The truth is ...

Because I live in south Texas where there is no border fence I see first hand the mass migration of people crossing the Rio Grande River and entering the United States. A large percentage of these people cross over looking for a better standard of living for themselves and for their families that remain behind. A small number of these people come to America for criminal pursuits.

Americans are deeply divided by this issue and arguments from each position can become very heated during any discussion of illegal immigration. Pro-immigration and anti-immigration camps both can produce study after study and report after report that reinforces their positions.
Liberal pro-illegal immigrant people will cite studies that suggest illegal aliens pay about $25 billion per year in taxes (1) and are a source of labor that performs jobs that most Americans do not want. About 20% of illegal aliens work in the construction industry performing mostly manual labor. Another 17% work in the service sector such as the restaurant or hotel industry (2). The Liberal groups will claim that American business lures the immigrant to this country with the promise of a job that pays many more times what they can earn at home.

Conservative anti-illegal immigrant people will argue illegal aliens consume about $45 billion more tax dollars than they contribute (3). They will claim the illegal immigrant is performing work that over seven million Americans could be doing in this time of 10% unemployment (4). Anti-illegal immigrant people will justly claim illegal aliens are committing violent crimes that would not be committed if these people were not in the country. They also claim the educational and health care systems in many states are strained to the limit trying to cope with large numbers of illegals immigrants.

The truth is… both the anti and pro illegal immigrant camps present arguments that pale in comparison to the issue of national security. The porous condition along the southern border presents many dangers that most Americans recognize. Many Americans, however, are unaware that almost 50% of illegal aliens enter the United States legally (5). These people become illegal by overstaying their visas or by not amending their applications when their status changes such as from student to worker.

Three of the four terrorist piloting the planes that struck American targets on 9/11 were in the country illegally and 15 of the 19 hijackers should never had been issued visas (6). More than 1,000 illegal aliens cross the border with Mexico every day (7) and it would not be difficult for a terrorist to mingle with these people, enter our country and begin to plot a strike against our citizens.

Of greater concern is the suitcase size nuclear device or “dirty” bomb that could be smuggled across the border in place of one of the loads of drugs that enters our country every day.

The Democrat party has always favored the illegal immigrant or as they like to say the “migrant worker”. By allowing the illegal immigrant populations to swell the Democrats are creating a new block of voters that will be dependent for some time upon government services. Republicans have opposed illegal immigration but this opposition has largely been lip service that has no effect on the numbers of people entering our country or staying in country illegally. The Republican Party has recognized business’s desire for plentiful cheap labor.

The truth is… the fence along the border must be constructed, maintained and patrolled to ensure the safety of all Americans.

Carl Goodson lives in Clute, TX a suburb of Houston. Carl can be contacted at conservativeCarl@gmail.com OR conservativeCarl.blogspot.com.

(1)www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=iic_immigrationissuecentersf134
(2) www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/business/yourmoney/03view.html?
(3)www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=iic_immigrationissuecentersf134
(4)www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/business/yourmoney/03view.html?
(5)http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=61
(6)”outrage” by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann copyright 2007 Harpercollins pp.21-27
(7)www.fairus.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=16859&security=1601&news_iv_ctrl=1007