Illegal immigration, on the other hand, responds much more directly to market demand for labor. In short, illegal immigrants provide the labor U.S. companies need at a price the companies are willing to pay. Sure, it would be great to give these jobs to red-blooded U.S. citizens who can say the Pledge of Allegiance backward and in English, but in reality, the pool of cheap, uneducated labor is shrinking in this country. I see this as a good thing — more people today than ever before are receiving higher education. In the meantime, however, the crap jobs still exist — jobs that, educated or not, most U.S. citizens would never want to do, from the 3 a.m. cleaning shift at a butcher factory to 12-hour shifts working construction under the Nevada sun.

The 1990s saw an unprecedented growth of both legal and illegal immigration to the U.S., and Latin Americans made up 70 percent of legals and 90 percent of illegals. U.S. Census Bureau data shows about 10 million illegal immigrants live in the U.S. today, with about 70 percent from Mexico.

Many people, politicians and laymen alike, are quick to point out that illegal immigrants send $50 billion back to Latin America annually. However, a closer look reveals the average working illegal immigrant sends about $2,000 home every year — less than 15 percent of his or her average annual earnings and far less than he or she contributes to the U.S. economy, according to “How Latin America Subsidizes the U.S.,” as reported in the Latin American Market Report.

As the U.S. tightens border security, many illegals are spending more time and money within the U.S. Whereas immigration would once follow the growing seasons and demand for labor month by month, now people must spend all their time and much more of their money here — repeatedly crossing the borders is just too risky.

Mexico and the U.S. have a long and integral relationship that can’t be ignored when looking at the issues today. Although Mexico finally achieved official independence from Spain in 1821 after a bloody war, class divisions persisted. The federal government faced bankruptcy, agriculture and technology stagnated and civil wars proliferated. All this was made worse by the opportunistic U.S. government, which invaded Mexico in 1846. The warfare that followed was finally abated in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which Mexico only signed out of desperation. It resulted in Mexico losing half of its territory to the U.S. — a chunk of land stretching from Mexico’s northern border to Colorado.

By 1900, 90 percent of the Mexican population had no major rural or urban possessions, while foreign corporations, many from the U.S., and a few private individuals owned 90 percent of the country’s fertile land. Even when the country took back control of its own resources, the U.S. continued its “big stick” policy of political meddling.

During the Great Depression, immigration slowed almost to a stop. But in 1965, then-President Lyndon Johnson signed the Hart-Cellar Act, the foundation of today’s immigration laws. This bill phased out the quota system requiring most immigrants to come from certain Western European countries, opened up mass immigration to the rest of the world and played a major role in family reunification.

Immigration laws must be updated in the U.S., but the answer is not to send every illegal home. Many now call the U.S. home and will fully assimilate within one or two generations. Instead, we need to recognize its unique, integrated relationship with Mexico and come up with a solution that aids the Mexican people as much as the U.S.

Liz Kersjes is the State News opinion writer. Reach her at kersjese@msu.edu.