Thread: Illegal Immigration & National Security (Editorial)

http://www.investors.com/editorial/issues.asp?v=3/18

Southern Exposure

Terrorism: What does illegal immigration have to do with national security? Plenty, and it's now up to the Senate to see the connection and pass the REAL ID bill.

REAL ID, passed by the House last month and sent to senators this week as part of a bill to fund war operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, is controversial mainly for three things it would do: Tighten rules on granting asylum, set a national standard for driver's licenses and speed the building of a border fence where the Mexican border meets the Pacific.

The bill's backers say it's about terrorism. Critics say it's only about immigration, and therefore irrelevant or worse.

But one can't put those issues into such airtight boxes these days. Fact is, illegal immigration makes us less secure even though most of the people who sneak across the border are only looking for work. The sooner the Senate grasps this fact, the safer we'll be.

Here are some numbers to consider:

Each year, more than 1 million people are believed to cross into the U.S. illegally from Mexico. The Border Patrol manages to arrest several hundred thousand more, and most of these fit the non-threatening profile of Mexicans looking for work.

But a significant â€â€

Great editorial!!!

Who in Washington has guts?