Thread: Does Pa. Need a Border Patrol?

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune ... 63250.html

Does Pa. need a border patrol?

By Mike Seate
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, July 25, 2006


State House Republicans were scheduled to hold hearings next month to discuss the imminent threat to Pennsylvanians by two-headed, bat-winged extraterrestrials.
The sessions were postponed when legislative aides couldn't find the mythical creatures. Lacking a convenient threat scapegoat, legislators instead settled for Mexicans.

An Aug. 2 hearing in Cranberry, Butler County, will be one of several across the state to address Pennsylvania's so-called illegal immigrant problem, a problem I didn't know existed. According to U.S. Census figures, the state has 12 million residents, an estimated 45,000 to 50,000 of them illegal immigrants.

If this is evidence the state is being overrun by aliens, Paris Hilton is undersexed, Ben Roethlisberger is underappreciated and I can still wear size 32 pants.





But this is an election year, and politicians are attempting to distract our attention from real problems that affect our quality of life, such as high property taxes and schools that turn out underachieving students.

Instead of solutions to skyrocketing gasoline prices or ways to provide health care to the poor or elderly, we get to witness a farcical witch-hunt for aliens. We don't share a geographic border with Mexico, and no one agrees on just how many illegals live here.

Despite census estimates of a maximum of 50,000 illegals statewide, Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli claims the number of illegal Mexicans living in Pennsylvania is five times that.

"They're responsible for most of the rapes and serious crimes in this part of the state," said Morganelli, who operates an anti-immigrant Web site.

U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart's Internet site claims at least 100,000 illegals are in our midst, and the Bradford Woods Republican warns that "many are engaged in criminal activity."

If you listen to these folks, you'll have trouble opening a bag of potato chips or putting on your ball cap without first shaking out dozens of knife-wielding, crime-crazed illegal immigrants.

Worse yet, blaming immigrants for crime is one of the oldest -- and, unfortunately, most effective -- campaign tools in the political arsenal.

A hundred years ago, politicians used the same words to try to keep Italians and Eastern Europeans out of the country. Before that, they wanted to limit the number of Chinese and Irish people coming to America.

Each time, the accusations proved to be a lot of hot air.

One person speaking sense on this issue is Nils Frederiksen, spokesman for state Attorney General Tom Corbett. After declining to speculate about the number of illegals allegedly invading our state, Frederiksen said, "Whether or not a person has illegal or legal immigrant status does not really factor into whether they're a criminal."

Amen to that. Even in an election year.


Mike Seate is a staff writer for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He can be reached at (412) 320-7845 or e-mail him at mseate@tribweb.com

Worse yet, blaming immigrants for crime is one of the oldest -- and, unfortunately, most effective -- campaign tools in the political arsenal.

Staff writer expressing opinion. Get the to the jail and look up some records then come back and tell the truth.

Dixie

I fired off an e-mail giving him an ear full. I spoke of my first hand experiences dealing with illegals in Northern Va. I love people expressing opinions on things they have no knowledge of