Immigration

I decided to write a blog regarding the Immigration laws of our nation, but before I begin, I would like to give a short disclaimer. I am in no way an expert on the subject of immigration. I have read various news articles and have tried to follow the happenings of the "Amnesty Bill" discussed in Congress, and other legislative reforms that have been the topic of debate at our nation's capital, but again, I am no expert. I have my personal opinions, of which I feel quite strongly. Then w/o further ado, I shall now try to present my simple opinion to you.

Our nation was, it is true, founded by immigrants. Thousands upon thousands of immigrants flooded through our ports up and down the eastern coast-line. Thousands more entered from Canada. And still others came through Mexico and the unestablished western regions. These immigrants, through legal processes at the time, became full-fledged citizens of the United States of America. With the technology then, and the numerous amounts of immigrants coming into our nation, it was difficult to keep track of them all, but by default those individuals became citizens. Our nation has changed drastically over the past 200+ years since the Revolutionary War and the establishment of freedom upon this great land. Technology continues to rocket itself higher and higher. Our government works hard to maintain control over its ever-increasing population, and to supply its citizens with the freedoms we enjoy.

However, in terms of immigration, I believe our freedoms are being encroached upon by those who live here illegally. Since 9/11 the US Government has visited and revisited its' immigration laws and have discussed and passed immigration reform. Quoting Olivia Albrecht from Fox News, "Illegal or fraudulent immigration into the United States is an important tool in the toolkits of America's enemies and it has been exploited tirelessly, and tragically, all too successfully." ('Immigration: A Tool in the Enemy's Toolkit', Dec. 28 2005, Fox News Report) And still such continues to be the case after border control reforms since 9/11.

According to a website run strictly to regulate illegal immigration, the number of illegal immigrants in our nation has doubled since 2005, now totaling approximately 20,989,000. This website also tracks funds transferred out of the country by those working illegally. To Mexico, over $33 Billion dollars have been wired since 2006. (click here for more info) It is costing our nation, our legal, law abiding tax payers nearly $4 Billion dollars extra each year to pay for illegals to benefit from US Social Services. That is $4 Billion dollars more that could go to US children's education, or to securing our borders, or to providing our troops with more support in a dangerous battle in the Middle East. Another $14 Billion is being spent on illegals in our school system.

The current US National Debt is totaled at approximately $8.9 Trillion dollars (click here for more info). How much of that is as a result of illegal immigration. That is averaged to be about $29,400 per US Citizen. What could you do with an extra $29,400? Could you pay off some of your credit card debt that has been hanging over your head? How about your child's schooling expenses? College? Retirement? Medical coverage? What else? How much of that national debt can be attributed to illegal immigrants?

So what is to be done? Congress was recently discussing an Amnesty Bill that would allow for 200,000 immigrants to come each year as "Guest Workers," allowing them to "do jobs for which companies can't find American workers." (see reference) According to reports, there are an estimated 6.8 million US Citizens currently unemployed. (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, "The Employment Situation: April 2007", April 2007) That would mean that it seems these companies aren't looking very hard to find "American workers." Or is it that they are trying to cut costs by hiring illegals, whom they know will work for a much lower cost because it is better than their situation back home? May I remind you that an estimated $33 Billion dollars have been wired out of our country to Mexico over the past year.

We need to target not only our borders, but the corporations who are allowing, nay, supporting illegal immigrants in the walls of our own nation. We need to strengthen our borders and we need to have a 'zero-tolerance' plan in effect until we can clean up the mess that has already penetrated our borders and our workforce. Our nation needs the support of its CITIZENS to combat this issue. What are you going to do? And who are you going to support?