The "Problem" with Illegal Immigration

or; the American dream: not just for Americans anymore

Published on February 7, 2006 By SanChonino In US Domestic

Here in the "great" state of Utah, we have a "problem" with illegal immigration. Or so the usual writers to the opinion pages of the local papers would have us believe. They make it sound as though our very way of life, our world, is coming to an end because of all this immigration.
We have a strong contingent of the border "Minutemen" here in the state, and they are very vocal. They constantly exclaim that we must cast out all our illegal neighbors and unify (read: homogenize) our state.
Here's my beef with the whole thing: have any of these so-called "defenders of the American way" ever even discussed the situation with one of our "invaders"?
I'll tell you one thing: I have. I've spent a lot of time with immigrants to the United States, both legal and illegal, while living in New Mexico (where the population is much, much higher and the "border problem" is much more acute). I am fluent in Spanish, and was able to spend a lot of time discussing what it's like trying to immigrate to America with them. The immigration system of this country is a joke! The reason so many come illegally is because they can't come any other way. The majority of them come looking for a better life for themselves, and most importantly, for their children. But, according to the Minutemen, the American dream is just that - purely American.
But who are we to rob them of the right to try and improve their lives? Did not Thomas Jefferson write in the Declaration of Independence that the unalienable rights given to all men - not just Americans - of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness self-evident?
The system needs changing, all right. But it needs to be made easier, simpler to enter the country and work at self-improvement. I have a friend from South Africa. His whole family, except for his nineteen-year-old sister, is here in the states, but for some reason, the immigration offices deny her a visa every time she applies. Thus, she can't live with her family and enjoy the "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" that she shoud be allowed. This system needs a serious overhaul, but until then, I'm going to support illegal immigration.

Comments (Page 2)

Tova7

on Feb 07, 2006

My bad mama, I misread that.

Sorry.

bakerstreet

on Feb 07, 2006

Since when do we have the right to do something illegal? Lots of people move here legally. This is like saying sexual harrassment should be a right under the "Pursuit of happiness" clause. There are ways to better your life, even come to America, without breaking the law.

Demosthenes Locke

on Feb 07, 2006

For anyone who has stated that breaking the law is not the appropriate way to make a point, bear in mind that Martin Luther King, Jr broke many laws in his time, yet I doubt anyone here would say he was wrong.

I'm not trying to say that immigration laws are improper, but if you were trying to immigrate, and felt that the laws preventing you from doing so were unjust, what's the better alternative: break the law and come here illegally or start a war to try to force the US to let people in. Granted the latter is fairly outside the realm of feasibility, at present.

If there is an unjustness in our immigration laws however, that is unfairly excluding certain immigrants, then that should be addressed.

Honestly, I don't know enough about the situation to make a judgement, though, so I won't.

SanChonino

on Feb 07, 2006

Thank you everybody, for your comments. Thanks especially to Demosthenes, who I think said it best: "For anyone who has stated that breaking the law is not the appropriate way to make a point, bear in mind that Martin Luther King, Jr broke many laws in his time, yet I doubt anyone here would say he was wrong."
I won't lie, when I wrote this article this morning I was in a pissy mood, I was sick, and I had just heard from a friend of mine that has been trying to come over here to go to school for over a year now. They won't give him a study visa, even though the school has accepted his application and he has, believe me, paid his dues.
I'm surprised at the reaction that this article received. You've all said some very serious stuff; you've all got me thinking.
I'm not a supporter of out-and-out law breaking. You all need to know that, but I am familiar with the messy situation immigration has become, and I wish there was something we could do to change it. As it is, I think a little more tolerance on the part of everyone, myself included, would be the best solution until somebody can change something. And as long as my congressman won't listen to me, there's not a whole lot else I can do . . .

Dr Guy

on Feb 08, 2006

One last thing to think about. When the Titanic sank, 1500 people lost their lives. Those 1500 could have tried to crowd into the few life boats, but then those life boats would have sunk as well, and the death toll would have been a lot higher.

We cannot overload the lifeboat. Or we will all drown.

DJBandit

on Feb 08, 2006

I'm not 100% on this. You see, King Jr broke laws because he wanted to make this country a better place. He did it for a better future for black, poor and those who society forget exist. He did not do it for self benefit. It's not the same as crossing into a country illegally simply because the legal way is either too long or won't give you passage. As I stated before, it is selfish to illegally leave your country and enter another simply to better your life while giving grief to others and forgetting those you leave behind who deserve that better life as much as you. King Jr was not selfish.

Locamama

on Feb 08, 2006

My problem is the villifying of illegal immigrants but not the business owners who hire them. They are breaking the law too but no one seems to care about that.

ParaTed2k

on Feb 08, 2006

Sorry San Chonino, I have to disagree with you here.

Yes, the legal immigration system is screwed up and full of horror stories. However, that is a reason to change the laws, not pat criminals on the head and say, "it's ok, we didn't mean to exclude you".

The fact is, for many states (including Utah), illegal immigrants are a drain of assets. They keep the pay rate in the area artificially low (when so many are willing to do the job for minimum wage, no unskilled worker can expect any better), they use medical facilities without having to pay into the system (do you realize how many hospitals have gone bankrupt in areas where illegal immigration is a "problem"?

When I ran ambulance in Milwaukee, we picked up a lot of illegal immigrants. By law, we weren't allowed to report them. We also knew they weren't going to be able to pay. So, apparently our ambulance service was just supposed to do our civic duty and suck up whatever expenses were incured by enjoying the pleasure of their company.

Gangs like MS-13 are making millions from people smuggling. They aren't "helping" these people across the border for free. When you support illegal immigrants you are directly supporting MS-13.

Finally, with the "civil disobedience" defense. When people like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and others decided to choose civil disobedience, they were also mature enough to accept the consequences of their actions. Yes, civil disobedience is a legitimate way to express your grievance with society, but it doesn't come with a "get out of jail free card". Anyone who knowingly breaks the law to make their point, then whines and cries that they might actually have to pay the price for their crimes, is only whining.

Illegal immigration is no less a "problem" and drain on our society as any other organized crime....

and yes, we should be going after those who hire illegal aliens also. Right now the attitude is, "don't ask, don't tell", which is ok since a person who can produce the necessary documentation should be able to get a job. However, the other side of "don't ask, don't tell" is, if an employer finds out a worker IS illegal, they knowingly commit a crime if they just let it go.

Demosthenes Locke

on Feb 08, 2006

But it was his dream to see it happen, so it was self interest that motivated him to pursue that change. The self interest to see his aspirations come to fruition.

I'm not trying to equate the two acts in entirety, just draw a corollary to show that just breaking a law does not necessarily make your opinion moot.

Dr Guy makes a good point as well, which is why I said that I didn't think that it's improper to have laws governing immigration. I just wonder how well they are set up. But again, as I said earlier, I don't know it well enough to form an opinion.

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