We Need Clarity on Immigration

The flareup of immigration issues in the last month, including Congress's attempts at "immigration reform" and the resulting marches by hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens, gives us all a second chance at civics class. We need clarity on this issue in a big way.

I have some thoughts:

First, it's clearly a huge problem. When a constituent group can generate mass rallies which threaten to "shut down" American cities - you've got a problem.

Second, no one hates the illegals. America is a very welcoming country with a strong sense of rooting for immigrants. Most of us can completely understand someone's desire to leave a country that is saturated with poverty and corruption to try to make a better life here. Most Americans believe that we should welcome as many good people as we can from all over the world as we can reasonably assimilate.

Third, we can't welcome everyone. We just can't. There has to be an orderly control of the borders which admits only the number of people we can absorb.

Fourth, if you're not in that number you can't just break into the country. It's trespassing, and it's illegal. Plus, when 12 million people do it it's an invasion.

Fifth, the marchers have intentionally poked their fingers in our eyes. It's as if:

Someone broke into our house (illegal border crossing), ate all of the food in our refridgerator (use public schools, emergency rooms, etc), and then get mad at us for not giving them the spare key to the house yet (immigrant rights now!), and by the way - why haven't we adopted them yet? (today we march - tomorrow we vote!)

Unbelievable ingrattitude.

Sixth, politicians from both parties are completely out of tune with mainstream America on this one. Enough of the platitudes like "they're doing jobs Americans won't do" and "we can't have a mass deportation". Americans will do the jobs if the wages are not depressed by an illegal market. And surrender to the problem is not a policy.

For clarity, let me state my position on it:

- America has a right, and a duty, to control it's borders as any sovereign state does.

- Congress has already passed laws defining border control and immigration policy, including setting the limit of how many people we can reasonably assimilate

- Congress and the several presidential administrations have been seriously negligent in enforcing those laws for the last twenty years, resulting in an illegal population 12 million strong willing to make threats to shut down our cities.

- Congress and the Bush Administration have exactly no credibility on immigration reform, given a twenty year track record of dereliction which has allowed the flouting of our laws and sovereignty to the tune of 12 million illegals within our borders.

- In spite of that, Congress and the Bush Administration need to establish immediate control of our border and enforcement of our laws by:

- securing the border immediately. Build a wall now.

- Deporting everyone that comes into contact with law enforcement that is not in the country legally

- Punishing heavily businesses that hire illegal aliens - which depresses the wage scale for Americans. I would start with the businesses, like Tyson foods, that had to shut their doors yesterday during the boycott because their illegal workers were at the rallies. Fine those CEO's to the maximum extent of the law.

Enough foolishness on this issue. We need clarity. And we need public officials Republicans and Democrats - to follow the law.