Immigration
We are a generous and welcoming nation. Controlling immigration is an acknowledgement that we live in a world surrounded by apparent threats. Border security is neither inhumane nor bigoted. A meaningful deliberate border policy is essential to protecting the sovereign identity and values of our nation. To be clear, the problem is not with immigration but with the proliferation of illegal immigration. An estimated 11 million people or so...are living and working in the U.S. "without papers" – i.e. illegally.
Glib soundbites and euphemisms aside, the terminology used by illegal immigration advocates like "undocumented" does not mean that a legal document was misplaced or that someone who snuck into the country was the victim of an administrative snafu. These phrases are intentional, manipulative labels used by those who advocate for unfettered borders to disguise the real issue of millions of immigrants living inside the US but outside of the law. The growing number coupled with the inherent anonymity elevates this issue to a significant national security problem alongside concerns about rogue nation states like Iran and its unfettered proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Illegal immigration is just that - against the law. Creative branding does not change the facts. Drug dealers are not unlicensed pharmacists. The debate should not be about the number of illegal immigrants who are hard-working and honest, as compared to the number of those who commit violent felonies after entering the country illegally. To maintain any real credibility, the rule of law must be enforced and applied fairly. Crossing the border illegally may be the most expedient but is not the only option for oppressed immigrants attempting a better life. The hyperbolic rhetoric of this debate has intentionally blurred this truth.
Human beings from other countries should be afforded opportunities to seek a better life in America. However, a legal process exists to ensure order and protect legal immigrants, all US citizens, and sovereign borders from actions that would destroy the very freedoms immigrants to this great nation have sought for hundreds of years. Aside from the moral bankruptcy of choosing the welfare of lawbreakers over the protections of the rule of law, and ignoring the sovereign will of the citizenry, illegal immigrants, living in the shadows, can be subjected to exploitation by the unscrupulous. A rationale, effective, and enforced immigration policy enacted into law would offer those same guest workers the same labor protections afforded to Americans, and impose the exact same burdens such as paying federal income tax.
Legitimate compassion is not reckless. Nor is avoiding a real threat to national security helping to resolve or prevent any conflict. Properly managed borders with thoughtful application of the rule of law is required. This aphorism springs to mind, "good fences make good neighbors."
Glib soundbites and euphemisms aside, the terminology used by illegal immigration advocates like "undocumented" does not mean that a legal document was misplaced or that someone who snuck into the country was the victim of an administrative snafu. These phrases are intentional, manipulative labels used by those who advocate for unfettered borders to disguise the real issue of millions of immigrants living inside the US but outside of the law. The growing number coupled with the inherent anonymity elevates this issue to a significant national security problem alongside concerns about rogue nation states like Iran and its unfettered proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Illegal immigration is just that - against the law. Creative branding does not change the facts. Drug dealers are not unlicensed pharmacists. The debate should not be about the number of illegal immigrants who are hard-working and honest, as compared to the number of those who commit violent felonies after entering the country illegally. To maintain any real credibility, the rule of law must be enforced and applied fairly. Crossing the border illegally may be the most expedient but is not the only option for oppressed immigrants attempting a better life. The hyperbolic rhetoric of this debate has intentionally blurred this truth.
Human beings from other countries should be afforded opportunities to seek a better life in America. However, a legal process exists to ensure order and protect legal immigrants, all US citizens, and sovereign borders from actions that would destroy the very freedoms immigrants to this great nation have sought for hundreds of years. Aside from the moral bankruptcy of choosing the welfare of lawbreakers over the protections of the rule of law, and ignoring the sovereign will of the citizenry, illegal immigrants, living in the shadows, can be subjected to exploitation by the unscrupulous. A rationale, effective, and enforced immigration policy enacted into law would offer those same guest workers the same labor protections afforded to Americans, and impose the exact same burdens such as paying federal income tax.
Legitimate compassion is not reckless. Nor is avoiding a real threat to national security helping to resolve or prevent any conflict. Properly managed borders with thoughtful application of the rule of law is required. This aphorism springs to mind, "good fences make good neighbors."
