Unwilling Accomplices: How America is Helping Illegal Immigration And How to Reverse the Flow
The United States is being invaded. We cannot see the invaders, no country has declared war on us, and nobody is ever really aware of the enemy slipping into our land. But every day, undocumented immigrants are smuggled into the United States through various methods and locations. Unless we can halt the flow of illegal immigration across our border and reverse this growing trend, the economic, political and other effects of this issue will undoubtedly do severe damage to the United States in coming years.
According to www.immigrationcounters.com, a website that tracks statistics on illegal immigration, there are approximately 22,862,051 illegal immigrants living in America. The majority of these immigrants are from Mexico. So how do we solve this problem?
In recent years, the U.S. government has turned a blind eye towards our southern border. Even though entering the country illegally has been a federal offense since 1929, it is one of the most poorly enforced laws in the U.S. The last few presidents have acknowledged the issue, but have done almost nothing to plug the gaping hole in our border. Even George W. Bush, who took a tough stance against illegal immigration during his campaign, did not manage to reduce illegal immigration during his term in office.
The Obama administration has only worsened the situation in the southwestern United States. When Arizona passed a law that gave its police forces the power to enforce the long-ignored federal law on illegal immigration, the criticism came swiftly and sharply from both the Obama administration and the media. To add insult to injury, Mexican President Felipe Calderon made a visit to the United States, during which he condemned the Arizona law in a speech before Congress, for which he received a standing ovation. More recently, the Obama administration has announced that it is filing a lawsuit against Arizona over the immigration law.
All this makes us wonder: Why is our government not supporting a state that is taking action to enforce the established federal law. The response to the Arizona law is a shameful reflection of this country’s character and beliefs, and demonstrates how ignorant many people are of the dangers we face from illegal immigration.
So, what is the solution to our illegal alien problem? Well, as many people say, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. We need to size up the impact that illegal immigrants have on the American economy and society, and act accordingly to prevent illegal immigration from causing further problems in the future.
Let’s start with the education system. Immigration Counters reports that 5,088,723 children of illegal immigrants are enrolled in American public schools. That is over five million students receiving an education that the American taxpayer is footing the bill for. Further, there are 425,043 illegal aliens incarcerated in American prisons, where they are being kept, once again, at the taxpayer’s expense.
Perhaps the most devastating factor of illegal immigration is the loss of jobs to illegal aliens. In a time when unemployment is rising, robbing Americans of jobs so that illegal aliens can work is counter productive to economic recovery. According to Immigration Counters, 11,670,466 skilled jobs in America were given to illegal immigrants. With the unemployment rate in several states entering the double digit range, we should make it a priority to prevent illegals from finding employment in America.
Now that we clearly see the magnitude of damage caused by illegal immigration, we need a plan to stop it. Our first step must be to remove the illegals that have already rooted themselves in America. Banning the existence of sanctuary cities, places where illegal immigrants can live without fear of being arrested or deported, would force swarms of illegal aliens to travel back to their home countries, or face deportation.
Next, the U.S. needs to adopt a uniform immigration policy that will be enforced equally in all states. Having a strong policy against illegal immigration that is consistent throughout the entire nation will prevent any portion of the country from becoming a weak spot for illegal immigrants to enter through.
Finally, we must get serious about protecting the U.S.-Mexico border. Deploying the National Guard to assist the Border Patrol in securing the area would greatly help reduce the flow of illegal immigrants. Constructing a physical boundary along the border would be very beneficial as well. A fence along the border would deter those illegal immigrants who decide to cross into America because it is “easy.”
All in all, it is time to crack down on the illegal immigrants that are draining our resources and burdening our economy, and take all necessary measures to make illegal immigration a thing of the past.
