Some Honesty on Immigration

The issue of illegal immigration was front and center for a few moments during Friday night's debate for the GOP nomination for governor.

Governor Perry lashed out at Washington and, by extension, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, for doing nothing to keep illegal immigrants out of Texas. Ironically, during the same debate, Perry was also forced to defend his support of in-state college tuition for the children of illegal immigrants. Instead of stating the obvious, which is that many of these kids were brought here as babies, Perry said "they've been here a long time" and they're on a path to citizenship. The governor laments that if Washington would do its job, Texans wouldn't have to make these hard choices.

Students who were brought here as babies, many of them cradled in their mother's arms as these poor women crossed the frigid waters of the Rio Grande in winter, had absolutely no choice about where they would be raised. Their parents thought it best to bring them to the land of the free, only to find out they'd be persecuted as Christians were persecuted by the Romans. I have interviewed many of these students who rightly feel they're being singled out for a decision they had no hand in making.

Senator Hutchison brags about her commitment to quadruple the number of Border Patrol agents, but enforcement of current law is only part of the solution to our problems.

Where Governor Perry and Senator Hutchison are both wrong is that Washington doesn't just need to keep illegal immigrants out of Texas, the leadership in D.C. needs to come up with a common sense solution for dealing with the people who are already in this country illegally. Many of them don't even want a path to citizenship, but they would like a scenario in which they can work hard and honestly without fear they'll be separated from their families.

When I was growing up on a farm in Southeast Texas, there were only two types of people who would do the hard, hot sweaty labor required to make the crops flourish: The people who owned the land and the illegal immigrants. That was back before the people who would cut weeds from your cotton crops had been made out to be demons by the Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck's of the world. Happily, Dobbs has seen the light. It's too bad he didn't do so back when he had a better platform where he could have pushed common sense solutions.

For those who complain that illegal immigrants use our services for free, I ask you: Why not have a system under which they can pay for those services? If they were identified and taxed at a higher rate, there would be no room to say they're not contributing.

There have been more times than can be mentioned when what's right and what's legal were not the same. Many of my conservative Republican friends would say abortion is wrong, yet it remains legal. I would tell you that robbing precious children of their parents during immigration raids is wrong, but that, too, remains legal.

I implore Republicans to reach out to the growing Hispanic population, which shares so many of your values. They are pro-life, pro-gun, and most of all pro-family. Should their families not be as valuable simply because they've come here to do jobs we won't do? George W. Bush got it right when he said "family values don't end at the Rio Grande."

Comments

For an article that talks about honesty, it starts off with dishonesty in the headline.

"Immigration" or illegal-immigration" What exactly are we talking about here?

Mr. Braddock is to commended for his big heart.  Indeed many people in these United States would like to eliminate hunger, open our borders, and take care of all the world's cast-offs.  It's a wonderful notion...and a dangerous fantasy.

Most clear thinking Americans know the notion that America should welcome any and all people that can procreate and cross the border just can not be allowed to stand.  By Braddock's own admission, many are not even interested in being American.  They just want the spoils that come from being in this great land.  Braddock seems to be joining the chorus of other American-hating countries that condemn our immigration policies.  While they maintain strict border controls over their own homelands.  We have the right and the duty to protect our borders from illegal entry PERIOD!

I along with many other Texans welcome those that respect our laws and come through the front door.  We applaud those that come to America to be Americans.  We open our arms to those that want to live in a land that is of, by and for the people.  But we ought not, and most do not want people to enter our nation illegally and then be rewarded for it.  Braddock points out that it's not American to separate children from their parents.  And he's 100% right.  The key here is to stop the situation from happening in the first place.  Secure that border, and do not allow other parents from other nations in unless they go through legal channels.  Scott is also correct that congress should concentrate on reforming our LEGAL immigration system.  But before they do that or while they do that they should reform our border ENFORCEMENT system.





Scott...your position is certainly PC but is way off in the facts. Less than one out of 20 currently do farm labor. California alone is asking for $6.9B reimbursements for the costs of illegals, the DEA's most wanted in each state are mainly from Latin American cartels, in 2009 more than half of all federal prosecutions were immigration related, birthright citizenships cost around $6B per year and the Social Security Administration estimates that about 75% of illegal aliens use fraduletnt SSNs.

In spite of all these facts and many more well known facts you want your readers to see illegal immigrants as victims? 

www.immigrationcounters.com

Good comment. You should note that many undocumented immigrants do pay Federal income and payroll taxes, albeit through invalid or stolen Social Security numbers. They do pay state sales taxes, and property taxes indirectly as renters. Even small increases in taxation can harm poor families, so I would oppose higher tax rates on immigrants in a guest worker program. 
I did find the pro-gun argument a bit odd - I am not sure that attitudes towards gun control among Hispanics are in line with mainstream Republican attitudes.

You are right that many Americans will not do the jobs and are in many ways lazy. Maybe an increase in the sales tax and elimination of property tax would ensure that everyone is paying into the system and stop some of the argument that Mexican workers are not paying into the system.

Maybe? Hmmmm....

What is the argument here? every single alien "BROKE THE LAW!" Our Government, past & present, Republican & Democrat, have allowed the invasion of 20 to 30 million criminals and uneducated peons which is the largest invasion of any Nation, at any time, by any means & in direct violation of Article IV, Section IV of our Constitution.

This refusal to abide by our Constitution or enforce our Immigration Laws should be classified as Treason of the most foul kind, & as grounds for impeachment & trials for Treason!

Not only have they allowed the invasion, they force American tax payers to pay Billions on Billions of dollars to provide Welfare, Prison cells, Educate the invaders numerous children, and free medical care, at the same time the invading horde break numerous laws and massive document fraud, & are destroying our schools, hospitals, communities, culture and standard of living while Robbing, Raping, Killing & Assaulting American Citizens WAKE UP PEOPLE!
 

Very well put Scott.  Here is an idea....Maybe if we had an Ellis Island at each border town we could process the aliens and pick and choose the ones that would be beneficial to the United States of America (non terrorist/non bums.)  Give them a number and require them to report any and all income earned here to pay taxes....or eleminate property and income taxes and go to a consumption tax,...that way everyone contributes to the defence and operations of our country and we don't have to depend on them filing the necessary paperwork.  I could handle that!

I still think current laws must be enforced. Otherwise, more illegal aliens will come.
We do not need new laws every 10 years. Again, enforce current immigration laws and that will solve the illegal alien situation.

I don't know Scott, why don't you tell that the to man who was stabbed to death by an illegal immigrant for a couple of thousand dollars.  Or the number of officers killed by illegal immigrants in the past few years.  Or the huge crime wave along the border.  Some who have been picked up before, but not deported. My gosh how PATHETIC ARE YOU??   Christians and Romans???? Are you serious.  How about you come back to earth out of la-la land???? I guess that real conservative Republians wouldn't fit under YOUR tent.  And you guys have the audacity to criticize Medina for not bing 'republican' enough. 

How about a system that actually SECURES our border !! Oh but you don't want to really see that.  You're just a liberal republican wannabe!

Too bad people like you aren't willing to uphold the security of this nation like EVERY OTHER NATION IN THE WORLD, that actually protects their borders.

Can you name me one child who isn't affected by the choices of their parents?
I didn't think so....
NO AMNESTY!

Scott,

I wouldn't exactly compare illegal aliens as "persecuted as Christians were persecuted by the Romans." These people have absolutely no right to break our immigration and work authorization laws along with the associated document fraud to give themselves a better life. It is not the responsibility of the USA to give the rest of the world or their children a better life. If these illegal alien students illegally present in the USA feel they have a beef with anyone it should be directed at their parents and the foreign governments they themselves are citizens of. These people are not the responsibility of the USA nor should the Texas taxpayer have to shell out more money to educate them at instate tuition rates when they are illegally in our country.

As far as the US born children of illegal aliens being deprived of their parents when they are arrested/deported in immigration/workplace raids...What happens when any criminal is arrested and put in jail? They sow what they reap. They don't escape punishment just because they have children. The USA should have ended automatic birthright citizenship for the children of illegal aliens long ago as almost all first world industrialized welfare states have already done long ago for obvious reasons. This being one of many reasons along with illegal aliens getting access to taxpayer funded social services through their US citizen children.

I have no problem with creating a competently run guest worker program that is not detrimental to US workers and/or US taxpayers, but the US government already mismanages the programs that already exist. Not to mention that automatic citizenship for the inevitable children of these so called "guests" needs to be eliminated. This would go a long way to ensuring that these people really are "guests" and that illegal aliens no longer create US citizen anchor babies as a lame excuse to get out of being deported for breaking our immigration/work laws or guest worker visa violations.  

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