Illegal immigration is a hot topic in today’s news that is currently separating the nation into patriotic Americans and criminal supporters. The debate over how to deal with the issue is about as partisan as any today. The liberal left wants to welcome with open arms those individuals who break laws, devastate U.S. citizen employment, and undermine the legal immigration processes.
Back in the 1980s, the Reagan administration, in their only shortcoming, granted amnesty to those aliens who had crossed the border into the U.S. illegally. The Bush and Clinton administrations which followed did nothing to stop the inflow of illegals into our country.
The current proposal to grant illegal aliens amnesty is simply not fair to the immigrants who put in the time and effort to apply for U.S. citizenship. Amnesty was granted once, and illegal immigration has only become worse since then. Today, estimates put the total number of illegal aliens at well over 10 million. This blatant lawbreaking can no longer be tolerated.
Some have suggested utilizing the National Guard to protect our borders, but this is not their intended purpose. The National Guard would be spread too thin along the borders to do an effective job. During natural disasters, when the Guard has critical missions to help U.S. citizens, our border would look like a cheap motel with a vacancy sign lit up.
Others have suggested some kind of U.S. identification card given to everyone entering the country without a passport. This solution breaks down because there is no guarantee immigrants will leave the country when the card expires. Also, the issuance of an ID card hardly prevents terrorists from entering the country.
The only solution is for the government to take immediate action to secure our borders with a fence, not only for national security and anti-terrorism purposes, but also to send a clear message to citizens of other countries that illegal immigration into the United States will no longer be tolerated. This border security needs to include not only the hotly debated Mexican border, but also the Canadian border. Policies and plans also need to be put in motion that address the critical issue of those aliens already residing in the U.S. illegally. These policies cannot grant forgiveness; instead, they must highlight punishment for crimes committed. Investing in our border security now will be a one-time expense to forever protect the homeland.
