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# What’s the point?
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/whats-the-point-20060404/
- Published: 2006-04-04T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T23:50:24.000Z
- Author: David Pisarra
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homeless

*Focus on moochers, not illegal immigrants*

As the topic of illegal immigrants has become the hot button to get politicians free air time, rally the teenagers and distract the public from the real issues of the day, I thought I’d listen to a talk show which interviewed people from across the country to see what Americans were really thinking.

I listened as the farmer from Fresno explained that without the huge workforce from Mexico to pick our produce, there would be no vegetables in the stores. Perhaps he was exaggerating slightly, but his point was that we should not denigrate those who are willing to do the work that needs to be done.

I listened as the Republicans spouted their party line on “protecting the country and our economy” from the dangers of terrorists, which made me laugh. I’ve yet to meet a Mexican immigrant who could care less about our geopolitical stance. I’ve met many who want to trim my trees and clean my floors, but not one has ever asked me about reparations for the land we stole.

The Democrats were not to be outdone. Sen. Hillary Clinton wants to tighten our borders, increase transborder cooperation and have a better tracking system. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

The issue is not having borders that are porous because as any border patrol agent can tell you, we simply cannot watch all of our borders all the time. We have an extensive border with Mexico, not to mention that little body of water on the left here called the Pacific Ocean.

That moronic idea of building a fence to keep people out is almost as silly as toppling a stable foreign government and replacing it with one that is not. Though I like the irony that most of the workers who would be hired to build the fence would most likely be the illegal Hispanics who crossed the border to find work. You just know that Bechtel or Halliburton would have to hire subcontractors, who then hire subcontractors, who then hire the guys standing out front of the Home Depot.

Cooperation with Mexico is not the problem either. As President Bush said when asked to define the word “sovereignty,” “it means, you’re sovereign.” Which certainly helps clarify things. But seriously, Mexico is its own country, and has been a refuge for murderers, rapists, bail jumpers, and general ne’er do wells, for centuries. Mexico is where criminals go to hide. Criminals don’t flee Mexico, they seek it.

The concept of a tracking system for illegal immigrants is really quite hilarious. The definition of being illegal is that you do not have papers, a visa or a registration card with the government.

Also, please remember, illegal immigrants founded this country. I find that fact reassuring, and at the same time, completely forgotten by most people.

I could be wrong, but I’m reasonably certain that in 1620 when the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts, there was no middle level bureaucrat ready to stamp their passports and hand them a form for completion to allow them into the land then occupied by Indians. This curious fact is frequently overlooked by those crackers who the radio interviewers get to make stupid remarks. For example, some woman from North Carolina, who I’m sure was wearing a T-shirt that read, “Jesus was an American,” actually said on the air that the illegal immigrants are all just disease-carrying criminals who want to steal our jobs.

It never ceases to amaze me that the people who are so concerned about “job loss” to Mexicans are never field workers. I frequently wonder if they work but they never identify themselves as nannies, maids or gardeners. If they were really concerned about “job loss” they should be concerned about the level of decent manufacturing jobs that are moving across the border to Mexico. Those are the jobs that used to be union jobs which provided for health care, retirement funds, and allowed people to buy a home, raise a family and be a decent member of society.

The fact that manufacturing jobs are moving across the border is of concern to our economy. The fact that Mexican seasonal workers regularly cross our border, work for six months or so picking our fruits and vegetables and go home to spend the next six months spending the money they earned, building a home for themselves and their families is not a concern to our economy. It’s a major, driving force.

These crackers who are so concerned that the illegals are coming here to take our jobs are blind to the fact that the jobs being done are available to the cracker they just don’t want to work that hard. Stop in at your local Color Me Mine and spend an afternoon. You’ll be amazed how Hispanic nannies are sitting with little blond haired angels. Drive by the Home Depot in the Marina, you’ll not see a single white guy, black man, or Asian dude hanging out looking for work.

I’d have much more respect for the opinion of the “shut the borders” contingent if they had any idea how much the illegal population contributes to our country and our way of life. Those who scream to shut the borders are always speaking of the unpaid taxes, and the drain on our social services that the illegals cause.

If you want to talk about drain on services, let’s talk about the 2,000 homeless in Santa Monica, the hundreds of thousands people in our prison system, the more than one million Californians on welfare, and the six to seven million people on Medi-Cal at a 2005 budgetary cost of $24.6 billion.

No, illegals are not the biggest drain on our society. They are not even a big drain when you consider how much they contribute in terms on uncollected social security contributions, sales tax, and most importantly, the quality of our life. (David Pisarra is a business development lawyer in the Santa Monica firm of Pisarra & Grist. He welcomes your questions and comments. He or (310) 664- 9969.)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 4, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/040406.pdf?ref=smdp.com)