Immigration

     In 1987, I received a call from then Senator from Virginia, Paul Trible. He was calling a meeting to discuss two subjects, one of which was immigration. He said he was inviting me because of my many years experience in international matters.

     The entire question of illegal immigrants had gotten out of hand. Senator Trible told the meeting that the computer system of the Immigration Department was completely outdated, that there were an estimated 10,000,000 (yes, ten million) illegal immigrants in the country and that the department did not either know who they were or where they were.

    He continued by stating that a bill had been proposed in Congress to try and emerge from this immigration chaos. The principal clauses of the bill were that any illegal immigrant present in the United States prior to 198, not guilty of misdoing, who had been in the States for three years or more could apply for and receive citizenship. At the same time, the bill would provide for heavy fines for any employer engaging illegal immigrants. Paul said he had profound reservations about this bill but he saw no other solution. He felt the heavy fines for the hiring of illegal immigrants would prevent further illegal immigration.

After a general discussion in which I did not participate, Paul asked me why and wanted my opinion. I simply answered that I thought it would not work that as long as there were millions of poor people on one side of the border looking at the wealth on the other side, they would continue to cross that border illegally. Law enforcement was the only way to stop illegal immigration and no one in the government was ready to take the necessary strong steps. As to the fines for the employment of illegal immigrants, I said I could not be specific but that I was convinced those looking for cheap labor would somehow get around this clause. I was a dissident voice in the dark.

Not long after this law was passed, the forging of social security cards and drivers licenses prospered. Employers needing cheap labor, continued to hire illegal immigrants, their actions covered by the forged documents. Enforcement of the new law was weak and today it is estimated there are 10-20 million illegal immigrants in the country.

In 1987, some 7 million illegal immigrants became American citizens under this law. The Obama administration apparently wants to repeat this process.

The new health bill does not offer a solution but exacerbates the problem. No matter what the new bill says, it is an invitation to the millions in Central and South America who have no health insurance and live in poverty to come to the United States and to be supported at the expense of the American taxpayer. It is still the law that a hospital cannot turn away anyone going to the emergency room Thus, we shall not have 10-20 million illegal immigrants but 20 to 40 million.

It is the will of the Democratic party eventually to admit these people as citizens. This is no wonder, as Hispanics vote 80% for the Democratic Party. They already gained some 6 million adherents by the 1987 law. So, in time, we shall award citizenship to perhaps 30 or more million Hispanics. In so doing, we shall reduce the weight of the opposition.

Meanwhile, it is practically impossible for any European or other ethnic to immigrate to these United States. Each country has a small quota strictly enforced and I can testify to the brutality of this enforcement. Europeans who could contribute to our knowledge and to our economy, cannot and do not wish to take advantage of the lax controls along our borders. They wish to do things legally.

     If we are not to be hypocritical and if we are not to create a complete imbalance as to which ethnic groups are admitted to this country, we must act. If we do not have the will to really stop illegal immigration, we should increase the quotas of our European friends so for every illegal Hispanic immigrant naturalized, we naturalize a European.

     But what about the cost? The United States has an estimated 7-10 trillion national debt. We are on a slide to insolvency. Can we afford to give health care to illegal immigrants by the tens of millions?

     Does the American voter have a real understanding of what is at stake?