Sunday, July 14, 2019

so, to recap. what is the socialist position on ice? not a "progressive" position, and not a liberal or ancap position, but a position that is explicitly socialist?

1) cut funding for ice to zero, and redirect it to the department of labour, so that the state is no longer policing the supply of labour but rather enforcing the labour code. and, i mean this - i want cops out there searching out labour violations. something like 'e-verify' is nowhere near sufficient to properly police employers and ensure they aren't breaking the law.
2) drastically increased penalties for employers that violate the labour code. not fines, not slaps on the wrist, but serious consequences, including losses of license, shutting down businesses and lengthy jail sentences.
3) this crackdown should not be accompanied by attacks on workers. the idea is to ensure that everybody is on a level playing field - that employers are required to provide the same wages, benefits and conditions for immigrant labourers as they are for native-born labourers.
4) tying the minimum wage to inflation.
5) legislation that allows and encourages unionization in industries with large numbers of undocumented workers, and allows those workers to join the unions.

socialists will argue that the issue with ice is not merely a humanitarian issue, but a question of ensuring that migrants, who are workers, are entitled to protections and standards, so they are not exploited for the benefit of the middle class.