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Illegal Immigration Fiasco Means Secure
Borders Must Be A Top National Priority
D.J. Deeb
10/03/06

With the 2006 elections fast approaching and the 2008 presidential election just on the horizon, the majority of the American public is rightfully demanding border patrols, quotas on new immigrants, and a “get tough” approach to illegal immigration.  No country has ever survived in the history of the world that has failed to maintain the integrity of its borders and preserve its common culture.
Nearly all of us born in the United States are the descendents of immigrants who traveled to this country to obtain a better life for themselves and their families.  Legal immigration that is controlled and monitored makes us stronger as a nation and contributes to our overall well-being. 

Illegal immigration, on the other hand, amounts to a recipe for disaster since it drives down wages, destroys our common culture, weakens our common English language, and causes an economic burden to society.

The Bush administration and many in Congress are advocating granting amnesty to illegal aliens currently in the United States.  This amounts to pardons to criminals.  Illegal immigration costs each household approximately $1,200 per year according to U.S. government estimates.

The trend of illegals coming to the United States has been increasing substantially.  A great percentage of these illegals is crossing into the United States from our Mexican border. 

The number of illegals pouring over the borders from 1980 to 2000 totaled approximately 6.7 million, but illegals crossing over the border with Mexico totaled nearly 5 million just between 2001 and the summer of 2006.  Do our elected officials really believe that they can make America safe without properly securing our borders?  One in twelve illegals has a criminal record.

A large number of the illegals entering the United States along our southern border are non-Mexicans. They include Islamic extremists from the Arab world, Asians, Africans, and Europeans. Since the Mexican government has failed to act to stop this, a more proactive response from the United States to secure our nation is long overdue and is in order. 

The first action strategy for dealing with this national problem should be to construct a durable fence on the Mexican-American border and then enact a military presence on that border.

Kudos to all of the members of Congress who voted last month to construct this fence.  The great American patriot and former presidential candidate, Pat Buchanan, was urging that this be done 15 years ago.  Obviously, there is no foolproof system and some illegals will find a way to cross the borders. However, a great deal of the crossings can be eliminated by the fence.

The only way to secure America’s safety, as well as preserve the cultural bonds, language, and values that tie our nation together, is to enact border patrols and empower law-enforcement agencies to crack down on illegal immigration. 

Don’t expect this to happen in Massachusetts, since gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick supports not only allowing illegal immigrants to come to the Bay (“Pay”) State, but he favors in-state college tuition breaks, driver’s licenses, and other benefits for illegals.

Foreigners who desire to come to the United States to create a better life for themselves and their families would be welcome provided that they follow the established procedures for coming to the United States legally. 

If we do not take these measures to secure our borders and protect our values, language, and cultural bonds, the United States will be destined to face the same fate as the Roman Empire - internal disintegration and self-destruction.  History repeats itself.   

D.J. Deeb is an Adjunct Professor of History and Government at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, Mass., and at Northern Essex Community College  in Haverhill, Mass.  He is a full-time Social Studies teacher at Reading Memorial High School in Reading, Massachusetts.  He also serves as an elected member of the Greater Lowell Technical School Committee and the Dracut School Committee in Dracut, Massachusetts.

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The October, 2006 Edition of the Valley Patriot
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