Quotes from article with my responses:
"We all oppose breaking the law, or we ought to. Saying that you oppose illegal immigration is like saying you oppose illegal drug use or illegal speeding. Of course you do, or should [...] The fact that you believe in obeying the law reveals nothing about what you think the law ought to be, or why"
I think the author hit it right on the mark. It is also important to remember that not all laws are just. All the horrible atrocities the Nazis did to the Jews in Germany were not against any written laws in Germany; in fact they were actually following the law.
"Another question: Why are you so upset about this particular form of lawbreaking? After all, there are lots of laws, not all of them enforced with vigor. The suspicion naturally arises that the illegality is not what bothers you. What bothers you is the immigration."
Again this is another very important point. Calling these people criminals is a joke . What crime did these immigrants commit besides looking for a better life for their family? Crossing the desert in the hot sun, no water, risking your life to find a job to feed your family? This was something Americans usually find heroic; not a criminal action.
"But let's not kid ourselves that all we care about is obeying the law and all we are asking illegals to do is go home and get in line like everybody else. We know perfectly well that the line is too long, and we are basically telling people to go home and not come back."
Part of the reason we have such a problem with illegal immigration is because the legal immigration system is broken. The line is too long; having an American citizen wait 20+ years so that their brother or sister can join them is ridiculous. Not only are the immigration laws flawed, but the United States has allowed these people for years and years to establish themselves. We aren't talking about those who just 'jumped the fence' last month. We are talking about the people who have been here over five years, ten years, twenty years; have established roots, and even have children born here. How can you expect someone like to go back to their home country? The America I grew up in is a better country than that.
"Let's not kid ourselves, either, about who we are telling this to. To characterize illegal immigrants as queue-jumping, lawbreaking scum is seriously unjust. The motives of illegal immigrants--which can be summarized as "a better life"--are identical to those of legal immigrants."
Another great point the author makes. There are so many of the opposition who swear that they are for *legal* immigration, but we all know that's not true. All immigrants of this country should know that a harsh policy against illegal immigration until America deals with all the undocumented people in the country, will hurt all immigrants.
I know this post isn't specifically about DREAM, but I felt it was important to discuss.
1 comment:
You have good taste. I read this article and it really struck me as well. It gets right to the point.
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