Even with the economy, health care and foreign policy being on the political agenda for America’s election year, another pressing issue inspiring debate is illegal immigration. After years of trying to tackle the problem, ongoings at Pomona College allowed the debate to re-surface into headline news. According to an article published in The New York Times yesterday, Pomona College fired 17 workers from its campus due to their inability to provide valid documentation they were legally allowed to work in America. Some of these employees had been with the college for many years, and the move has provoked many to evaluate how this action reflects upon the college’s liberal ideals.
A potential contributor to the documentation checks is found in the workers’ plans to form a union. However, the administration has dismissed this accusation as grounding for its decision. Seeing as this is only a rumor, it’s irresponsible to assume it represents the case at hand. Any bystander can conclude the situation is unfortunate; no one wants to handle the responsibility of dismissing hard-working employees based on what law entails. Nevertheless, morality or liberalism cannot justify ignoring the law. Should an institution be found to be knowledgeable of illegal immigrants being paid, the implications can be much worse.
Relations between students and the administration will be strained as this situation unfolds. This latest controversy comes after a rule preventing dining staff from talking to students in the dining areas during work breaks. Schisms of social division and clashes of ideals will only inhibit progress being made on cutting down illegal immigration. Students should not direct all their anger to school administrations. Perhaps if they took their frustrations to a government representative, change could be made at a legislative level.
Workers losing their jobs based on a technicality is regrettable, but a necessary by-product of following the law. Promoting liberal ideals on campus should be a priority, but instilling a need to comply with some form of order is equally important. By better regulating the existing immigration system, perhaps luckless situations like these can be avoided.
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