progressoverpeace,
I agree with many of your positions, but I don’t think your approach to dealing with the existing problem is GOOD FOR THE US OR FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. I am not worried about upsetting illegal aliens or multiculturalists, or the President of Mexico. I am concerned about dealing with a real problem in an effective manner.
Should the US maintain her sovereignty? Yes. Should we choose who gains the privilege of citizenship? Yes. If we install the world’s greatest border fence, refuse all government services to illegal aliens and deport everyone we can catch, will we still have people entering the country illegally? Yes.
Why would people come here illegally in the face of all those obstacles? Because the quality of life and economic opportunity is still better on this side of the border. It like asking why rocks roll downhill- it’s because of the forces acting on them. I don’t oppose “enforcing our laws”, I just don’t think that enforcing our existing laws will satisfactorily solve the problem.
American citizens who employ workers can and should be penalized for hiring illegal aliens, but we have to make sure that the employers can figure out who is and isn’t here legally. Are you going to support bringing the hammer down on a business owner who gets snookered by a fake ID, with the result that he goes out of business and 50 citizens lose their jobs? You might, but lots of others won’t- like the 50 people who lose their jobs. That’s why tamper-proof ID and social security verification is important- employers won’t support tough programs unless they have reasonable protection from fraudulent ID’s.
Why will Mexico help limit illegal immigration? Follow the dollars. Remittances to Mexico are a significant portion of their economy. If the availability of those remittances is tied to legal status, they will be anxious and eager to make sure that every guest worker obtain legal status before entering the US. (the Heritage Foundation folks understand how to do this- I admit I do not know enough about the law to fully grasp this.)
What do you propose doing about the illegal alien Maria who marries a US citizen Joe? Deport her? Deport him? Deny her admission to the hospital when she is having their first baby? These are real questions here in Texas, and I promise you that you won’t get a lot of support from Joe and his family if you try to force Maria into the shadows. More importantly, police know that communities that live in the shadows are much more likely to shelter criminals- the residents are afraid to call the police even when they witness crime, and when everything is a blackmarket deal, it fosters contempt for the law and separation from the larger community. In other words, it creates the kind of separatism that might lead to secession. I think your approach would exacerbate the very problems you fear. Right now the vast majority of immigrants, legal and illegal, want to integrate into American society- they want to get a job, find a home and raise a family, and they want their kids to have better opportunities than they have had, I think your approach would Balkanize communities that have successfully integrated immigrants for decades.
I expect we will continue to disagree on the best approach to the problems of illegal immigration, but I hope I have demonstrated that McCain supporters are not simply “shrugging it off without a thought”. We have just come to different conclusions about how best to address the issue and preserve America’s security, prosperity and domestic tranquility.
