Wrong Msg to the Wrong People - A rebuttal
In the previous post, Huckabee - the wrong message to the wrong folks, Sanity Please decided to respond. Rather than keeping my response in the comments section, I've decided to Post it, as this is one of the most important issues in the illegal immigration debate. Once again, in different guise, we have the all inclusive phrase "it's for the children".
That's how current law treats the children of undocumented immigrants who were born abroad, and it is wrong. Years later, after they have grown up here, stayed in school and out of trouble, these young people should be given an opportunity to get on with their lives without fear of deportation.
That's not only the American way, it is in the interest of the rest of us.
I politely disagree. While I do not advocate for massive deportation, I do believe that all magnets leading to illegal immigration be shut down - no social services to illegals, harsh measures to those that employ them (I love this), enforcement by local authorities, no "catch and release" allowing those caught to melt back into the population, and no long term healthcare extended (emergency as in life and death - yes!) to them.
If they are going to remain here, which (let's face it) almost all of them will, then it is in our interest that they continue their education as far as their ambition and aptitude can take them. It is a tiny investment that will pay much more in dividends in the form of tax payments and saved social services and criminal justice costs.
Posted by: Sanity Please
I disagree once again, this time with the basic premise - they may not remain here. Nor should they. It sounds harsh, it plays harsh, and in this time of "feel-good emoting rather than logical reasoning, it puts me far away from the Open Borders types. But I care not where they come from (Central America, Mexico, or even the land of my ancestors - Ireland); if they are here by breaking our laws, send or go back. What Sanity states may be true but ONLY if one dismisses the Rule of Law.
Look, I have been around since before Teddy K helped to change the immigration law that worked back in the 1960's - have a sponsor, the sponsor (and not society) be financially responsible for them, come here by legal means, learn English, and assimilate.
I totally reject the reasoning of "heck, what are we to do?" and throwing up our collective arms and just live with it. That is giving up because "heck, it's too hard" - another recipe for disaster.
People seems to forget that other countries, like Mexico, wouldn't even begin to have this discussion - it just illegal. So why do we ignore our own laws?
It also seems that few agree with Sanity. From Inside Higher Ed (the actual LA TImes article requires registration):
There is little public support for giving students who lack the legal documents to legally stay in the United States in-state tuition rates, a poll by the Los Angeles Times has found. The report, which covers a variety of immigration policies, found that only 20 percent of Democrats and 6 percent of Republicans support the use of in-state rates for these students.
Part of the American Ethos is "play by the rules" - Americans hate those that cheat.
What Sanity is doing is rationalizing cheating.
