Viewpoint: Time to Curb Flux of Illegals

Considering I have yet to receive a threatening piece of hate-mail as of this moment I must have written something in this morning’s viewpoint article which registered in the minds of students. Or perhaps critics of mine are taking their swell time responding. Either way, it’s out there. Here is what I sent them (this is not however entirely what I intended to say but because of that stupid five-hundred and fifty word limit this is as much as I could fit in the article without disturbing the message I was invoke) with words in BOLD indicating statements that were cut out of the viewpoint article this morning.

Thousands this weekend across the country rallied in support of immigration. Call me cynical but I find it hard to imagine they were in favor of Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner’s proposal for stricter legislation.

Politicians for too long have dodged this issue lest they be labeled racist. In the meantime, the illegal immigrant population has ballooned to twelve-million since amnesty was issued in 1986. By 2015, the number will swell to over thirty-million. That’s ten percent of the US population. So, what is to be done?

First off, let’s make one thing perfectly clear to everyone – illegal immigrants are not US citizens and therefore are not entitled to the same rights or privileges as official residents. As such, they have no right to have their voices heard in this debate. Only when they have become legalized should they be allowed to actively participate in this forum.

Second, legal Hispanics, not just in Milwaukee County but throughout the country, need to seriously reevaluate their perspective toward the issue of immigration. To this day I have yet to fully grasp why Hispanics who came to the US legally are so adamant in their support, intentional or not, of illegal immigration. Stop waving the Mexican flag and start thinking sensibly for a moment. Why have reminders of the place you escaped from if you chose to come to America?

Let’s face facts, rounding up all twelve million illegal immigrants, while desirable for some, would be impractical. Not only would it be hideously expensive, it would be an improper allocation of resources. On the other hand, however, I am strongly opposed to a call for an all-out amnesty as it only stands to further aggravate the problem rather then solve it.Make applying for citizenship in the United States much easier. My five-year old sister who was adopted from Romania with all legitimate paperwork in order spent months without legal US citizenship because of bureaucratic red tape. This is unacceptable for individuals who legitimately want to live and work in America.

Grant the twelve-million illegal aliens who are actually working in this country a set period of time in which to register for US citizenship or else face being deported back to Mexico or face jail time here.

The costs of being caught crossing the US-Mexican border illegally must drastically outweigh the benefits. This means tightening control on the border by whatever means necessary. Build a concrete wall between the US and Mexico, dig a ditch with barbed wire placed inside – do whatever needs to be done to make crossing the border illegally much less inviting.

A fixed date in which all illegal immigration across the US-Mexican border is to be halted entirely must be set. It is on this date that the first person to be caught crossing the border illegally is to be arrested live on television. This will send a clear signal to other potential illegals that we mean business.

As it stands, illegal immigration is a violation of the law and yet at the same time it is not a crime because there is nothing on the books to enforce it. Illegal immigration must be made a punishable offense if we are ever to expect it to decrease. The rule of law must be enforced without question. As a country as war with Islamic fascism, we can no longer afford to be vulnerable on our borders.