Granting large amnesties to reward illegal immigration has traditionally been difficult for Americans. So the marketing tactics of the amnesty advocates are actually doing us a favor by having millions of illegal immigrants here, and giving them legal permanent residency is what we need to do. Selling to the American public the idea that is the least you can do to thank them.

Congress’ new law aims to meet our “debt” to illegal immigrants, defined as vital to our economy. “Every day, more than five million essential workers without permanent legal status kept Americans healthy, fed, and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, while keeping themselves and their families healthy. I was in danger.” Senator Alex Padilla declared so. (Democratic Party of California) sponsors the Citizenship Act for Essential Workers.

Another proponent of the bill, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), further defined amnesty as fulfillment of duty. “The Essential Worker Citizenship Act will recognize all that essential workers have given us and create a fair and accessible pathway to citizenship,” she said.

Considering the rhetoric adopted by the bill’s proponents and supporters, those who stand to benefit from this “pathway to citizenship” are rare heroes who have made an extraordinary contribution in a time of great national need. You may get the impression that Not perfect. Some 5.2 million illegal immigrants are working “essential” jobs amid COVID-19, along with countless families, without just compensation, according to the bill’s authors. that it must be paid. In fact, according to Senator Warren Fact Sheet (bold), these 5.2 million illegal workers areNearly three out of four illegal workers in the United States.“

House Version of the Citizenship Act for Essential Workers, HR3043, lists 21 different categories (not including numerous subcategories) of essential workers who should be granted green cards and ultimately citizenship. We’re not just talking about paramedic doctors who may have saved the lives of COVID-19 victims in respiratory failure. Under the bill, essential workers also include Grubhub men who delivered takeout meals, just to name a few. commercial and residential landscapers; house cleaner. warehouse worker. janitor. and “coin laundry and dry cleaners.” (Where would we be without the illegal workers who worked so hard through the COVID-19 crisis?) The 25% of illegal workers who weren’t covered by this amnesty could use what kind of “non-essential” services. It is even more difficult to imagine what was going on.

Further hinting at the fact that the bill is a repackaged transparent amnesty for nearly everyone who stays illegally is those who didn’t do “significant” work or Even those people are targeted for a very short period of time during public health emergencies. is in effect and you are eligible to receive benefits. Undocumented alien workers who have lost their jobs in designated sectors of the labor market due to COVID-19 (as many American workers have) are still eligible for amnesty under this bill. So would illegal immigrants who quit their jobs in these industries during the pandemic for fear of their health and safety.

Every job in America is essential to someone: the workers who are paid for it, the managers who employ them, and the customers and clients who use the products and services offered. And while illegal immigrants held 21 categories of jobs defined as “essential,” so did countless Americans, who were entitled to more than the wages agreed upon for doing so. I didn’t expect there to be.

Illegal immigration is not an altruistic act and need not be rewarded for itself. Anyone who violates immigration laws does so out of personal interest, not out of a passionate desire to provide services to the American people, whether essential or not. Americans have consistently opposed mass amnesties for illegal aliens because they fundamentally reject the idea of ​​rewarding lawbreakers. Labeling three-quarters of those working illegally in this country as “essential” and selling amnesty as a favor to them is unlikely to change their minds and will only encourage more illegal immigration. right.

Ira Melman is the media director for the Federation of Immigration Reform in America (FAIR).

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.