A nation of outlaws

La Shawn Barber wrote in Townhall America has been invaded by an army of illegal aliens. Just last week in Arizona, an American was forced to surrender his land to illegal aliens who claimed he had assaulted them. The two criminals were caught trespassing on his property after crossing the border in violation of federal law. Unfortunately, this is part of a larger trend, one that grants more rights to illegal immigrants than American citizens.

That particular example proves two things. As LaShawn indicates it shows that immigration is out of control, but it also shows that our judicial system is also out of control.

Illegal immigration costs American taxpayers billions of dollars each year. In California alone the cost is $10.5 billion annually. The price tag for the rest of the country, especially border states, is incomprehensible. Illegal immigration is also a public safety risk because aliens do not undergo a medical screening before entering the United States. As a result, diseases once eradicated or virtually eradicated have resurfaced in America. Where is the so-called protection we’re entitled to as American citizens?

Good question

According to the 2000 Census, an estimated eight million illegal aliens were living in the U.S., and they continue to flood across the border at the rate of one million per year. Mexican citizens are required to have either a non-immigration visa or Border Crossing Card to enter the country, and no immigrant is to be admitted unless he has suitable and valid travel documentation. In violation of federal law, millions of foreigners don’t possess these documents. They are outlaws. Detractors will ask, “Do you really expect the government to round up each illegal alien and kick him out?” In a word, yes.

Rather than spenting a lot of money to round them up, I would rather see much of that money spent keeping them out. We need a wall just like Israel is building. And when the illegals who are here now go to request some government service (health care, education, etc) we should identify the illegals, and ship them out immediately.

The money spent educating, imprisoning and providing health care to criminal aliens should be diverted to reinforcing the borders and enforcing immigration law.But the federal government seems uninterested in enforcing the law. As a result, local governments are illegally using public funds to alleviate the damage caused by the invasion. On August 16, 2005, the Herndon Town Council in Herndon, Virginia, voted 5-2 to approve a plan to build an illegal gathering spot for “day laborers” so they can wait for lawbreaking employers to illegally hire them. More outlaws.

We could save a lot of money by refusing to send any federal money to states or cities that provide specific accomodations for illegals, or who prevent their police and other city workers from identifying and reporting illegals.

One group is trying to do what the U.S. government refuses to do. Judicial Watch, a group dedicated to protecting citizens from the government, will file a lawsuit against Herndon. “[N]o public official has any inherent power to authorize or facilitate unlawful acts using taxpayer funds….Law enforcement is in order, not taxpayer subsidies,” said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch. Because the federal government is indifferent to its problem, the Town of Herndon was essentially forced to break the law. I asked Council Member Dennis Husch, who voted against the plan, whether Herndon law enforcement officials were allowed to ask so-called day laborers about their citizenship status. “[Immigration Customs and Enforcement] has refused to enforce immigration laws in Herndon and has refused to allow Herndon police to enforce federal immigration laws,” he said. I called Herndon’s mayor for comment, but the call was not returned. I wanted to know what Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) had to say about the day labor center. So I spoke with Jamie Zuiebach, a spokesperson for ICE, who told me I’d have to speak to a “local official in Herndon,” on the matter.

“I thought I’d also speak to someone at ICE, the government entity charged with enforcing immigration law,” I said. Zuiebach responded with a canned and not-so-accurate line: “We continue to work closely with law enforcement partners to enforce immigration laws, and I don’t have anything to say about a local issue.” The federal agency responsible for enforcing federal immigration laws has nothing to say about the “local issue” of illegal immigration. Meanwhile, Herndon citizens will contribute to an illegal enterprise for illegal aliens who should be sitting in deportation hearings instead of a brand new building waiting for off-the-books jobs.

What would the American founders say about the state of our country? One of them, President John Adams, made a prediction about the collapse of democracy. “It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” Illegal immigration has burdened America and changed our culture for the worse, and our own government refuses to do anything about it. We are no longer a nation ruled by the people and for the people. We are a nation of outlaws.

LaShawn linked to her own story from this blog entry. I dont agree with the rest of this particular post, but I do agree that something needs to be done regarding immigration.