Unfettered immigration is possibly more dangerous than drug usage, as we have no idea who is entering our country on any particular day.
Nowadays, it is surprisingly simple to be political. All you have to do is live near a major metropolis, prop yourself up against a parking meter, and wait for the demonstration to come to you; which is exactly what I did on May 1st in anticipation of the impending immigration rally.
With amazing punctuality, at high noon, an elephantine wave of social consciousness trampled by on their way to Chicago’s Grant Park. Diverse flags were everywhere as six unmarked police vehicles, along with two patrol cars, led the march. Seven helicopters hovered as a PA sloganeered in both Spanish and English. One of the first chants I could make out was “Viva la Mexico,” although as many American flags were waved as Mexican ones. The scene was not combative, however. Bystanders beneficently looked on. My neighborhood church, Old St. Patrick’s, even hung a banner of welcome reading: “Yesterday’s Immigrants Support Today’s Immigrants. Your Journey is Our Journey.”
The crowd included countless families and could not be confined to the road as the extra participants rivered out upon the sidewalk. A local radio station, “Multicultural 950 AM” — the station which first broadcast Air America in Chicago, camped out on a corner and blared Spanish music from its speakers, and, even though it was a decidedly Hispanic affair, people of all persuasions were present, including the hyphenated pride of Polish and Irish Americans.
Ubiquitous among the throng were assistants with green t-shirts. They had pink tags around their necks stamped with the word “Peacemaker.” I spoke to two of them who informed me that Congress was planning to imprison illegal aliens, and that the government wanted to make it a crime to even know an illegal. Of course this was simply a lie. Nothing within the pending legislation even remotely mentions such Draconian measures. The passage to which they mistakenly, and emotionally, refer actually pertains to smugglers:
Subjects an individual who knowingly aids or conspires to allow, procure, or permit a removed alien to reenter the United States to criminal penalty, the same imprisonment term as applies to the alien so aided, or both.
Sadly, in our new century, there can be no politics without distortion. To discuss the merits of erecting a 700 mile fence or the Green Card Lottery is too mundane for effective discussion; only sound byte argumentation can persuade.
Speaking of distortion, I discovered that alongside me were two women handing out copies of The Revolutionary Worker, now re-titled, Revolution, which is the flagship magazine of a Maoist offshoot of the Communist Party. Sales did not look to be brisk, but that could not be said of the red flags and t-shirts they were peddling. I asked them about their goods and was handed a flag which, unfortunately, a great many others in the crowd waved. I resisted a sudden urge to set it on fire. The t-shirt that the activists wore accused the Bush administration of being illegal immigrants themselves. It featured a prisonesque shot of Bush, the most pro-no accountability for immigrants leader in history, upon its front and back.
Your average red stater may be surprised to discover that communists are common at today’s leftist gatherings. They are tolerated perhaps due to their being “liberals in a hurry” or that they are unduly regarded as brave and devout. Sympathy should be extended to immigrants tricked into an association with a bloody flag symbolizing 100 million deaths. These leftists should be confined to Federal Plaza or the Daly Center where all the other bureaucratic elites congregate. They don’t belong among the people.
For the apparachnik, immigrants mean nothing in themselves. They are merely another way to foment social disorder. I recall one of their number telling me, back in 2001, that she was “very excited about the recent revolutionary activity in Cincinnati.” What she actually was referring to were race riots. Anti-American hate groups, like International A.N.S.W.E.R., vehemently support immigrant demonstrations and agitations as they represent instability. They know that citizenship restrictions have nothing to do with waging war or racism, but champion any group critical of our nation.
After it was over, I could not help but wonder if any of the organizers realized just how counter-productive these actions were. Closing down streets, in our already overcrowded city, will endear them to no one. I’m sure that consciousness was raised among the general population, but that consciousness may not have been favorable.
The demonstrators also made clear their obvious devotion to their homeland, which should remind undecided Americans that illegals will not easily morph into vested citizens. A Pew Hispanic study suggested that 55 percent of Americans with Mexican descent considered themselves Mexican “first,” and a quarter even viewed “Hispanic” as their primary identity.
The story of immigration control is one imbued with as much futility as the war on drugs. In both cases, government response has done little to prevent inflow. Unfettered immigration is possibly more dangerous than drug usage, as we have no idea who is entering our country on any particular day. To greatly improve the situation, Congress needs to do very little — just build some barriers and assign agents to patrol them.
As for the status quo, it’s a joke. Last week, I had a chance to see part of our southern border and could not believe what constitutes a “fence” in the mind of some politicians. It’s not a fence as much as a “Do Not Disturb” sign. Stone Age engineering will not improve the situation.
Unlike other leftist positions, this one cannot be defended. There’s no reason in the world why we shouldn’t know who enters and leaves our shores. It also clashes with the standard Democratic mantra in regards to minorities. The left claims that they alone protect the “economic interests” of blacks and indigenous Hispanics, but no minority benefits from increased competition for jobs and a steady decline of wages. Those who support unlimited immigration due to its positive impact upon economic growth are misguided. The integrity and viability of the nation is what is essential. As to whether we continue to consume at the rate we do is immaterial.
One of the many tricks used by the left, and reflective of their Manichean mindset, is that everything must be either black or white. This is their stance on every issue: you either hate taxes or love them, you’re either politically correct or a bigot, and, in this instance, you either are pro-immigration or a nativist marauder. Delineations such as these turn debate into a farce and are not reflective of the way people think. With immigration, I have found that everyone I talk to possesses a rather nuanced view — including this writer. I believe we should establish a yearly quota and then enforce the laws. Annually assimilating 500,000 to 1,000,000 new citizens will not be a problem.
Obviously, such a practical view is anathema to the left. They’d call whoever made such a proposal a racist or a fascist, which is their standard response to any challenge. These names don’t apply to this discussion, however. It doesn’t matter to me if all the yearly quota hails from Ghana, Burma or wherever. There’s no reason for coercive government action here either. We should shore up the borders as opposed to sending out the FBI to ferret passports from the masses. Barriers are not the stuff of authoritarianism, they simply protect the people. We need politicians who recognize that American preservation is more important than vote accumulation. We have the greatest country on earth — for now. Sharing the land with immigrants is not an option; it’s a foregone conclusion, but we must defend our interests and ensure the future. Let’s move forward together.
"We need politicians who recognize that American preservation is more important than vote accumulation." This is the only sentence we need to say. I also believe that the way a republican can gather votes is to come out strong with a immigration policy which includes a fence, border agents, and fines for corrupt business owners. With approval ratings hovering at 27-30 percent, who are these republicans trying to win over? Has it not been proven that every time a republican attempts to act like a democrat, they lose? I for one am begging for a true conservative leader to tackle this issue and become a conservative force within the party. A true leader would stand up and tackle this issue. This party is in big trouble if they can't get a grip on such a slam dunk issue like this. The dems are waiting for GOPers to run with this, because they do not have the guts to tackle it. It may be the only way the republican party can maintain control of Congress.
Please! Let’s not mix concepts here. Legal immigration should be unfettered by quotas. Just restrict all benefits state and federal to U.S. Citizens. That would be a powerful disincentive in and of itself to the other type of currently unfettered immigration – illegal. In addition, we should have long ago secured our borders using DOD assets in this post 9-11 environment. If the Mexican Army can patrol their side of the line, why can’t our grunts do it on our side? I live and work less than 80 miles from the border in the southwest, and believe me, the concept of ‘reconquista’ is real in the latino age group 15-39.
4/21/06
You are not a guest- if you do not leave!
There is a third side to the illegal/trespasser problem facing us for some time; two additional points need to be made. First, we, as a country do not “owe” the trespassers anything. Second, they are illegal trespassers not immigrants, immigrants come legally, with the intention of staying and assimilating into the American culture. They do not just take from it to send south. The trespasser’s loyalties are clearly with their country of national origin. All you have to do is ask-“will you renounce your loyalties to Mexico and adopt the American culture as your primary goal, as our forefathers have done, with citizenship as an end result?” The answer may surprise those on our French coast, better known in the east as Massachusetts.
“I am here to make money to send to my family in Mexico” I do not fault the desire, only the execution. Contrary to our national ego, not everyone wants to be an American. Some actually love their own country. They are simply looking for a better life. The money they earn in the U.S. to send “home” is the overriding need. I have heard the same thing over and over in interviews and in talking with them. I can understand the sentiment, they have a beautiful country with enormous natural wealth, resources, and warm friendly people who, by outward appearance, have an indifferent government that seems only to be interested in power and how much money the ex-patriot can send home, (now second only to oil revenue). A government, that meddles in the internal affairs of our country. From comic books that instruct on how to cross the border and their “rights” to getting the trespassers “survival kits” for the journey and instructions on how to demonstrate in our country. A government whose army has crossed into Arizona and I presume other states. I think that perhaps it is time for them to take to the streets of Mexico and make some demands. It is their right and obligation to do so. If the trespassers do not care why should we. Do not make us your surrogate. It may well be risky, but clearly necessary. You need to make your demands in your country not ours. To be blunt, your problem is yours, and you need to take some responsibility for your own future.
A guest worker program has not worked and will not work. It is designed, as I have read, to reward trespassing. It is, no matter what they call it or how it is disguised and sugar coated, AMNESTY. You are not a guest, if you do not leave.
As a knee jerk reaction, I am tempted to say a pox on both the Democratic and Republican parties and not vote for any of you weak-kneed voter prostitutes. However, upon further reflection a non-vote, in effect, would be a vote for the worst of two options. So, I will hold my nose, cast my vote, and hope that at some point responsibility and common sense will raise its head. I, and many others, am fed up with this direct frontal assault on our national identity and yes, on our culture. Which is American and unlike any other in the world, (Thank God). Yes, we are a mixture of many, like a junkyard dog, you are welcome to be one of us legally. I find that the in your face demonstrations with upside down American flags, the showing of Mexican flags, the making of demands and distain for our laws are having the opposite result from that which they are intended. A change now would, I think, show a certain lack of truthfulness on their part.
As Americans, we view ourselves as magnanimous, just and compassionate. As such, we cannot just throw 13 million trespassers out. What we can and what we must do is regain some sort of control, respect for the law and demand responsibility from our leaders and government. Why should it be comfortable and risk free?
First and foremost, we need to control our borders. This should be a no brainier, except for the fact that up until now it has not been done. We need to start with the attitude of “no more trespassers” period. I do not care if it is a ditch, a fence or something else. No other country tolerates such complete disregard for its borders. Not to mention how dangerous and foolish it is to leave the back door open to people that have vowed to kill us. Check out Mexico’s own illegal immigrant policy, it is eye opening for sure!
Second, we need strong sanctions against employers who, by their policies, encourage lawbreakers to cross our borders. No jobs = no trespassers. Sanctions need to be stiff, consistent, fair and sure.
Why not have a “true” immigrant? An immigrant that respects our laws and has been waiting in line to replace the illegal trespasser, one out for one in. The service industry, construction trade and farmers would lose very little. They would still have access to lower cost labor. The immigrants would be potential citizens, and not a drain on scarce resources. Additionally, it would be much safer for us than what we have now, which is nothing of substance and only for show.
Third, for those that are here illegally, no more tax paid benefits. Period. No benefits = no trespassers. I, like my neighbors, am tired of paying for our leader’s poor judgment. If their employers here value them, let them go home. Have them take a letter from their employer stating that the employer will be responsible. Then they may apply for a renewable real guest workers card.
With no jobs, no tax supported benefits, no education and no health services at emergency rooms, which suck resources from our elderly, they will leave just as they came. One by one. Harsh? Not really, we do not owe them or Mexico anything at all. Besides, new LEGAL immigrants will come to replace them. For those here, we will need no busses or round up, just take away the incentives. Arizona passed prop 200 and our leaders have been dragging their feet ever since. Nevertheless, slowly we are forcing those that represent us to enforce the will of the people. Those darn taxpayers sure are a bothersome lot.
The trespassers are asking for special privileges. I say no, not when we have our elderly and young in need. You camp out in my back yard, and then have the gall to make demands of me that no one else gets. I think not.
Now if the borders are more secure and the incentives for the trespassers are gone, what should we do with the illegal immigrants who are parents of U.S. born citizens (by virtue of the misinterpretation of the 14th Amendment)? I propose an illegal immigrant / trespasser’s TAX. Not a one time, silly fine that the Senator from France, excuse me Massachusetts, has offered. But a yearly tax for say one to five thousand dollars, per head. This would help recover some of the costs that are incurred in education and other benefits. As it now stands, we get all sorts of yearly taxes. Home, business, income and on and on and on. Why should trespassers be given any special privileges and be exempt from registering and paying at least something back to a country that is giving them so much. Can they afford it? You bet. It costs between $5,000 and $10,000 to get here in the first place. In addition, if they are involved in any criminal activity or do not pay the tax they get a one-way ticket back to Mexico, and fast. Why should we house and feed them in jail?
Lastly, WHO WILL SPEAK – WHO WILL CHAMPION FOR US? The ones that pay and pay and pay some more, and are to busy working to demonstrate for “our” rights.
Thank you for your time and consideration, I feel 1% better.
Sincerely
Dave Hellekson