Guest Opinion/Commentary*
Demanding Much
By Chip McLean (01/16/06)
Just when you think you’ve heard it all, something comes along to make you realize that you haven’t. A good case in point came the other day when I learned of some statements made by a group of South American diplomats who were meeting in Mexico City.
It seems that the diplomats were upset by the movement among some US lawmakers to rein in the hordes of immigrants who cross our border daily. A bill that passed the US House in December authorizes the building of a fence on our southern border, in addition to enlisting military and local law enforcement help in stopping illegal entrants. It also requires employers to verify the legal status of their workers, which theoretically will make it tougher for people entering the country illegally to find work. There were some who wanted to go much further, by denying citizenship to babies born to those who were here illegally to begin with (an action I favor), but Republican leaders would not allow a vote on that measure.
The South American diplomats were especially miffed that the bill did not contain a provision to grant guest worker status to those who are already working in the US illegally. Actually, to say they were “miffed” is putting it mildly – they are demanding guest worker programs. Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez referred to the House bill as “stupid and underhanded”, and said also that “there has to be an integrated reform that includes a temporary worker program, but also the regularization of those people who are already living in receptor countries”. In addition, he said, “migrants, regardless of their migratory status, should not be treated like criminals”. Translated, he thinks Mexicans who cross our border illegally are entitled to be here, and are entitled to jobs - and furthermore, he and his compadres demand that we do this.
All I can say to Señor Derbez is this – you sir, are in a position to demand…nothing. Let’s first of all examine a definition or two.
What does the word “illegal” mean? According to the American Heritage dictionary, “illegal” means:
1. Prohibited by law.
2. Prohibited by official rules: an illegal pass in football.
3. Unacceptable to or not performable by a computer: an illegal operation
Definition number one is the most applicable when it comes the phrase “illegal immigrant”. In other words, someone who is here illegally has broken the law. So what does the dictionary say about the word “criminal”? Used as a noun, it is defined as “One that has committed or been legally convicted of a crime.”
So illegal immigrants have committed an act that is “prohibited by law”, which means they are (are you following me here Señor Derbez?), criminals. Now Derbez and his like-minded friends may not want these lawbreakers treated like criminals, but no amount of diplomatic hokey-pokey will erase the fact that these people are indeed, criminals. Derbez must have realized he had overplayed his hand, because he later tried to downplay his comments by saying, “It's not the Mexican government's position to tell the U.S. Senate what to do.” I might add that it is also not their position to tell the US public what to think and say either. I don’t know what the Senate will ultimately do when the bill comes before them, but a very angry public has gotten fed up with the government’s lack of response on the entire immigration issue, so lawmakers are feeling the heat.
What this really comes down to of course, is money. There are many employers here who benefit, albeit illegally, by hiring illegals. They often skirt not only immigration laws, but tax laws as well, by paying cash under the table. The proposed new law could potentially make this much tougher to get around. And of course, the fact is that Mexicans working in this country are a tremendous source of revenue – not for the US, but for Mexico. 2004 saw more than sixteen billion dollars being sent back to Mexico by Mexicans who work here. That’s a lot of pesos…
Sources:
Mexico Demands U.S. Allow More Immigration
House Passes Immigration Bill
Copyright© 1/16/2006 by Chip McLean
Chip McLean is the editor/publisher for http://capitolhillcoffeehouse.com/ His columns have also appeared in The NewMediaJournal, The Conservative Voice, MichNews.com, American Daily, NewsByUs, TheRealityCheck and others.
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*Ed: Views are those of individual authors and not necessarily those of American Daily.
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