Posted by
Tim on Thursday, December 20, 2007 11:53:49 PM
I am an American. (When I say American, I mean a U.S. citizen - as much of the world refers to us.)
I am not an Ethnic-American. No divided interest here. I am American. Sure, I am the product of many immigrants from many different times. Some of these time periods go way back to the late 1600's (Dutch and Swede). Others are as recent as the 1890's (German). Many came in the interim(Scotch, Welsh and English). However, some have been here for millennia (Munsee and Lenape Indians). Notice, I did not say Native-Americans - what a silly name: I am a native American...I was born here. That is the definition of "native" isn't it?
Now, does the duration of my lineage in America make me somehow more American than the Greek immigrant who just became a citizen? Absolutely not! He has become a citizen, and should enjoy all of the rights and privileges as I. But what about the illegal immigrant? The illegal immigrant is a criminal - that is what "illegal" refers to, correct? I don't soften words by calling an illegal immigrant "undocumented." Let's think about this for a moment.
My ancestors came to this continent on ships which had manifests, that is, lists of passengers. Upon arrival, they declared themselves to the municipality, where their names were recorded. Much like the hypothetical Greek immigrant above, who came and declared himself to the authorities. That is a legal immigrant. A legal immigrant comes to this country, declares himself, saying, "I am here: I want to be an American," with a heart full of anticipation of becoming a citizen of the greatest nation on planet Earth, the United States of America (like I needed to tell you that.)
Consider now, the term "undocumented," a term used in a vain attempt to stimulate sympathy for a criminal. Think about the many Italians and Poles (among others) who poured into the United States at the beginning of the 20th Century. Very many of them came "undocumented," (specifically, they had no birth certificates or other identifying documents) but then it was called "Without Papers" (hence the derogatory addage "WOP.") But remember this, they all declared themselves to the authorities, and records were made. This is not the case today in how the meaning of the word "undocumented" is brutally raped.
These illegal "undocumented" immigrants slip in either with nothing, not even a passport, but some come in with legitimate visas, only to let them expire and stay here covertly. That is the key word, here, isn't it, "covertly." Consider that. They do not declare to the authorities any desire to become citizens - many do not declare themselves at all. This is dangerous.
In New Jersey, there were five men who planned an attack on Ft. Dix some months ago. FOUR of them were illegal immigrants. They came here covertly. Those four came here for the sole purpose of attacking American assets. You can rest assured that they are not the only ones - this is not an isolated plan. [SIDEBAR: the media called them "terrorists," but here we must be very careful. "Enemy Insurgents" would be a more accurate term. Here's why: we have declared war on terrorism. Terrorism has no singular nation. They come from many places. Is not the attack of a military base a "military action?" If they targeted a mall or church, where primarily civilians dwell, then yes, I concede that it would terroristic. However, they targeted a military base - that is a typical combat-like action, and the United States does it often. I am not sympathizing, believe me, I just worry about what it says about our actions. It was a military action planned by enemy insurgents, period.]
Back to the point that illegal immigrants, no matter which part of the world they come from they should be treated as non-citizen criminals. Furthermore, they do not fall under the category of "The People of the United States," and therefore the U.S. Constitution does not apply to them. Would an invading army suddenly be granted the Rights listed in the Constitution? I sure hope not. Citizens EARN those rights by being lawful. One can not expect to break laws at the start, and receive the rights for which so many citizens have died.
Here's my suggestion. Detain illegal immigrants; they are criminals. Do not afford attorneys to them at taxpayer expense (that is a right of citizens), instead, call the authorities of their native country and see if they will supply pro-bono counsel to the foreign criminal. If not, make arrangements to deliver them to the appropriate border, or at the least put them on a boat headed AWAY from the United States. Some say that I oversimplify the issue. Wrong. Those people overcomplicate the issue. It's really very simple. DON'T TRY TO SNEAK INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.