The problematic and chronic issue of illegal immigration finally crystallized for me in May 2006, while I was the mayor of Hazleton, Pa. Resident Derek Kichline, working on a pickup truck in his driveway, noticed someone he thought was a drug dealer lingering in the vicinity. Mr. Kichline, a father like me, exchanged words with the young man and, for his trouble and concerns for the safety of the neighborhood, received a bullet between the eyes.
The suspect, a reputed member of a notorious street gang, proved to be in this country illegally, despite having been arrested more than a half-dozen times. While we had already experienced problems related to illegal aliens in Hazleton, this episode tipped the scales. As mayor, I shepherded the passage of two groundbreaking ordinances: one suspended the licenses of businesses that knowingly hired illegal aliens, and the other provided similar sanctions against landlords who rented property to them.
The American Civil Liberties Union objected to our common sense, and the case is still pending in the courts.
March 23, 2013 4:38 p.m.
By LOU BARLETTA / For the Register
Orange County Register
Some years later, we are now told by many that the best strategy to combat this problem is to provide the estimated 11 million illegal aliens in the U.S. with a pathway to legal citizenship. This is a bill of goods Americans were sold before. In 1986, we were assured that there were about 1.5 million illegal aliens here, and once we granted them amnesty we would be rid of the problem. The truth was that once we willingly ignored our borders, the numbers seeking sanctuary swelled to more than 3 million. Do we now think that the result would be any different? We will have waved a carrot to the world, tempting any and all who would come here to continue to break our laws.
Immigrants who have followed the rules, obeyed the law and become productive members of society deserve their shot at the American Dream. Those who ignore the law, cut in line and contribute little to the national effort have cheated the system and others. We would endanger the livelihoods of legal immigrants – new Americans – who respect our laws, but would face heightened competition for employment from illegal aliens who will work for lower wages.
There is no question that we must first enforce our borders. If you think about it, we all live in border states. If you live near a city with an international airport, you effectively live in a border state, given that 40 percent of illegal aliens arrived here legally by airplane, allowed their visas to expire and rapidly descended into the darkness that is our system today.
In the amnesty proposals, some promise background checks and enforcing the payment of back taxes by illegal aliens. As a mayor, I know that a background check involves a lot more than just picking up the phone and asking a couple of questions. It is unrealistic to expect that those who have broken the law by their very presence will now suddenly become honest about their time here, wages paid and taxes owed.
The final straw is the sheer cost associated with normalizing people who would attach themselves to social programs. Should these millions of newly legal immigrants become dependents of the taxpayers through Obamacare, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare, food stamps or other programs, the cost to the taxpayers will top $2.6 trillion over 20 years. Adding this burden is unconscionable.
Some say that Republicans are well-advised to speak about this sensitive issue with greater delicacy. But my belief is in the rule of law, and I believe that most law-abiding immigrants would agree. If they have obeyed the rules, others should, as well.
Lou Barletta, R-Pa., sits on the House Committee on Homeland Security.
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