Immigration reform and border control have received a lot of press coverage lately, and debates are raging about the best way to deal with the estimated 12 million people living in the U.S. illegally. Competing bills in Congress are attempting to tackle these issues, and many thousands of people participated in marches on May 1 for a nationally-publicized \”Day Without Immigrants.\”
The American people have a soft spot in their hearts for immigrants – people who left their native lands with little or nothing and headed for the United States. They were welcomed to a country where they could raise their children in freedom and have a chance at prosperity. Many of us are the children or grandchildren of immigrants and grew up listening to stories about the Old Country and the hardships our relatives overcame to get here. Four of my daughters were born in the Philippines, and our family has its own story of how we traveled halfway around the world to get them.
Immigrants are not the problem. Illegal immigrants are.
Why did the organizers of these demonstrations call their protest a “Day Without Immigrants” instead of a “Day Without Illegal Immigrants”? It’s all about the spin. At some point along the way, a liberal leader with some political savvy must have realized that “illegal” has negative overtones, and should probably be left out of the discussion. But that’s leaving out the most important aspect of this whole debate.
Ignoring that crucial difference is like saying that “shoppers” are the same as “shoplifters.” Suppose a store owner tries to control shoplifting by putting security features at the exit doors. Should he be accused of not wanting shoppers to patronize his establishment? Should people hold a protest outside his store, carrying signs saying, “Shoppers Have Rights”? Doesn’t make much sense, does it?
President Bush’s primetime speech about this issue presented a compromise that has a chance of working, if it is supported by Congress and if a way can be found to fund it (two big “if”s). The first step to solving this problem is to tighten security at the borders, which Pres. Bush has pledged to do with National Guard troops.
Another aspect of the program would allow illegal immigrants who have put down roots here for several years to be put on the path toward citizenship. Certain conditions
would apply: not only would they have to pay back taxes, but also learn English. No more printing ballots in foreign languages or teaching school children in a language other than English. The United States needs one language in order to be a united country, and its citizens need to be able to communicate with each other. Those who are willing to pay the price to stay here should be welcomed with open arms. Those who aren’t, should go home.
Herbert Meyer, who served with the CIA during the Reagan administration, has a great article in the americanthinker.com Web site about the difference between a real “immigrant” and the new class of illegal immigrants:
“To ordinary Americans, the definition of “immigration” is very specific: You come here with absolutely nothing except a burning desire to be an American. You start off at some miserable, low-paying job that at least puts a roof over your family’s head and food on the table. You put your kids in school, tell them how lucky they are to be here – and make darn sure they do well even if that means hiring a tutor and taking a second, or third, job to pay for it. You learn English, even if you’ve got to take classes at night when you’re dead tired. You play by the rules – which means you pay your taxes, get a driver’s license and insure your car, and you file for citizenship the first day you’re eligible. Do all this and you become an American like all the rest of us.”
Meyer contrasts these immigrants with the new class of illegals who come here only to work, not to become Americans. They send all their money home, refuse to learn English, and use social services which they don’t pay for, because they’re getting paid tax-free cash under the table. The flood of illegal immigrants is taking billions of dollars out of the pockets of American taxpayers – including people who came here legally and worked hard to get their official status.
These illegal immigrants should be stopped at the border, and they should be sent home if they managed to sneak though it. To do otherwise, and to confuse these people with the honest, hard-working immigrants who want to become citizens, is to do a disservice to our American heritage and to endanger our country’s future.