I found this extended post from a Yahoo.com Article entitled:
House GOP to consider limited immigration bill:
Listed below are several of the arguments that have been used by misguided people to try and justify illegal immigration. Next to each is the reason why each of these arguments has no merit.
One should never justify illegal anything, since the very means of entering the country undermines the reason for coming: the rule of law.
1) They are an economic necessity – Not true. The idea that a bunch of desperately poor, uneducated, unskilled, illegal foreigners are an economic necessity is ludicrous. In fact, when you compare cost vs. benefit, it is obvious that they are not only NOT a necessity; they are not even an asset. Rather, they are a liability and a huge one at that.
Voters in this country must stop demonizing people who come to this country looking for work.
The only reason that anyone becomes a liability occurs when individuals come to this country and take from the welfare state. Ironically enough, illegal immigrants cannot tap into the welfare state. If the economy were recovering more quickly and comprehensively
2) They do work Americans won’t do – Not true. They do work Americans won’t do for $5 an hour (especially if Americans can collect welfare and unemployment forever). Of course, if you got rid of the illegals, the jobs wouldn’t pay $5 an hour. The people who wanted the work done would have to pay a wage that was attractive enough to get Americans to do the work. And it might even be enough so Americans could support themselves and get off welfare and unemployment!!
This writer targets the correct problem: welfare and unemployment. Get rid of the handouts, and people will get their hands out and work.
3) They work & contribute to our society – So do I. And if I break the law and commit crimes, I can expect to pay a penalty of some kind. Anything from a small fine to the death penalty. I do NOT get rewarded. This argument makes no sense.
That is a correct assessment. The United States government should not restrict immigration. FOr decades, immigrants would come to this country, file the proper paperwork, sign their names on the dotted line, receive a passport, and become citizens. Of course, this arrangment worked to the degree that immigrants were looking for work and found it.
4) They are just trying to make better lives – Aren’t we all? The difference is that most of us understand that we don’t have a right to acquire by illegal means those things that we find difficult to acquire by legal means. And we certainly don’t have the right to do it in a foreign country. Mexico does not allow foreigners to enter their country illegally and break it’s laws. If you believe differently, go give it a try. Call me collect from the dungeon. Let me know how it went…..
Mexico has a more stringent security system along its Southern borders. The national guard shoots at people who attempt to enter Mexico illegally. No fences needed, but proper border control needs to be instated in this country. We do not have to engaged our armed forces to shoot at every person who attempts to enter this country illegally. Take away the incentives state-side, and the immigration pattterns will normalize into proper channels.
5) It is impossible to round up and deport the illegals – We don’t have to. All we have to do is remove the incentives that brought them here in the first place. No jobs. No housing. No services. No benefits. Once we remove the incentives that brought them here, they will leave on their own.
That is a correct assessment.
6) It would be too expensive to round them up and deport them – See #5.
Exactly. Less government means more freedom and fewer immigration problems. Strange insight, but true all the same.
7) Immigration control is racist – This is just another play of the race card by people who have no other cards to play. Immigration control is the world-wide status quo. There is nothing racist about it. Furthermore, the USA welcomes LEGAL immigrants of all races and ethnicities from all over the world who have gone through the legal immigration process. This is not just a bad argument, it is an attempt to create hatred and division. Racist is their code word for patriot.
"Racist" is becoming an empty epithet. One of these days, limited-government patriots will rise up, individuals of diverse backgrounds, to challenge this insensitive retort. The biggest issue with "the race card" is that the attack has so little merit, that a person accused to the nonsense cannot respond to anything. Individuals have to shake off the empty shame that people attempt to foist on others when they cry "racism". Just because people yell "racist' does not mean anyone has to be on the defensive about it.
8) We are a nation of immigrants – We are a nation that has, historically, allowed and even encouraged legal immigration. And we continue to do so. The issue at hand is illegal immigration, which has nothing to do with legal immigration. This argument is totally irrelevant. illegal aliens are not good people, they lack the morals to respect our laws !
For over one hundred years, there was no distinction between legal and illegal immigration, since the borders were open. Migrants from Europe would line up at Ellis Island, gete quarantined, then they would be released into the country to make a living.
9) They are people. We must treat them humanely – Yes & yes. But lets not pretend like they are victims who were dragged here kicking and screaming against their will. Nothing could be further from the truth. They came of their own free will and for their own benefit and they broke the law to do it. People should not be rewarded for breaking laws and committing crimes. Sending them home is the right thing to do. There is nothing “draconian” about it.
Get rid of the welfare state, get rid of the public handouts, and the United States armed forces will not have to restrict or monitor the flow of immigration into the country.
No other country on Earth allows foreigners to come in illegally, work illegally, steal jobs from it’s citizens, break laws, commit crimes (serious crimes!), evade taxes, etc. etc. etc. And there are no rational reasons why we should either. There are only political reasons, and they aren’t rational.
The notion that immigrants steal jobs makes no sense. More often than not, immigrants take jobs that no one else is willing to take. Deal with Big Government and its Big Handouts, restrict public services like schools to legal residents, and the illegal immigration problem will dissipate.