A Response to a Reader Advocating for the DREAM ACT

On Sunday, April 5, the American Conservative Republican (ACR) posted an item titled, "Amnesty Granting Dream Act Re-introduced."

ACR received a comment addressed to me requesting that I open my eyes and heart to the millions of children who are now adults yearning to gain citizenship. The comment by the writer, who obviously wants to remain anonymous follows, which is followed by my response.

COMMENT:

Mr. Haran,

I am a 26 year old female, who has resided in the US for the past 25 years. I teach American kids about citizenship, patriotism, and the "American Values." However, I have no path to citizenship open besides the Dream Act. I would like to buy a house and contribute to the economy, however radical conservatives such as yourself are preventing that from happening. I am also a graduate student who will pursue a Ph.D. in the future. Perhaps then I can write a dissertation about the intolerant, prejudiced people of America who refuse to open their hearts to people already residing here. Why does this country make it so difficult for people to live here legally? Why do tax-paying, ethical people, who contribute to the society have to suffer at the hands of people such as yourself? While, there are citizens who commit crimes, live off welfare, and do nothing for America and yet they are provided one form of assistance and break after another. How unfair is that? Being a citizen of the US doesn't entitle anyone to take opportunities away from those who obviously did not have them available in their own country and came here (out of necessity, not for the thrill of being here). The sad truth is that immigrants who come here work harder, value education more, and aren't half as lazy. The fear is losing your job to someone more competent? I thought competition is one of the hallmarks of capitalism.

Since America provides a free education to all, it would only make sense to then have those kids put that education to use, and become contributing members of society. Do you realize the harmful effects of not knowing if you can work, drive, own property? It leads children into hopeless measures. Mr. Haran, I request you to open your eyes and your heart to the millions of children (who are now adults) yearning to gain citizenship. It wasn't our fault that our parents brought us here! It wasn't theirs either...they were just seeking greater opportunities for their children. Is that a crime? Does that require the harsh punishment of living here illegally in the shadows for over twenty years? Please have mercy on us!

RESPONSE:

Dear Anonymous;

You say that you are 26 years old and have lived in the United States for 25 of those years. Obviously, you were an infant when you were brought illegally into the country and this is the only country you really know, therefore, I assume you have bonded somewhat with America. If I were to support a "Dream Act," or lets call it what it really is, an amnesty, it would certainly include people like you, who were obviously too young to be guilty of the crime of violating American sovereignty by entering the United States illegally.

In most respects, you are just like any other American, this is the only country you know and it's natural to love the land we are raised in and you were raised in America. There is one small but important difference however, your parents, whatever their motive, broke our law and you are in this country therefore illegally and now you're an adult and want to take your place in the society you know, America. Someone would have to be the intolerant, prejudiced person you plan to write your dissertation about not to empathize with your position. The important difference is that which is the most valuable to an American, our citizenship.

You ask why tax-paying, ethical people have to suffer at the hands of people such as myself? The answer is they are not suffering at the hands of people like me. They are suffering because they wanted a better life for themselves and their children and so, thou they may be honest and law abiding people, they broke our law and entered the U.S. illegally, They may have crossed a river or risked their lives crossing a desert or rode in the back of a cargo truck, but they were determined to get here because there were jobs for them. To be very honest with you, if I were born on the other side of the border, knowing there were better paying jobs available on the American side, I may have crossed over too. The United States is a sovereign nation however and not an open territory, if we just let whoever wanted to, to enter the country without our permission or any health and criminal check, we would be swamped by all the poor of the world and become a just as poor as the countries they migrated from. A nation's immigration laws must protect the host nation.

You point out that it wasn't your fault that your parents brought you here, which is true, but to say it wasn't your parents fault is only half true, they violated our rights as a nation, those who provided illegal employment for them are also guilty however,and for every poor border crosser that died in the desert, those greedy employers must take some responsibility for enticing them to risk their lives with illegal employment.

Make no mistake about this, the greedy employers that profit from the cheap labor that illegal immigrants provide, at a wages lower then legal residents, because the federal government failed to enforce the law against illegally hiring undocumented workers, are the real cause of the massive illegal immigration problem facing America today. They are the real villains, not those of us demanding that our government enforce our laws. These employers are motivated by the same thing that motivated the southern slave holding plantation owners in the Nineteenth Century, greed. Greed for the profit that cheap labor provided. What labor could be cheaper then slavery? Remember how far those Nineteenth Century profiteers of others labor were willing to press the issue. They divided the nation in civil war and sent their own sons to fight and die for the sake of profiting from cheap slave labor.

Today, those profiting from cheap illegal immigrant labor, are also willing to do whatever it takes to keep profiting from exploiting immigrant labor. Here in Arizona they have done everything in their power to obstruct enforcement of our employer sanctions laws.

Follow the cause and effect of the illegal immigration situation. The government doesn't enforce employer sanctions against hiring undocumented workers which causes more and more employers to seek out undocumented workers so that they too can profit from the low cost labor they provide, which in turn caused more and more people to enter the country illegally.

Why are people like yourself living in the shadows of the only country you know, because the greedy employers have been given de facto amnesty for illegally hiring illegal aliens. If we continue to give the employers of illegal immigrants amnesty and give the millions of children of illegal immigrants amnesty, this country will be swamped with the worlds poor.

If the children of illegal aliens who were raised in America want an amnesty they should stop assuming those of us demanding enforcement are a bunch of dumb, redneck, racist and join with us and end the amnesty for employers of illegal immigrants by demanding enforcement of employer sanctions and a secure border.

Only when the illegal immigration problem is under control and our immigration laws enforced, especially employer sanctions, can we afford to grant an amnesty to the children of illegal aliens, and not before.

Instead of marching in American streets demanding amnesty, stop given aid and comfort to those causing the problem and demand enforcement of our employer sanctions laws.

Bob Haran,
American Conservative Republican