A few thoughts on border control

Immigration is not a Democrat vs. Republican issue. Nor is it a left vs. right or conservative vs. liberal or progressive issue. Those who wan to make it so are fueling the fires. Arizona passed a controversial law on immigration last week. There are troubling aspects of the law, but in the ferocious debate we have lost sight of the real problem.

Arizona felt compelled to try to control illegal immigration because the federal government has failed to do so. For at least a decade members of both parties have ignored the festering wound in hopes that inaction will lead to a generation of votes. Bush wanted amnesty for the same reason Obama supports it -- the party that appears to champion Latino issues will garner the largest growing voting block in America. That very notion my friends, makes me sick to my stomach.

The issue is very clear. Do you believe the United States is a sovereign nation and as such, has an obligation to control the borders and immigration or do you believe the fruits of America should be open to all? It is impossible to make a distinction between the guy that mows your yard, the maid that cleans your hotel room and the drug kingpin terrorizing a neighborhood. They all came across the border illegally. Those of you who are in favor of amnesty, do you have the capability to look at that protester waving the Mexican flag and determine that protester A is a hard-working restaurant busboy and protester B is a cocaine mule? I sure can't.

My home town has a serious problem with illegal immigration. The little town of 16,000 has become nearly 30% Hispanic in the past 10 to 15 years. A significant amount of that population growth is illegal aliens, undocumented workers, whatever. The impact upon the community is profound. The societal and political infrastructure is strained to the breaking point. Taxes have risen dramatically as the city tries to add police and fire protection. Health and safety inspectors are strained as increasing complaints of 10, 15, or 20 people are reported living in single family dwellings. The schools have had to hire aides, instructors and translators to manage the non-English speaking students. Every sign, posting and weekly newsletter in the school is posted in both Spanish and English. The courts have been forced to hire translators and legal aids that speak Spanish. We can debate the good or evil of such requirements and necessities, but we cannot deny such actions have a cost to the taxpayers.

Residents in that town face higher automobile rates. The number of uninsured motorists is higher in that town than those of similar size in the state. The local record in the paper demonstrators that more tickets and accidents can be attributed to those with Hispanic surnames. The hospital is strained to the breaking point as the emergency room is filled with people seeking treatment for ailments that should be covered as routine doctor visits. The point being that the influx of immigrants legal and illegal has ramifications. This is not about skin color.

Today we see many immigrants coming to America to make a better life. But they come not to add to the rich melting pot that is America, but to suckle at the nation's lifeblood like a tick on a hound. They come for the opportunity and stay for the benefits. They want to bring Mexico to the US. There is little attempt to learn the language and the culture. Many of the Southern border towns have become to resemble Mexico, and those immigrants left Mexico for a reason.

I have no beef with those who came here legally. My own family did the same. I do have an issue with anyone whose first act upon crossing American soil is to commit a crime. Entering the country illegally is a crime. This is not a human rights issue, a brown skin issue, a language issue, a culture issue. The debate is whether we are going to be a nation of laws, or a nation of suggestions. I am not sure how an administration that is concerned about our health insurance, our salt intake, our oil usage, the setting on our thermostat, and what investment risks we take, can be so unconcerned about controlling illegal immigration.

It is a duty of the Government to control the borders, to protect the citizens of this country. When we do not enforce the laws on the books there are ramifications. We do not know if that guy struggling through the desert is a man looking to feed his family, a mule carrying drugs, a terrorist sneaking in to blow up our children, or a criminal escaped from Mexican jail. When the feds refuse to enforce and protect the border, we invite Arizona to do the job.