I have mixed feelings about the right response to illegal immigration. I don´t favor amnesty because of my respect for the rule of law and because it would encourage more illegal immigration. On the other hand, I certainly do not want law enforcement resources diverted to hassling people who are in America solely in search of a better life based on hard and honest work. Walter Williams has a good column on the issue which concludes with a call for more legal immigration:
I believe most people, even my open-borders libertarian friends, would not say that everyone on the planet had a right to live in the U.S. That being the case suggests there will be conditions that a person must meet to live in the U.S. …most Americans would recoil at the suggestion that somebody other than Americans should be allowed to set the conditions for people to live in the U.S. …Probably, the overwhelming majority of Mexican illegal immigrants are hardworking, honest and otherwise law-abiding members of the communities in which they reside. It would surely be a heart-wrenching scenario for such a person to be stopped for a driving infraction, have his illegal immigrant status discovered and face deportation proceedings. Regardless of the hardship suffered, being in the U.S. without authorization is a crime. …Various estimates put the illegal immigrant population in the U.S. between 10 and 20 million. One argument says we can’t round up and deport all those people. That argument differs little from one that says since we can’t catch every burglar, we should grant burglars amnesty. Catching and imprisoning some burglars sends a message to would-be burglars that there might be a price to pay. Similarly, imprisoning some illegal immigrants and then deporting them after their sentences were served would send a signal to others who are here illegally or who are contemplating illegal entry that there’s a price to pay. …Start strict enforcement of immigration law, as Arizona has begun. Strictly enforce border security. Most importantly, modernize and streamline our cumbersome immigration laws so that people can more easily migrate to our country.
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[…] Walter Williams on Immigration […]
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Rancher Robert Krentz was killed March 25, 2010. Murdered by an ILLEGAL alien hired by drug cartells that didn’t like their shipments interfered with while crossing his ranch.
ILLEGAL alien, Carolos Montano, driving under the influence of alcohol slammed into a car carrying three nuns, killing Sister Denise Mosier instantly. He had twice been in ICE’s custody following two previous convictions for DUI, in addition to reckless driving, speeding, and public drunkenness. (August 2010)
Nearly 25% of the California prison population is comprised of illegal aliens. In Arizona, illegal aliens make up over 40% of the prison population and in New Mexico, the number is nearly 50%. (2007)
Illegal aliens account for nearly 30% of prison populations nationwide. This includes both state and federal prisons. The cost to house these illegal aliens is more than $1.6 billion dollars each year.
Some 9,000 AMERICAN CITIZENS ARE, MURDERED, RAPED, AND ASSAULTED BY ILLEGAL ALIENS EVERY YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES.
Honest? Hardworking? What justifies this carnage??
http://www.immigrationcounters.com
http://www.immigrationshumancost.org/index.html Pictures of innocent citizens murdered by ILLEGAL aliens. -Nation Wide!
Sean L. — Illegal immigration is hardly a “victimless crime.” I suppose it might be victimless if every illegal immigrant worked completely in the shadows and without any form of ID, but millions of illegals immigrants are using IDs and/or SSNs stolen from other Americans. When some illegal immigrant uses your SSN and you end up with a bill for back taxes and/or a tanked FICO score, come back and tell us again how “victimless” you feel.
Mr. Williams has a major flaw in his article which undermines his entire viewpoint:
“That argument differs little from one that says since we can’t catch every burglar, we should grant burglars amnesty.”
Theft is not a victimless crime, where “illegal” immigration is. The concept that someone can be put in jail for walking across a political line drawn in the sand is very different from someone breaking into my house and taking my property.
The argument that immigrants ‘drain’ our public systems are actually great arguments against public systems. Arguments that they increase crime have been proven invalid.
As for your own mixed feelings, there are lots of resources here that can help resolve them. 🙂
Adrian,
There is no where near the problem on our northern border as on our southern border. How many tons of drugs are being smuggled from Canada as opposed to Mexico? How many Montana or Minnesota farmers and ranchers are having their property violated daily? How many Canadians are here illegally as opposed to the millions of Mexicans and Central Americans? If terrorists illegally immigrate from Canada, then, yes, we should have more border security there as well. After all, the main reason we allow ourselves to be “governed” at all is security of life and property. And, if there is “reasonable suspicion” after a legal encounter based on “probable cause”, then, yes, we should check Canadians’ papers as well.
By the way, we all have our “papers” checked every time we go to an airport, check in to a hotel and numerous other daily situations.
Regards,
Steve
What will we do about the fact that more middle-easterners immigrate from Canada, and that more terrorist threats have also come from Canada. Will we put a fence and more border security up there? How about all those Canadians that immigrate illegally to he US, will we check their papers at law violations as well?
The dilemma we face is a bloated government, more mandates, and more entitlements. All this makes Americans feel as if their piece of the pie is being stolen with every extra immigrant, in because of this their argument is sometimes valid. We must remember that this was Milton Friedman’s argument, and it was quite valid as well. He strongly supported free immigration.
I know you didn’t specifically refer to the new AZ illegal immigration law, but since that is what is currently driving the debate, I would like to point out to you that the AZ law does not allow law enforcement officers to “hassle” people at all, regardless of what reason they are in the country. Probable cause criteria for another offense – such as a traffic violation, etc. – must be met first before a person is stopped. Only after that criteria is satisfied may the person’s status be investigated upon “reasonable suspicion.” Therefore, it is hardly a diversion of resources, since the law enforcement officer is already investigating an infraction other than immigration status.
I certainly agree with Dr. Williams about reforming our process so as to allow increased immigration of people meeting our criteria.