The campus College Republican event “Are you legal?” – a campuswide game with students labeled as undocumented immigrants – is offensive and shows an ignorance of issues surrounding immigration. A similar contest led by the College Republicans at New York University in February caught the eye of national media and was the subject of widespread protest in the area. The College Republicans must have had knowledge of the trouble the event caused elsewhere but held the event anyway. Not only does the contest color the issue of undocumented immigrants incorrectly, it cannot hope to adequately address the complex and controversial debate. The organization claims to be raising awareness about problems with immigration because, as they state on the event’s Facebook.com profile, “Borders isn’t just a bookstore.” Image contests like this are examples of elitism and racial profiling. Participants forget that this country was founded by immigrants. To make a game of “capturing” immigrants dilutes the issue of dealing with undocumented immigrants to a dehumanizing attitude geared towards “getting them all out” without exception. The White House and Congress agree that immigration reform is needed to offer jobs to those entering the country for work more easily. This inclusionary attitude respects the needs and welfare of immigrants and presents a positive effect for the American economy in an increased workforce. But the attitude conveyed by some College Republican organizations echoes sentiments Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly presented last week surrounding an incident related to an undocumented immigrant driving drunk. As fellow commentator Geraldo Rivera noted, O’Reilly turned a drunk driving incident into an immigration issue and irresponsibly linked immigration to lawlessness. The fear of immigration pundits like O’Reilly and Lou Dobbs attempt to instill in viewers seems to view natural born American citizens as the only individuals worthy of American jobs. A larger American workforce means a larger spending base. With pending improvements in minimum wage, registered workers can make a decent living on hourly wages. For the economy to improve, Congress and the White House must enact immigration reform. But individuals like those competing in “Are you legal?” are irresponsibly holding up the process.
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