With immigration front and center again these days, we'd better be careful what we wish for. There's a huge "unintended consequences" minefield out there.
I don't believe those who are saying we need to slam our borders shut and deport all illegals here now are thinking it through all the way. If they get their wish, any nasty, dirty job that needs to be done, especially outdoors, might not get done. Need to pour any concrete or spread any asphalt, put on a new roof, or have any landscape work done? Haha....good luck! Do you think your favorite restaurant can keep its doors open without them? Farmers everywhere are already reporting they're having trouble finding seasonal help to get their crops harvested....much of it is now just being plowed back under. (Wouldn't THIS be the ultimate "national security" crisis?)
What we need is an expedited method of vetting those who want to immigrate here, say within 2 or 3 months, vs the current 2+ years. This long wait time is what drives many to just wade the river. Let them apply at US embassies and consulates in their home countries and GET THEM AN ANSWER WITHIN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME. We need to bring illegals out of their thriving underground economy and make them full taxpayers. Right now they pay little more than the sales taxes on their daily purchases. Lets vet them, and if they're good people, welcome them and put them to work. And if they aren't, turn them back / send them packing.
Now, about those kids separated from their families....it's still wrong. Why are we punishing the kids for the sins of their parents? And I don't want to hear about what Obama or Dubya did. Wrong was, is, and always will be WRONG!
S
I remember a number of years ago talking to a guy who worked at a local hardware store. He was Hispanic, worked all day, and then went to evening classes at the local community college. I was pretty impressed with him. I asked him if he was here legally, and he said, yes, he was, and so were his parents, but his uncle was not. I asked him why his uncle wasn't, and he said after waiting two years on his paperwork to be processed, he finally just gave up and waded the river to get here for a job.
I've heard since that a 2+ year wait is not unusual. My understanding is that both the Democrats and Republicans say they would welcome legal immigrants, but they had to go through the proper channels and jump through the proper hoops first. Fair enough.
So here's my question: I googled "Samsung TV's" and it found 1,410,000,000 responses in .53 seconds. I can buy a gun and it takes the FBI about 15 minutes to do a background check on me to see if I qualify. I can go through a fairly exhaustive Texas Dept of Public Safety background check in order to legally carry a firearm in about two months. In this age of the internet, massively powerful computers, and nano-fast search engines, why should it take TWO YEARS to get a background check on some guy from Mexico? And I checked....yes, they have computerized record keeping in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and elsewhere in Central America, too.
I also want strong borders. I want to know who we're letting in. I want to know they aren't felons, aren't currently wanted for a crime, etc. But if we drag our feet for a ridiculous TWO YEARS and still can't complete a background check, why should we be shocked if they just sneak in? It seems to me we could control our borders much better if we had the cooperation of a proud, secure, legal immigrant population.
Or is there some other more sinister ulterior motive that explains why we throw up all these roadblocks?
S
