Inhospitality is Expensive

WTOP reports this morning that Virginia's Prince William County has dedicated nearly all of its remaining financial reserves to a mean-spirited and terribly flawed immigration enforcement program.  Between now and June 30, when the fiscal year ends, the county has only $3400 in reserves.  After spending $1.125 million in additional funds on immigration enforcement this year, the county may have to cut services next year - services for citizens and legal residents! - if it seeks to maintain its vigilance on immigration.

No word yet from county officials on how much money has been saved by denying services to illegal immigrants, or how the job market for legal residents has improved since the crack down.  Surely they just forgot to tell us about the great benefits of being inhospitable . . .

Illegal immigrants have violated the law, yes, and law enforcement officials have every right to enforce immigration laws to their fullest extent.  However, just because something is legal doesn't mean it is advisable - from a cultural, social or economic standpoint.  Surely the police, with extra officers and better technology, could more comprehensively enforce speeding laws, but that would result in a chaotic gridlock on our roads and highways, and would be a terribly expensive proposition (both from government expenditures and from the decrease in workplace productivity that would result).  Rather, we allow a major proportion of drivers to violate the law because a more rigorous crack down would be impractical and would offer a minimal return on investment.  Think of it as functional law violation, law violation that serves a societal purpose.  We do this is nearly every area of the law.  (I'm sure there's a theory for this idea, but I know not these things.)

So too with immigration.  The radical increase in expenditures to enforce immigration laws has a very low return on investment.  Just as our society tolerates - or even depends upon - drivers exceeding the speed limit, so too does our society tolerate - and even depends upon - a certain level of illegal immigration.  No harm, no foul (or at least, not much harm, no foul).

I would bet that within a year or so Prince William County gives up on its immigration crusade, having figured out that being inhospitable is expensive and inefficient.  That is, being inhospitable is just bad policy.

Comments

[PS]

Well next time someone carries on about the legality of the immigration issue, ask them if they follow the laws, and when they say yes, ask them if they always follow the laws, and when they say yes again, ask them if they ever exceed the speed limit. And then when they say, well that is different, say....

Oh well.

Just don't ask my husband if he ever speeds. He'll probably truthfully say NO.

BTW, my relative Our mutual acquaintance is in the same house with me tonight. I am in the land that worships the green and gold as religion. Cheese!