Thread: WSJ:Immigration Should Suit the Interests of the U.S.

* MAY 1, 2009

Immigration Should Suit the Interests of the U.S.

In "Obama and the 'Amnesty' Trap" (op-ed, April 20) Jason Riley says that previous efforts to control illegal immigration failed to address "the root cause," which he explains as "too many foreigners chasing too few visas." This may be true, but in a world of 6.8 billion people in which the U.S. population is outnumbered by more than 20 to 1, that cause is unlikely ever to go away. This is especially true if we are perceived as supplying social support and jobs to all comers.

Mr. Riley and employers of illegal aliens may believe they are only importing cheap labor. The fact is that they are bringing in or allowing entry to millions of people who may be "cheap labor" for their employers but only because the taxpayers are absorbing social costs that these employers should be paying. Mr. Riley claims that illegals tend not to compete with American citizens for jobs.

Tell that to my brother, whose job driving trucks in California used to pay $40 per hour and is now done by $15-per-hour illegal immigrants with fake papers and stolen identities. Tell it to our local backhoe contractor, who was so undercut by employers of illegal aliens that he quit the business.

Our elected representatives are supposed to represent our interests, not those of scofflaws, greedy employers, deadbeats and criminals -- especially not the interests of those who are here in direct violation of our laws and who are sponging off our social support systems. How about putting our interests above those of Mexico? That would be a good start.

C. T. Sciance
Austin, Texas

Mr. Riley states so clearly what most conservatives have refused to acknowledge: that we have a problem with illegal immigration because we do not provide a legal method for sufficient numbers of immigrants to enter our country to meet the demand for the labor they provide. I agree with Mr. Riley completely on this issue.

Leroy Miller
West Hills, Calif.

In his op-ed regarding the scant 5,000 annual visas for low-skilled workers, Mr. Riley says: "If policy makers want to reduce the number of illegal entries, the most sensible and humane course is to provide more legal ways for people to come." He makes it sound as if low-skilled workers have a right to move here, so if we don't accommodate this right, it's only natural that people will crash our borders. But there's actually no such right.

Beyond economics, the continued mass importation of unassimilable poor people from the Third World is an environmental and social disaster for our already fracturing country.

Paul Nachman
Bozeman, Mont.

It's interesting that amnesty is rooted in the Greek word meaning "forgetfulness" and that a synonym for amnesty is oblivion. How appropriate. Have we forgotten that rewarding illegal behavior begets more of the same?

Edward J. Gebelein
San Clemente, Calif.

Enforce the law, protect the population, and change the methods for legal entry into the U.S., if need be. Legitimizing the illegitimate because of demand does not trump common sense nor should it obfuscate the Constitution.

Hugh Nowak
Cascade Township, Mich.

The 1986 amnesty legislation failed because the enforcement that was promised after President Ronald Reagan signed the amnesty never materialized. The feds looked the other way while employers continued to hire foreign workers. That was much like what President Barack Obama and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano are doing now. They work harder for illegals than for the American unemployed.

Don W. England
Spencer, Ind.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124113477298675187.html

And while these crooks we call government salivate all over themselves trying to cram the country with illegals so that they may have more democratic voters and cheap labor.The only concern that the majority of Americans have is sitting at home on their arses watching tv and drinking beer.

To those that show no interest in what the people we elected are up to I say to you that you will be getting what you deserve.To the rest of us that at least put some effort into fighting this for our Children and Grand Childrens sake I salute you.

Don't give up without a fight at least that way our Children can know that at least we cared enough about them and this Country to make an effort.

God Bless America.

Truth spoken, Justonehero. I am shocked how many folks I talk to get eyes glazed over on anything bordering on reality. They would rather talk about American Idol.