Justice requires it.
Indeed, given the prior amnesty and citizenship granting in the 1980's, it would not be a stretch to say these present-day undocumented immigrants can reasonably expect to have the right to be put on a path to citizenship.
We owe them that.
And -- could we be really honest about this -- we owe them so much more.
Countless Americans have lived far more comfortable lives than they otherwise would have, because of these undocumented immigrants. I quote from Barbara Ehrenreich's book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America:
When someone works for less than she can live on - when, for example, she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and conveniently - then she has made a great sacrifice for you, she has made you a gift of some part of her abilities, her health, and her life. The "working poor," as they are approvingly termed, are in fact the major philanthropists of our society. They neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high. To be a member of the working poor is to be an anonymous donor, a nameless benefactor, to everyone else.So we owe these major philanthropists, these anonymous donors, these nameless benefactors. We owe them our gratitude, we owe them our profound respect, and we owe them permanent residence and a path to citizenship.
