April 14, 2006

Invaders Not Immigrants

Mike Burleson

You realize the media debate on illegal immigration has altered when CNN does a positive story on the Minutemen, even declaring them “volunteers” rather than vigilantes. The story related how civilian border watchers, armed with binoculars and cell phones, have almost single-handedly focused attention on America’s porous borders, which is a hazard to the nation as well as those who cross illegally.

What has belatedly woken the old mainstream media to the peril in the south is probably not the Minutemen, or even top CNN anchor Lou Dobbs, who has been an outspoken critic of America and Mexico’s outright neglect of border security. Most likely it is the pictures of hundreds of thousands of illegal marching defiantly in the streets of our Southwestern cities, brandishing Mexican National flags and anti-American posters.

We must defend the border; it’s as simple as that. Currently we want to punish illegals for our failure to enforce existing immigration laws, and for not securing the border.

Make no mistake, the people currently entering our country illegally are not immigrants. They are invaders in the true sense of the word, occupiers who enter without permission, settling it to take advantage or our hard won freedoms which they had no part in securing. They benefit from free jobs, free health care, and free education. In their undocumented status they refuse to pay taxes to support these institutions. Thus they go beyond the status of illegals, becoming looters and thieves of our way of life.

Much of the fault belongs to the current Mexican government under President Vicente Fox. Increasing evidence points to a mandate by our southern neighbor for regaining influence over the Southwestern States, such as providing illegals with border maps, and Mexican police scuffling with their American counter parts on the border. In spite of this obvious meddling, there are several things Americans can do to reestablish authority on the border. Some can be done immediately, other measures will take time, perhaps decades.

For what must be done, we need only look to a plan proposed by Senator Harry Reid 1993, who was for real immigration reform before he was against it:

Reid's bill, the Immigration Stabilization Act of 1993, overhauls the nation's immigration laws and calls for a massive scale-down of immigrants allowed into the country from approximately 800,000 to 300,000.

The bill also changes asylum laws to prevent phony asylum seekers…
Reid's bill also cracks down on illegal immigration…

"Our federal wallet is stretched to the limit by illegal aliens getting welfare, food stamps, medical care and other benefits often without paying any taxes.

"Safeguards like welfare and free medical care are in place to boost Americans in need of short-term assistance. These programs were not meant to entice freeloaders and scam artists from around the world. "Even worse, Americans have seen heinous crimes committed by individuals who are here illegally," Reid said.

Finally we must secure our borders. With advanced technology there is no need for an American “Berlin Wall” in the south, nor is it desirable in a democracy. An invisible electronic wall can easily be established which is less politically divisive. Such a structure can be backed by a vastly increased border patrol, plus manned and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). We should also take advantage and greatly encourage citizen groups such as the Minutemen, who have been wrongly derided by the old media as vigilantes; instead, they are volunteers and patriots as any recorded in American history.

To force out tens of millions of illegals currently residing in the nation may be personally desirable, but is politically impossible for either Republicans or Democrats. No one, however, can effectively condemn our elected officials for securing and protecting our borders, especially with the threat of terrorism so prevalent in the post-9/11 world.

###

Mike Burleson is a regular columnist with Sea Classics magazine and an advocate of Military Reform. He resides in historic Charleston, SC.

charbookguy@myway.com

http://www.opinioneditorials.com/guestcontributors/mburleson_20060414.html