Steven Colbert appeared before the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Security to talk about the controversy surrounding immigration and migrant farm workers…

We only see what the media wants us to see in the vast ocean of news possibilities. Just watch international news once in a while and get a feel for what’s up around the world. The US immigration issue has gotten an incredible amount of press. For a change, the subcommittee was treated to a humorous but well thought out observation by someone who is well known by the public. Nevertheless, you’ll notice a leading congressional figure checking her cellphone on video during Colbert’s talk. Nice.

The immigration problem and migrant field worker issue is not as simple as it appears. America has an open door policy. We don’t restrict immigration based on discriminatory decisions. We do, however, have immigration quotas. We also have a workflow that an applicant needs to follow. So, yes, it’s a problem that we have illegal immigrants.

What are some of the issues surrounding immigration? Well, the obvious issues include the primary fact that each new immigrant becomes a new citizen, with all the rights associated with being an American citizen. These include social benefits and also tax liabilities. Just a note to consider.

At the same time, Steven Colbert pointed out that he spent a day learning what it is like to be a farm worker. His show focused, in a humorous way, just how difficult it actually is to work on a farm. He concluded that he never wanted to do it again.

Colbert added, on a serious note, that by allowing immigrants to enter America to work on farms, farm associations would probably be more closely monitored. These workers would be more likely to be treated fairly. He pointed out that, while right now most Americans don’t want to pick fruit and vegetables on a farm, perhaps if conditions improved more Americans would want jobs as farm workers.

How do you feel about the illegal farm worker issue? I say we need to let these willing workers into our country legally. We need to reward them with all the benefits any other immigrant gets upon entry and throughout their lives as US citizens. What possible argument could you have against allowing people who want to work, to do a job sorely needed, into our country?