Open Borders Are Necessary and Our Responsibility

The rich countries of the world have to help the poorer countries effectively to stop illegal immigration or we are therefore responsible to take care of them. People are immigrating to other countries because there is no reason to stay where they are. There has to be a compromise between completely removing US influence from foreign lands and helping countries too much that our influence actually hurts their country.

Escaping greedy governments that ultimately only cause their citizens to endure "life-threatening situations", is why countries have immigration problems. As Mr. Brunson McKinley, director general of the International Organization for Migration "People migrate, temporarily or permanently, to receive education and training, to perform services, to find employment, to flee life-threatening situations or to provide themselves and their children with hope and opportunity." Associated Content.URL:( http://news.bbc.co.uk/).

I often hear that US Citizens are disliked, have a warped, brainwashed view of the world. Is the US a stable country with more opportunity and an overall better organized government than others? Many consider the US government as no way near as corrupt as some governments. This is what brings 'your huddled masses' to our shores and keeps them here. Yet our government is debating and even considering if the masses of illegal aliens should be sent back?

These illegal aliens or immigrants really are humans that deserve to be given a place in our country to live without the terror greed has caused in their countries. The truth ultimately is that we are one of the free nations of the world that can shelter these individuals. As the debates rage on the truth is best quoted by George Hunsinger, a theology professor when he said "No human being -- whether citizen or non-citizen -- should be placed outside the protections of the law. No one who performs needed work should be denied fair wages and decent conditions. A society that exploits immigrants for their labor while declaring them illegal is caught in a tangle of contradictions." Associated Content.URL:( http://www.commondreams.org/)

The present US congress in already in a tangle of contradictions included in the tagle are the ideals of the Founders of the US government. Professor Hunsinger mentions no one should be placed outside the protections of law. US laws are based on the founding Fathers thoughts of creating a free and righteous government and how it should be organized. They believed we should considered our borders opened to anyone who wanted to become Americans. George Washington wrote to his friend David Humphreys from Mount Vernon, July 25, 1785: "My first wish is to see this plague to mankind (war) banished from off the earth, and the sons and daughters of this world employed in more pleasing and innocent amusements than in preparing implements and exercising them for the destruction of mankind. Rather than quarrel about territory, let the poor, the needy, the oppressed of the earth, and those who want land, resort to the fertile plains of our Western country, the second land of promise, and there dwell in peace, fulfilling the first and great commandment." Associated Content.URL:( George_washington)

If we close our borders it can be argued that we will lose the new talent and enthusiasm that made us a great nation in the first place. Our very Liberty depends on this free movement of immigration, as this editorial article written by the Wall Street Journal's Brendan Miniter, "Liberty depends on a society that allows people the freedom to migrate and live where they can best build a life for themselves. A society that has to compete to attract new and productive citizens will be compelled by necessity to fight for the freedom of its members--even for those who were afforded fewer legal rights because of the circumstances of their birth. A society cut off from such migrations loses the vitality new people bring to the culture as well as the prosperity they create through their industry and eventually turns inward and tyrannical."

The founding Fathers were also a bit submissive, however, not in regard to letting people into the new country but if they would retain their language, habits and bad principles if they had them. Certainly the new immigrants and old wanted to escape from religious persecution as many of today's immigrants are escaping human rights abuse, what is different in their escape? why are we seeming to turn them away?

The present bill up for approval, Kennedy / McCain bill, under whatever arrangement is dealing with the illegal aliens, or they should be called immigrants, as those that are not entitled to live here. They all want to learn English, have good work ethics and by George Washington's own criteria can become American Citizens. The country they are leaving does not offer the opportunities as there are in the US and if we close our borders we will lose their vitality, as we turn inward and tyrannical. Our US citizens may eventually prefer to leave, as we become a land lead by a tyrannical government.

The US needs to both let these oppressed citizens into the US and step up our assistance to helping or influencing these countries to create a governemnt and climate that these immigrants can live in and therefore do not want to leave in the first place.