Law is a Part of the Illegal Immigration Debate

America was built on Immigration. American citizens as a whole, therefore, accept Immigration. There really isn't a debate over Immigration itself. What is in question, however, seems to be whether to follow the law.

Illegal Immigrants plain don't agree with what American citizens have voted into law. Legal Immigrants at least recognize and show respect for America's governance. They followed the rules to become a citizen and most respect the process even more after having obliged. In fact, these new citizens are like most American's, who want at least some standards of law and order attached to Immigration. And yet, the arguments I hear for Immigration, whether intended to come across so poorly or not, argue against having an Immigration law at all. The arguments against upholding current Immigration laws, that I come across, don't offer a solution for the problem of Illegal Immigration, either:

Argument 1: Where is your compassion for these people?

Many arguments made are just appendages to this one. They have a bad government where they come from. They just needed a job. Wouldn't you have done the same thing for your family? They have nothing and they are poor. We can't put them in jail. We are breaking up their families.

Answer: Are these really arguments against having an Immigration law? None of that justifies breaking the law. These may be good arguments for us to consider changing the law to accepting more legal Immigrants, but does that mean we should have no law at all for who can become Americans?

Argument 2: But the children they had born here are American citizens. We can't split up families.

Answer: no one is splitting up another's family. A child may be American, but if persons have to return to a country of their citizenship, then they have the choice to take all of their children with them, to raise them there. If they refuse to take the child with them, then it is they who are splitting up their family, not us.

Argument 3: They generally are law-abiding people

Answer: That may be generally true, but whether they engage in more criminal behavior, once in America, or not, is not the point. They didn't follow the law in coming in the first place and that is the consequences of the law being executed here. As long as they are here unlawfully, that is not considered law-abiding. If they wanted to prove they are law-abiding, then they should leave on their own. Law-abiding people debate to change laws, rather than disobey the law until lawmakers' give-in to their transgression. America should be responsible for its own citizens, not policing everyone else's. If you are in America unlawfully, it should come as no surprise if we exercise the law in forcing you out.

Argument 4: We need them in order to run our economy

Answer: Do we? Then shouldn't we work on an Immigration worker's program? Maybe we would work on that, if we weren't too busy tracking down those who took it into their own hands to force a worker's program on us. So many of these end up on street corners hoping someone will drive by and choose them for work that day. Is this the best worker program that could have been created?

In our history, there has been a problem once or twice with a shortage of jobs, but never ever has there been a problem of not enough workers. There is no proof that this will ever happen. Companies that can't find workers to work for a competitive wage haven't been looking. If you are willing to work for a non-competitive wage, then you are not doing anyone any favors, because you bring down everyone's wage and/or put people out of work. People should hold out for the money they are worth, because if you are a good worker then companies will make enough money off of you to justify having you (at the pay levels we are talking here); otherwise, neither you nor the company should be in business anyway.

Closing Arguments

I understand that the vocal minority does not approve of the Immigration process, but where are the intelligible arguments of how to fix it. That is all I am asking for, before we change Immigration laws or get rid of them altogether. Whether we are concerned for the well being of the people, who illegally cross our borders, or if we are concerned with the strain it places on our government to have them here, or if we are concerned with the difficulties involved in sending them back, we all agree on one thing-this is a problem.

How are we going to fix the problem? The blame of our Immigration problem is often placed on the laws created, instead of the people who don't follow the law. But if people followed the Immigration laws that are already in place, there would not be a problem. I think the Immigration laws and process in place don't need to be changed, just upheld. If the government on a federal or a state level is made aware of any illegal Immigrant they should be able to turn those individuals over to authorities who will then send them back to their countries (preferably at the expense of that other country's government). But the government could mostly control this by holding employers to the law of not hiring people who are not citizens of America. It really would not be that hard to do, and we would lose the problem by attrition, as illegal Immigrants came for reasons of opportunity they will also leave for the same reason. Maybe then they will have incentive to try to become legal citizens like the rest of us.

America is built on and runs on the backs of legal citizens. Legal Immigrants came here not only to make a better life, but also to make a better America. I respect our Ancestors. Maybe the legal process of immigration could be changed for the better, currently however, illegal Immigrants not only disrespect America but the problem's they pose exceeds the benefits they may offer. In catering to them we would disrespect ourselves as well as our Immigrant ancestors who went through the process the correct way. Where is our compassion for the many people who want to come to America, but can't get admitted while we are stuck considering amnesty for so many of the less deserving? None of the arguments I hear are compelling reasons to automatically make illegal immigrants citizens, at the expense of citizenship for others who would do it legally. I haven't heard arguments that make me stop and think that better laws could be made. It's time we execute the law and require people to follow the legal process of being an American.