It’s not about immigration. It’s about illegal immigration, the related consequences and what our lawmakers are planning to do to curb the flow of illegal immigrants into this country.
Following a 12-6 vote on Monday, the Senate Judicial Committee approved legislation that would allow for 11 million (although the number may be as many as 12 million) illegal aliens to seek U. S. citizenship.
Unfortunately with a bipartisan coalition in control, the Senate Judicial Committee voted down a proposal that would have included criminal penalties for immigrants who are found to have entered this country illegally. This of course is nothing more than an open invitation for increased illegal immigration.
Hopefully when the Senate begins its debate on this issue, that provision will be included in the final draft. Illegal immigrants are nothing more than law breakers and should be dealt with accordingly.
This past weekend demonstrators staged protests in Phoenix, Milwaukee, Los Angeles and Dallas demanding better treatment for immigrants.
There is a distinct difference in demanding better treatment for immigrants and demanding better treatment for illegal immigrants.
Immigrants who have gone through the process of obtaining their green cards in hopes of becoming U.S. citizens have done so legally and deserve the same treatment that’s guaranteed all citizens by the U.S. Constitution.
But for those who sneak across our borders under the dark of night, or who are smuggled in by scoundrels no better than the illegal immigrants themselves, these individuals are not entitled to better treatment and should be deported according to U.S. laws.
Congress is considering erecting a fence on the Mexican border to deter illegal immigration and hopefully this proposal will also be included in the final draft.
There are some in the media advocating that the National Guard be utilized to patrol the Mexican border along with the Border Patrol, because erecting a fence would send the wrong message to the rest of the world.
A fence does not send the wrong message to individuals seeking to come here legally because no obstacle is that insurmountable when done so within the guidelines of the law. Build the fence, patrol it too, and punish not only those who enter illegally, but those who employ illegal immigrants.
According to the Associated Press, “President Bush is going to Mexico this week for a meeting of Mexico and Canada. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday it’s important that Mexico ‘recognize the importance of defense of the borders and American laws.’ “
Last year, U.S. dollars sent to Mexico by both legal and illegal immigrants working in this country was the largest economic boom for that country in years, so one can only imagine what Senor Fox has to say in private about “the importance of defense of the borders and American laws.”
While jobs are being outsourced to foreign countries at a rate almost equivalent to illegal immigrants entering this country, and our government continues to sell us on NAFTA, citizens are sitting on their asses, consumed in American Idol, and Desperate Housewives, when they should be more concerned about “American Jobs” before the situation becomes one of “Desperate Households.”
Since staging protests about our involvement in Iraq has been suggested in this column, perhaps a protest about the treatment of U.S. citizens subjected to lost jobs and NAFTA, created by unsecured borders is in order. Hopefully though, apathy won’t hinder this cause.
“Give me your poor, your tired and your huddled masses …” but please, don’t give me your illegal immigrants.

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