construction is booming in my county. Who are the unskilled laborers?
Immigration is broken badly and needs to be reformed. Temporary Ag work visas need to be figured out, and both parties have to get off of their soap boxes and get real. Of the undocumented people I interact with, the #1 trait is that they are exceptionally hard working. The "welfare queen" concept is not evident in my region of the state.
