Immigration

By taking a look at the papers for and against immigration by Daniel T Griswold and Dirk Chase Eldredge respectively, both articles are very well written. However it seems like Daniel T Griswold spends too much time trying to debunk myths while Dirk Chase Eldredge easily explains the truths behind these myths.

Griswold begins with reminding us that the United States is a country of immigrants. This is the one thing that is fully agreeable in his writings. There is no doubt that America was built by immigrants and that as a wave of each ethnicity rippled through our country, America became a little bit more cultured. We began new traditions and transformed old ones. The time which he remembers in his paper passed long ago. Immigration is no longer what it was during the humble beginnings of the United States. The immigrants of yesteryear and the ones of today do have one thing in common: they come to American to find a better life.

Although they share the desire for a better life, the immigrants of the two different times differ in a great way, as Eldredge points out. Immigrants of today are not assimilating into the United States as well as their predecessors. Instead of assimilation, Eldredge states, we have seen a great amount of balkanization where immigrants are convening in enclaves, in essence staying out of the United States because they are removing themselves from the culture. Immigrants are sticking to groups of their own ethnicity refusing to become part of America while taking advantage of the beautiful life the United States offers to its citizens, and apparently its illegal immigrants as well. One example of these enclaves offered by Eldredge existed in Miami. The mayor at the time, Maurice Ferrer was Hispanic and declared Spanish the official language of his city predicting that non-hispanics would either learn Spanish or eventually just leave. Another example offered was a bumper sticker found in California which read "Will the last American out of Garden Grove please bring the flag?" Americans are being chased out of the enclaves where they used to make their homes, only to be told that to get certain jobs speaking Spanish is a necessity (I have been a victim of this myself) while many of the immigrants choose to only speak there native language causing this surge of need for bilingual people. This completely disproves Griswold's point that immigrants do not push Americans out of jobs. They may not be taking them outright, however they make it more complicated for the average Joe to find jobs which deal with the public.

Besides assimilation, there is the matter of national security which is threatened by immigration, among other things. With all the illegal immigrants entering the country it is impossible to keep track of where they are and what they are doing. It is not only illegal immigrants, it is also the ones who have only temporary visas. As Eldregde explains, this was the case with the 13 immigrants who stayed beyond the time allowed by their visas and simply melded into our society, forgotten until they attacked our country, which had so openly welcomed them, on September 11, 2001.

I disagree with Eldredge on the 10 year moratorium he feels would help to solve our immigration policies. In theory it is good, but it may make the United States appear to other countries that we are turning our back on the very people who did build our country. However, he has great ideas for punishing people who break these laws. He suggests incarcerating the illegal immigrants once they are captured in military facilities which have recently been abandoned after being closed. Eldredge suggests a fair time frame of 90 days for a first offense, followed by 6 months for an additional offense and then a year for a third time. This would be more helpful than the current policy of merely taking aliens back across the borders where Mexicans often just yell "es un juego" (For all the Americans, that's "it's just a game").

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Eldredge, Dirk Chase "Immigration will double the population of the United States within the next 60 years." http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=8797

Groswold, Daniel T. "Immigrants have enriched American culture and enhanced our influence in the world."http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=8797