Illegal Immigration

Considering today’s nationwide rallies in favor of illegal immigration it seems a prescient time to discuss illegal immigration. Make no mistake, that’s what it is, and illegal is what they are. They’re not undocumented workers. Don’t bore me with politically correct euphemisms. They’re illegal immigrants. Quite frankly, some argument could be made that they’re a benign invasion force in light of the fact the Mexican government encourages and aids their people in illegally entering the U.S.

A porous border is a security nightmare. Go check out the latest National Geographic. There’s a photo article about the southern border, and it’s frightening just how vulnerable some sections of the border are right now. Drug runners practically rule portions of the border. Creating physically secure borders should be a no-brainer, and quite frankly the Executive and Legislative branches of our government have failed to live up to their oaths of office by not securing us. I could go on about the security aspects of a porous border (both the northern and southern), but that is only part of what we’re considering. And for the pro-illegal crowd it clearly isn’t a consideration at all, so let’s put it aside for now.

A great deal of this is about our national identity. Great waves of immigrants came to this country in the past 150 years, and after each great wave Congress closed the gates (unfairly in some cases, e.g. the Chinese). Once immigration was restricted, the groups that came here had time to assimilate and become Americans, particularly over subsequent generations. Then again, a lot of them came here open to the idea of becoming an American.

The Mexicans that have poured into our country over the past thirty years do not wish to become Americans, by and large. They wish to bring Mexico here, and that is the central problem.

There’s nothing more wrong with the Mexican people than any other people. But if they don’t want to become Americans, or at least play by the rules when it comes to entering this country, then they should stay in Mexico. If Canadians were pouring over the border and trying to bring their socialist paradise down here I’d be just as unhappy about it. It’s not about the Mexican people. They’re looking for an opportunity to get out of poverty, make a better life, and live in a better area. I understand that, and appreciate it. They work hard, often at physically arduous or unpleasant jobs. {The idea that they do jobs that American citizens won’t do is a myth, though. See how many Mexicans are cleaning toilets in rural Kentucky.} They endure great personal risk trying to get here, such as financial loss, unsafe transportation, or simply the many dangers of a desert journey.

Think about what Mexico is losing. It’s hardest working, bravest, and most ambitious people are leaving. What is the future of Mexico as these people leave? There are few prosperous areas of Mexico right now, and many areas of abject poverty. Who will be there to change that?

Don’t lecture me folks. I haven’t forgotten the human equation here. I know we’re talking about living, breathing people. “So, H.K., what should we do with all of them?” To be honest, if a person can’t prove that they’re here legally, they should be deported. If a company knowingly hires an illegal immigrant, they should face legal penalties. And don’t tell me we can’t accomplish those things. If we can send our armies halfway around the world to kick terrorist ass we can deport a couple million people per year. Is that cold? Yes. Will it end with good people winding up dead at worst, or screwed at best? Yes. Will our relations with our southern neighbor get tense? Yes. Those are always the consequences of security.

You might get the impression that I don’t care for immigration in any form. Nothing could be further from the truth. My mother is an immigrant. She came to America the legal way, worked damn hard, started a family, and became a citizen. She hasn’t forgotten her language, homeland or family, but she is an American. I welcome to America anyone that wishes to do the same. If my mother hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t exist (no cheering, please).

But offering amnesty (and let’s be clear - any program that allows criminals to stay, let alone get on a path to citizenship, is amnesty) to people that have circumvented the system is an insult to immigrants like my mother. It is also a clear political ploy by one political party (hello, Democrats) to increase their voter pool.

So, let’s take the politics out of this and just do the right thing. Enforce the law. Secure the borders. Seal the wound to the south, and purge this country of people that don’t deserve to be here. Most importantly, we must keep our arms open to people that wish to come here legally and become a true part of America.