Divisive Issue, Thy Name is Illegal Immigration

I've commented occasionally on this issue, most notably in terms of border control and criminals using our pourous border as a conduit for their illegal activities. Let's also consider before anything else that people entering this country without following the accepted immigration route, in which we attempt to assimilate them into our culture, are doing so ILLEGALLY. I don't know if I can stress this enough, because it seems to be something that gets missed everytime this argument pops up. If they're breaking the law, what kind of message does it send that we allow them to continue breaking the law by staying? Not exactly an effective means of assimilation.

However, many on the other side of this issue assume that any against ILLEGAL immigration are against all immigration. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm all for legal immigration. I've got over two hundred years of history that tells me it works and works well. People come in with their own unique cultures and ideas, assimilate into American culture while still retaining a bit of pride in their heritage, and voila the next generation from those immigrants are usually indistinguishable from other Americans. They come here because their own countries fail them and because America seems the most promising and free place to make something of yourself. In America, you should not be judged on who your parents were. You should and usually are judged on your own character and ability. That's one of the many things I love about this country, it's ability over any other country in the world to take in a massive influx of legal immigrants.

That being said, we now see ILLEGAL immigrants rallying against any attempt to reform the horrible state of immigration in this country. Michelle Malkin gives perhaps the best overview of the rallies. She also includes some choice quotes from the founders on unassimilated immigrants. It would seem, not surprisingly, that they weren't too pleased with that idea either.

I do have to agree with her on Bush's "We are a nation of immigrants" quote. It seems he's trying to be all inclusive and accepting, but he should at least get the facts straight. We aren't all immigrants. Most of us are third or fourth generation Americans. We and our parents were born here. How does that make us immigrants? We have an immigrant heritage and should rightfully be proud of it, but we are not immigrants. It's a well-meaning platitude, but somewhat misleading in an attempt to identify with the ILLEGALS already here.

I also can't abide the whole "they do jobs Americans don't want to" argument. Either Americans will do them or the industries will change their practice. The tomato industry, an industry wholly dependent on migrant workers, redesigned its harvesting when it was deprived of those workers. Did the tomato industry collapse? Are we paying $10 for a can of tomato paste? It can be done.

So yes, it can be done and we needn't suffer 11 million illegals using public services, draining the resources of hospitals and local public schoools and acting as a permanent underclass for those who are too racist or money-hungry to admit otherwise. The best thing that can be done at these rallies is to start checking ID's and sending those not here legally back to their own country. If they can manage to not break the law again and apply to enter this country legally, I'm all for 'em. Otherwise, they can fix their own countries. We're not here to relieve their poverty by having them live in poverty in our country.