The illegal immigration issue is a difficult one. This is clear simply by observing that Bush and Ted Kennedy have at times been on the same side of this debate, and that there is nothing recognizable as a standard ‘party line’ for either party, as there is for perhaps every single other issue. I have to confess, I don’t know exactly what kind of policies I would support if I were in the government.
But one part of the debate is clear to me, and that is that the “no amnesty” people are hypocrites of the worst kind. Liberals sometimes make the argument that “This is a country founded by immigrants.” That is partly right and partly wrong, for the full truth is that this is a county founded by illegal immigrants. In 1776, some Europeans, who were not invited to this continent, signed a piece of paper declaring that this country belonged to them. As far as I am aware, no Native Americans were invited to this ribbon-cutting ceremony, which declared that the land upon which those Englishman stood was the legal property of the United States. With one stroke of the pen, those men went from being English citizens to being citizens of the United States of America.
No, our ancestors did not break any actual laws by coming here and butchering the Native populations. There was no extant piece of paper that described the illegality of countinent-usurping. But I am sure that if the Native Americans would have gotten around to codifying some laws, one of them might have included a “no-genocide” clause. I don’t know any educated people who are proud of all the sordid details of how our founding fathers came to be the sole possessors of the United States of America. But I also don’t know any Americans, myself included, who are willing to move. The one and only reason for this is that moving now would be a pain; we are already settled and comfortable here. We have bestowed amnesty upon ourselves! So to deny amnesty to Latin Americans currently residing in our country only because they came into this country without our permission, and yet to extend amnesty to our founding fathers and thus to ourselves, seems altogether morally absurd.
If you don’t want anymore illegal immigrants in our country, then build a wall, fine employers, or increase border security. I personally feel that these measures are a little much, but I also believe that it is our right as current legal residents of the USA to stop illegal immigrants from coming. But to oppose a path to citizenship for those already living here on moral grounds is perfectly ridiculous. Surely certain Latin Americans got into this country by using deception and stealth; but now, here they are! At least they did not commit genocide against those of us legally residing in America, which is more than I can say for my ancestors.
