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FLOURNOY: How to stem illegal immigration

By JORDAN FLOURNOY, The Lufkin Daily News

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Lately, one of our government's most prominent concerns has been the ability of terrorists to replicate their deadly attacks of 9/11. While this is a valid concern, the methodology employed by the U.S. government has not always been consistent with its rhetoric. Terror is being uprooted abroad, and I applaud the efforts of the administration in refusing to simply treat the symptoms of a much deeper problem. However, one issue that has been inexplicably downplayed in this war is illegal immigration — a key role-player not only in the war on terror but also in the economy.

Conservative reports estimate that 2 million illegal immigrants enter the U.S. each year, 800,000 of whom make the U.S. their permanent residence. According to recent statistics, approximately 12 million illegal immigrants currently reside in our country, and many businesses looking for cheap labor are taking advantage of this “expendable” resource, despite its blatant illegality. Unfortunately, these acts on the part of businesses crowd the job market, leaving many tax-paying Americans without employment. Current numbers indicate that 14 million Americans cannot find full-time jobs-a problem due in part to illegal immigration. Furthermore, many illegal immigrants are assimilated into the public education system and given free-health care and driving privileges — all without paying taxes. Where does the burden of this irresponsibility subsequently fall? It falls on the shoulders of legal, tax-paying American citizens like you and me.

These problems are simply economic concerns and do not address what might be the most important concern regarding illegal immigration-its effect on terrorism. As evidenced by the numbers, illegal immigration is rampant in the U.S. and poses a serious threat to national security. All too often, our government has tacitly given its consent to illegal immigration, rationalizing its harmful propensities with what the government perceived to be its positive aspects — namely the influx of inexpensive labor needed to keep struggling occupations afloat. But even if the government were to conclusively prove that the influx of immigrant labor is beneficial to the economy, can it justify such spurious economic concerns in light of compromised national security? I think not.

Ultimately, we have a process which individuals seeking permanent residence in the U.S. must undergo to attain citizenship. Myriad reasons exist why this process is in place, some of which have already been addressed, and the enforcement of our laws regarding illegal immigration has taken on an entirely new level of significance because of increased terror activity. We cannot afford to succumb to the demands of human rights organizations and economically weak countries that we become a safe-haven for the hungry, helpless and abused, regardless of their legal status. Our government's first and foremost obligation is to protect the integrity of its citizens-an obligation it is not presently fulfilling.

So, how do we deal with illegal immigration? As the situation stands, our bark is much worse than our bite, and immigrants realize that getting past the border without detection is the only truly serious obstacle they must face, especially since there is little or no interior enforcement of immigration laws. Increasing the border patrol is one part of the solution, but doing so would have little effect if there is no correlating increase in interior enforcement. Ultimately, the government cannot afford to look the other direction where illegal immigration is concerned. Swift deportation of all newly captured illegal immigrants must take place in order to provide an example to others, and punishment of repeat offenders must be strictly enforced to ensure that our public policy message is unequivocally clear.

Jordan Flournoy of Lufkin is a member of The Lufkin Daily News Board of Contributors. He is a graduate of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.