Against All Odds At The Border
By Robert Klein Engler (04/09/07)
Unless trends are reversed, there will be no United States of America left in 10 years. An immigration reform that gives away citizenship also gives away the nation.
CHICAGO--(April '07) The debate over "comprehensive immigration reform" will capture again the attention of both Congress and the media. Few in either of these institutions will come out and say that at the heart of this debate is the issue of amnesty: how many should get that amnesty and through what means?
The truth is we do not need comprehensive immigration reform. What we need is to have the laws already on the books enforced. What we need is enforcement, deportation and secure borders. It is wrong to say our immigration system does not work: it is Congress that does not work for the interest of the nation.
In spite of efforts by groups like NumbersUSA and the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, it looks like Congress and the media may take the easy way and do what should not be done: go along with all the special interests arrayed against enforcement, deportation and secure borders. Congress will offer some kind of amnesty to the more than 12 million who are in the U. S. illegally.
The special interests groups who oppose enforcement, deportation and secure borders are legion. They believe that their might will make right. It is worth listing these groups so that ordinary Americans understand the forces that are dissolving their country and diminishing their citizenship.
MEXICO is the main cause of the illegal alien problem in the United States. It is in the interest of Mexican elites to have an open northern border. This open border drains off social unrest in Mexico and sends it to the United States. An open border means the Mexican elites do not have to solve the social problems of Mexico. Yet, pushing their poverty into the U. S. will solve little. It just makes those problems worse as Mexico depends more and more on remittances.
Many Mexicans want to come to the U. S. for their part of the so-called "American Dream." They do this because there is no Mexican Dream. All there is south of our border is a Mexican nightmare.
Add to this the fact that according to a 2002 Zogby International poll, 58% of Mexicans agree with the statement that "The territory of the United States' southwest rightfully belongs to Mexico," then it is little wonder why Mexico does nothing to stem the tide of illegal immigrants from their nation.
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH and other Christian missionaries are also partly to blame for the illegal immigration problem in the U. S. Most Mexicans grew up in a culture influenced by Roman Catholicism and Christianity. You'd think the Church would preach to them to avoid breaking immigration laws, having anchor babies and aiding drug smugglers, but it does not.
Perhaps the greater struggle the Church has with secularism puts these sins on hold and ignores traditional Catholic theology about the importance of nations. This could be why Bishop Barnes misrepresents U. S. history when he claims our nation is a nation of immigrants. In fact, the U. S. was first a nation of settlers. Regrettably, it was also a nation of slaves, who by definition were not immigrants.
Bishop Barnes claims, "The Catholic Church is not in favor of illegal immigration. However, it recognizes the right of people to emigrate from countries that cannot meet their basic needs. Millions of people are here illegally because the laws are unworkable and should be changed."
"Why not have the immigration laws enforced?" some parishioners ask. "Why not preach social change to the Mexican government?" others wonder. Theology seems to slip easily on the oil of politics in the sermons of many who do not want to face the moral issue inherent in breaking immigration laws.
INTERNATIONAL MARXISTS AND SOCIALISTS both in the U. S. and Mexico want open borders. It is ironic that some Roman Catholics would be in league with these enemies of the Church, but when it comes to the issue of illegal immigration, money in the collection plate seems to take precedence over theological truths.
It is a wonder, too, why the media does not ask the open border and "sin frontera" representatives if they are Marxists or socialists. For most Marxist, illegal aliens are workers who advance their social theory of revolution. The undocumented are pawns in the struggle against capitalism.
The U. S. media, with its leftist sympathies, plays right into the hands of these Marxists. In turn, Marxist sentiments for open borders encourages the media to have closed mouths and closed eyes.
BIG BUSINESS in the U. S. wants the cheap labor that hoards of illegal immigrants promise. Many in corporate America are ironic Marxists, too, for their motives are for the most part economic. The executives who hire illegal workers put profit before patriotism. While they may give money to the Republican Party, their real allegiances are transnational.
And why shouldn't they be? Their transnational lives saw them long ago cut any roots to the local. These executives live like sphagnum moss, seemingly off air in their penthouses far removed from the barrios. They have more allegiance to their stock options than they do to the American flag.
Many corporate executives see nations and borders as obstacles to their business interests and the free flow of capital. Yet, some are not completely without ties. If patriotism could increase profits, then, of course they would be for that, up to a point.
When Michael Bloomberg, the Republican mayor of New York City says, "Although they broke the law by illegally crossing our borders...our city's economy would be a shell of itself had they not, and it would collapse if they were deported," he sounds more like an Ante-bellum plantation owner defending slavery in the South, than an elected official who should defend the laws of the land.
LABOR UNIONS have been on the decline since the 70s. Many unions look favorably on the numbers of low paid, illegal immigrants coming into the U. S. to boost their membership rolls. According to Morgan O. Reynolds, "In the United States union membership in the private sector peaked at 17 million in 1970 and had fallen to 10.5 million by 1989. Moreover, the annual decline is accelerating."
Little wonder interest in unions is declining. Unions regularly betray their members, and have large bureaucracies and executives with bloated salaries. This is often evident in teachers unions. As the quality of our public schools has gone down, the salary of teacher union officials has gone up.
If illegal immigrants can be organized, especially in the service industries and education, then these union officials have a chance to regain lost power and influence. With union membership declining, someone has to pay National Education Association president Reg Weaver's more than $250,000 a year salary. With that salary also comes regular NEA endorsements of Democratic Party candidates.
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY wants big government and more voters. They can get both by turning illegal immigrants into victims. Millions of illegal aliens are a perfect school of fish for Democratic Party leaders to cast their bait. Latinos already outnumber African-Americans in the U. S., so if the Latino vote can be manipulated, Democrats could stay in power, especially in our big cities, indefinitely.
Roberto Suro, director of the Pew Hispanic Center recognizes the importance of the Latino vote. He says, "There is a big demographic wave of Hispanic kids who are native born who will be turning 18 in even greater numbers over the next three, four and five election cycles." Because the Democrats favor the false compassion of amnesty, these numbers favor their party over the Republicans.
By themselves, each of the above interest groups would have minimal impact on immigration policy. Taken together, and combined with the apathy of many American voters, a powerful array of forces is set against our national survival.
With vested interests against enforcement, deportation and secure borders, the odds of Congress adopting an immigration policy that benefits the average citizen are small. Because of this, the lives of U. S. citizens will get worse. There will be higher taxes, more overcrowded schools, more bilingualism, failing hospitals, a downturn in wages and a growing sense among ordinary citizens that there is something fundamentally unfair and lose in the land.
Even having Congress do nothing would be better than a comprehensive immigration reform bill that offers amnesty in disguise. Comprehensive immigration reform with amnesty now, will simply mean more reform will be needed in 10 years. By then, unless trends are reversed, there will be no United States of America left. An immigration reform that gives away citizenship also gives away the nation.
Robert Klein Engler
Editors Note: Minor adjustments and emphasis added by me.
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