Immigration: Honesty has hefty price tag
By Caroline Neeley
Sunday, July 22, 2007

The immigration issue will continue to be a festering sore unable to scab over between illegal immigrant supporters and their enemy, the "illegal-immigrant deporters."

George Bush and his administration have always maintained that granting amnesty to the millions of undocumented people living in the United States will take care of the increasing epidemic. If you believe the so-called public opinion polls taken by The New York Times and other major publications, apparently, most Americans want amnesty, too.

Public opinion polls are garbage. They are horribly misleading, they can be manipulated, stretched to the extreme and, often, the people polled are handpicked.

Nevertheless, granting legal status or rewarding people who have broken the law is cruel and unusual punishment to the people who came here to prosper under legal and official terms.

Let's not forget the hundred of thousands of law-abiding folks who are currently waiting in line and who have chosen to enter the U.S. through proper legal channels.

Supporters of amnesty and illegal-immigrants rights groups keep reminding us that this nation was founded by immigrants, but somewhere in the translation the word "legal" is left off. Why is that? Does it make the argument for legalization more palatable? Entering this country is not a right; it's a privilege and a choice.

I came to this country in 1980 from Scotland and, yes, we went through all the legal channels, waiting patiently as we traveled the process and did everything the INS required of us.

Recently, I befriended Jim and Connie Maher, residing in Scotland, who have, within the last few days, completed their immigration process. As seniors, they are now clear to enter into the U.S. to begin a new life. I want to share with you the financial burden imposed on Mr. and Mrs. Maher by the immigration process if they wanted to enter legally. As they traveled through each phase, Mr. and Mrs. Maher willingly dipped into their pockets, often scraping up lint, but somehow were able to cover their fees, sometimes leaving them with only two pennies to scrape together.

Abiding by the law of this great nation was always at the forefront for Jim and Connie.

Their initial application was filed in August, costing them $190 each. Next, they paid $335 each for the immigrant visa, with an added surcharge of $45 each for security enhancement.

Before their application could be entered into the system, both Jim and Connie had to provide a police report from Scotland Yard to prove that neither has been in trouble with the law. This cost them $10 each. A full medical assessment, accompanied with proof of immunization, cost them a whopping $1,000, which included a diphtheria shot each. Travel to and from the London Embassy twice cost a total of $300. And, lastly, a mandatory courier service to receive their passports and visa cost $30.

It's not fair that a criminal — who, by the way, could be carrying a disease — can be rewarded with a free path to citizenship, yet, the law-abiding Mahers paid close to $3,000 for obeying the law. And I haven't included lost wages and long-distance phone charges.

I say now to amnesty supporters and illegal immigrant rights groups: "You want undocumented people legalized? Fine. While we wait for a bill to pass, you pay all their bills, including education for their children."

— Caroline Neeley, of Camarillo, is a an anger-management counselor, author and Scottish comedic motivational/public speaker.

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