Cash: Why we shouldn’t reward illegal immigrants

Published: May 30, 2013


Everybody knows you get more of whatever you reward. If America wants more illegal immigrants, then reward illegal immigrants by giving them a path to citizenship. If America wants the rule of law upheld, then reward those who immigrate legally.

Those who favor the proposal by Sen. Lindsay Graham and the gang of eight promise that the border will be secured, but who are they kidding? It has been 27 years since the 1986 amnesty, the border is not secure, and there is no reason to believe this promise. Border security is not a problem of law, it is a problem of will, and neither this president nor the Democratic Party wants to enforce immigration laws.

The proposal has been cast as the compassionate solution to the problem of illegal immigration, but illegal immigrants brought this problem upon themselves. If I illegally crossed the border into Canada tomorrow, would I have any right to expect that someday I could demand to be made a citizen? Having compassion on illegal immigrants does not mean we should reward them.

The United States welcomes more immigrants than any nation on earth. There are more than 40 million foreign-born people in America; one of every eight people is an immigrant. Roughly 30 million immigrants are here legally, but more than 10 million are here illegally, because they breached our borders or overstayed their visas. While some people might see amnesty as a type of forgiveness that occupies the moral high ground, it undermines the rule of law in a nation that is awash in moral relativism.

Immigration policy should serve the national interests. How many immigrants we admit and for what reasons are legitimate questions for debate. If we are to retain a uniquely American identity and culture, immigration numbers and policy should follow the historical emphasis on assimilation.

There is an old saying, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” The 1986 amnesty did not stop illegal immigration or create border security. This one will not solve the problem either; instead, it will provide an incentive for further illegal immigration and millions more clamoring for amnesty in years to come.

Richard Cash

Anderson

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