Comment: Why some Hispanics oppose illegal immigration, amne
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Comment: Why some Hispanics oppose illegal immigration, amnesty
Web Posted: 06/15/2006 12:00 AM CDT
Armando Simón
In the illegal immigration debate, you may have noticed a number of transparent straw-man arguments concocted by the criminals' advocates.
“Illegal immigrants take jobs that Americans don't want.” Could somebody please finally tell us just what these mythical jobs are?
“The Minutemen watching our borders are all vigilantes.” Exactly what laws have they broken? And whom have they killed?
“Opponents are against all immigrants.” No, we're against those who are here illegally.
“Erecting a fence along the border would be tantamount to having a Berlin Wall.” Aren't the metaphors mixed up? The Berlin Wall kept citizens of a dictatorship from leaving the country; Hadrian's Wall and the Great Wall of China kept outsiders out.
As for the sob story of children of illegal immigrants who are born here and will supposedly be separated from their families if their parents are deported, nobody is preventing them from joining their parents; they can come and go as they wish. When other criminals break the law and are incarcerated, does it matter that their children are separated from them?
But the one tactic that sets my blood boiling is watching most of the media deliberately — yes, deliberately — trying to turn this into a racial issue, a topic that they practically salivate over. You know them — these are the types of journalists who would love to see the balkanization of America.
So let me lay it out for you: There are many Hispanics who oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants.
I am a legal immigrant, a U.S. citizen and Hispanic. And I oppose illegal immigration. Why? To quote Dennis Miller, “Yes, this country is a melting pot, but we decide what ingredients go into the pot. The ingredients don't just go marching up to the pot and just jump in.”
But, really, it all boils down to one simple question: What part of illegal don't you understand?
Not to mention that amnesty to the ones who came here illegally is a slap in the face at those immigrants who have followed the rules, such as my wife, who is from Asia. She came here legally, has paid her dues and followed the laws. And now she has applied for citizenship and has to put up with rude bureaucrats.
As for those readers who are inevitably, automatically concluding that I must be ashamed of my Hispanic heritage, I could point out that I speak three languages (English, Spanish, Italian) and one dialect (Tex-Mex) and that I have a huge library of literature in Spanish, English and Italian.
I'm American. No, my loyalties are not divided. I'm American. And as far as I am concerned, America's interests come first and foremost. Yes, I speak Spanish. So what? I'm American.
What's my complaint? How about identity theft, that illegals obtain driver's licenses and Social Security numbers that belong to other people? How about coming over here and not respecting our laws — not just about immigration, but even simple stuff, such as refusing to get car insurance?
And now you know why some American citizens of Hispanic descent oppose illegal immigration and amnesty for those here illegally. Or maybe it's not “some,” maybe it's “most.” The media just seem to ignore us.
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Armando Simón, of Live Oak, is a research psychologist and playwright.
