Anti-Illegal Immigration? Damn Right!!

Andres Oppenheimer is the Latin-American editor and foreign affairs columnist for the Miami Herald. He wants us to become educated on the 5 myths of the “anti-immigration” movement as they call it. He says we are actually a bunch of elitists and racists who hate all people who aren’t white and speak English. Well, not in so many words but it is certainly implied. So let us look at these “myths” one by one and break them down.

1) “We are only against illegal immigration. Undocumented immigrants should get in line for Visas.” Andres says that ‘this is deceptive because you can’t demand that people get in line when, for the most part, there is no line to get into.’ First let’s call these people what they are. Calling them ‘undocumented’ tries to erase the fact that they are lawbreakers. They know this, which is why they cross the border at night and sneak across the desert using coyotes or Mexican Government furnished GPS devices or gut instinct to guide them. Calling them ‘undocumented workers’ implies that they stroll over the International bridge and settle in to a nice job and pay taxes like a regular Joe. This, as you say, ‘for the most part’ isn’t true. As for “the line,” it’s a figure of speech meaning that you apply for a work visa, settle into a job, learn English and apply to take the tests and become a citizen. If your Visa runs out before you become a citizen you either petition for a renewal or you go home. As millions have before them. Just showing up with a willingness to work means nothing to me. Citizenship is EARNED, not given. As for the ‘immigrant-starved’ labor market, I find it hilarious that as soon as seven meat packing plants were shut down due to ICE raids they immediately started processing applications from LEGAL immigrants for the job. He also says we want to slow legal immigration from 1 million a year to 300,000 or so. Why not? In today’s world we have to be more careful about who we let in. (Yes, I said it!!) We need to reduce the flow to get security back under control. We can’t save the world but we can help our own country from bursting at the seams.
2) “Anti-Immigration advocates are not anti-Hispanic.” Oppenheimer’s next line starts ‘maybe many aren’t.’ Well duh! But then he points out that no one is lashing out about ‘illegal immigrants from Canada.’ Gee, when WAS the last time a couple hundred thousand of them marched down the street waving that oak leaf flag demanding we all speak French and give them free health care? For that matter, when was the last time anyone marched the streets with signs in ANY language other than English demanding anything? The Chinese, Vietnamese, German, Irish and Russian immigrants don’t do that. Probably why there is no backlash against them. But then no one is denying them a free ride because they are learning the language and becoming productive citizens. They are earning the ride. As for backlash against Latinos, legal and otherwise, the same reasoning applies. Consider that your kid in school is held back in class because the bi-lingual instructor is too busy helping the struggling Hispanics (3rd and 4th generation Americans) to figure out the subject matter. Is that fair? I think not. Bi-lingual education puts ALL students further behind and punishes those who care enough to learn the local language. It starts in the home with a false sense of ‘heritage.’ If you were born here or have become a citizen, English is your native language. Period. By the way, when I go through the checkpoints, the border patrol asks me for ID and I’m whiter than white. Being asked for an ID is not discrimination.
3) “We are a Nation of laws and the law says you have to enter the country legally.” He them argues that we are also a nation of immigrants. What this has to do with breaking the law is beyond me. Immigrants, like MY forefathers, do not cross borders illegally, avoid taxes, refuse to learn the local language and demand that we learn theirs and live 20 to a home. And by the way, he explains, nearly half of all ‘undocumented immigrants’ (there he goes again, as if they came over and someone neglected to do their citizenship papers) entered the country legally and overstayed their Visas. No, they broke the law by not going home when the Visa expired or tried to get it renewed.
4) “Building a border fence will solve the problem.” No it won’t. I actually agree with him on this one. However, it’s a good start. The right fence will make it more difficult to come over and will start to shift the flow to more manageable territory. (For those who will cry that we are making it too hard on the illegals and more might die, let them get in a bathtub sized boat in Haiti and navigate their butts here like someone from a really bad country. That might get my attention.) As for the demands of the labor market that keeps them coming, I already pointed out that we DO HAVE LEGAL immigrants in need of jobs. They just don’t get hired because they want a living wage, not the crap that companies can get away with paying to illegals who won’t complain. It has always been said that good fences make good neighbors. I agree.
5) He concludes that those of us that get criticized by the likes of him believe his type to be ‘amnesty’ and ‘open borders’ supporters. Well, gosh, you are. If the truth hurts so be it. He claims he supports “border protection” and an “earned path to legalization for millions of undocumented workers who pay taxes and are willing to learn English.” Guess what? The immigrants here on work visas that are willing to learn English and pay taxes have already earned a path to legalization. I see them on TV once a month being sworn in as citizens. They are good, hard working productive citizens whom I am proud to call Americans. We don’t need a new path, we need the old one followed.
His final conclusion is this: “Let’s call things by their names, and agree that most opponents of a comprehensive immigration package are anti-immigration.” You couldn’t be more wrong. If you want to call things by their names, then call the lawbreakers what they really are. Whether they came here right to start with or entered the country illegally (thus the moniker illegal alien) they ARE lawbreakers and THEY KNOW IT! So do you. Shame on you for defending them.
Furthermore, let’s conclude that we don’t need a comprehensive immigration package, we need immigration law enforcement. Laws are already on the books that the Government and big business have outright ignored for too long. They are also lawbreakers.
His final paragraph states that we should solve the current crisis by legalizing ‘undocumented workers’ and increase economic integration with our good neighbors down south in order to “reduce poverty and emigration pressures south of the border.” The only way to solve Mexico’s economic problems is to eradicate the stronghold of the drug warlords and the government that hold the majority of their economic holdings. The United States already gives millions in economic aid every year not to mention the 40 MILLION that goes south annually from the “dues paying” undocumented workers here. Mexico needs to fix itself. They have the natural resources to become a power player in the world but would rather rely on us to hold them up. The time has come for change, all right. I didn’t work hard all my life to give away my social security to “undocumented workers.” Feel free to donate yours.