Behind locked doors and in back rooms a new push to give amnesty to illegal aliens is being fashioned. Despite promises of transparency the process has been hidden by veils of secrecy by the so called Gang of Eight and the Democratic leadership. A path to citizenship has been said to be at the heart of the bill. Hewing and hacking its way through the Rule of Law it is following a course of action that has already been tried. Comprehensive immigration reform is the phrase of the day, a phrase that is short for ‘we want go grab the Latino vote and our souls is not too high of a price to pay.’

The support of this action by some politicians popular among conservatives shows they too can be part of problem. Rand Paul for example has been quoted as saying the U.S. has a defacto amnesty already. With all respect to Senator Paul, he is wrong. the United States does have is a dysfunctional immigration policy, an ineffective border and lax enforcement of its laws. While this all adds up to having a large shadow workforce the fact it is in the shadows means amnesty does not presently exist.

What is lost in the mire of political grandstanding is respect for the Rule of Law. Also forgotten are the hundreds of thousands that come here legally each year. According to the Department of Homeland Security over a million people legally immigrated to this county last year alone. These hearty souls were subject to layers of fees, endless paperwork and long wait times. For them obtaining a green card was the culmination of years of work and waiting. A dream come true. Even then, for those with a spouse and/or children the trial does not end, twelve years is a common wait time before the rest of the family is allowed to immigrate.

One of the first things a new immigrant learns is part of price to pay is respecting the laws of their new land, at least for those that come here legally. Illegal aliens, line jumpers who see little need to follow the rules or wait in lines, see breaking the country’s laws as their first priority. For them coming to the United States is often merely a means to an end and the law of the land an obstacle to be overcome.

To put the law breakers and line cutters ahead of those who are standing in line is not only unjust, it is a kick to the groin of those that have spent years to come here legally. There can be no justification for such actions. It makes a mockery out of the Rule of Law and chumps of those that followed the rules.

To those that say that amnesty is the moral thing to do the answer is not only no it is a million times no, a no for each man, woman and child who came here legally. For those that say think of the children, tell that to the parents. Order would not last long in a country who refuses to apply the law to people purely because they are parents. Nor is the straw man argument that arresting all the illegal aliens is not possible a reasonable one. It is not aliens that need to be the focus but the employers giving them jobs and the government agencies giving them assistance. The border has been shown to move both ways with economics driving which way the flow is going.

It must also be mentioned that those that equate illegal aliens with legal immigrants do a great disservice to the latter. No one can ever truly forget that the U.S. is a nation of immigrants and their contributions its life’s blood. Even today they contribute mightily to the country’s well being. The arms of mother Liberty should be more welcoming to the world’s best, brightest and most ambitious, not less.

While it is true work permits for those that fill a ‘justifiable’ need should be made easier and green cards for for those with real talents and desire to come to America should not take years. Nothing justifies the actions of the fence jumping law breakers who permeate the country.

It should go without saying that those who come to a country illegally have no right to ask for amnesty let alone citizenship. To even suggest such a thing is to betray the public trust. Nor should their actions be seen as merely a victimless crime. Illegal immigration has stretched social services, put a strain on hospitals and driven hundreds of thousands of Americans from their occupations. The social upheaval of communities alone has been substantial. Today the trafficking in people across the southern border has also taken a more ominous tone with those that move drugs also taking over the moving of people. Mass legalization will only make all these worse and put America’s lower and medium skilled workforce at risk when they can least afford it.

The Rule of Law is no mere fad, it is the foundation of American society without which ordered liberty is a meaningless phrase. The first obligation of all who come to a country must be to follow its laws, the second is to integrate and participate in the society to which they have chosen to be grafted to. In all of this it must be remembered citizenship and voting are privileges, privileges that have no business being granted to those whose first act in coming was to break the law.

“The Conservative Mind”

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A legal immigrants story (here)