Category Archives: Immigration

Perhaps It’s Time for a National ID Card

February 9, 2008 – 9:14 pm

If it will help the authorities round up and deport the illegal immigrants, I’m willing to carry and present a National ID card when asked. I already carry several pieces of identification so how much can one more hurt? I have a driver’s license, a card that identifies me as a retired DoD employee, a Medicare card and another health insurance card.

Some of the presidential candidates have indicated that they want to issue ID cards to legal immigrants. But that won’t help unless every legal resident is required to carry identification of their status as well. Today there is no requirement for citizens to carry identification if they aren’t engaging in activity that requires a license - like driving a car, fishing or hunting — or a passport. If an illegal is challenged he can simply say that he is a citizen exercising his right to not be harassed by law enforcement officers.

In this age of super-sensitivity authorities are careful not to engage in profiling. That is, they don’t want to confront only those who look as if they likely got here by swimming the Rio Grande at night. There are plenty of legal residents that have similar physical characteristics.  If every legal resident of the USA were required to carry identification and present it when asked by a proper authority, the profiling concern is alleviated.

I started thinking about this while I was having lunch at Taco Bell a few weeks ago. A pickup truck with a shell over the bed pulled up and seven Hispanic-looking men climbed out and came inside for lunch. They all went directly to a table. After conferring in Spanish for a few minutes the driver went to the counter and ordered their food. The comportment of the whole group was excellent.

Of course I considered it likely that they were illegal immigrants — with the possible exception of the driver. If I were a law enforcement officer, what could I have done? Ask them for identification? Why, because they looked Hispanic? Wouldn’t that be profiling? Anyway, only the driver was required to have identification. None of the others was engaging in an activity that requires it.

My hands were tied by political correctness. However, if all legal residents were required to carry and present identification when asked, I could have stood and announced to the whole room that everyone should prepare for a quick walk-around ID check. Yes, it was still the Hispanic-looking men that prompted me to do the ID check, but at least everyone in the room was subjected to the same treatment.

I regret that this additional infringement on our liberty seems to be necessary. But neither do I want to see this country overcome by lawlessness.

By Carson Sasser | Comments (0) |

Elvira Arellano Crusade Misdirected

September 13, 2007 – 7:16 am

FoxNews.com has an update on the saga of deported illegal immigrant Elvira Arellano and Saul, her American-born son. Yesterday Saul participated in a demonstration to lobby Congress to help bring his mother back to the USA.

Meanwhile, Elvira says her son will move to Mexico and start schools next month. Together, she vows they’ll continue their immigration crusade, but from the other side of the border.

Now let me understand this. She doesn’t like our laws but she very very much wants to come here. And she is willing to leave her son in our hands for a few months. She apparently doesn’t think Mexico is a fit place to live and raise her son, but I don’t hear of any crusade that she plans to wage against the Mexican government.

I wonder if she believes that all Mexicans should be allowed to move here or just her and Saul. Is she capable of understanding that if the floodgates are opened our country will be swamped with people looking for work and she might soon find that it’s no easier to make a living here than in Mexico?

If the hordes of Mexicans entering the USA legally and illegally focused their energy on reforming their own government instead of ours, they would achieve a better outcome for all of us — especially in the long-term. There is no large difference between the USA and Mexico in terms of per-capita land area and natural resources. The working class lives better here than the working class in Mexico because our socio-economic system is more conducive to individual prosperity and our government is less corrupt. If they will get rid of their corrupt government and open up their markets, Mexicans can prosper at home.

I hope they will decide to fix things down there before some American president decides to send in the troops and fix it for them. After all, what ails Mexico now seems to be affecting us more than what ailed Iraq before we sent the troops in there.

By Carson Sasser | Also posted in Economics | Comments (0) |

Immigration Bill is a Sham

June 16, 2007 – 10:01 am

Apparently the politicians in Washington think that we are all complete idiots or that we are just not paying attention. (Actually, they might be right, to some extent, on the latter). The Bush-Kennedy-Kyl Immigration Bill is an outright sham.

The proponents of the bill would have us believe that we need new laws in order to deal with the illegal immigration problem. This is clearly not true. Obviously we already have laws governing immigration or the immigrants we’re trying to deal with wouldn’t be ‘illegal.’ If the government had been enforcing existing laws there wouldn’t be an immigration problem today. The government hasn’t enforced existing laws, so why should we believe they will enforce new laws?

The proponents claim that it is impossible to round up and deport all the illegal immigrants. They seem to want us to believe that if they can’t deport them all there is no need to try to deport any of them. What if they felt the same way about capturing and punishing murderers?

They want us to believe that while it is impossible to round up and deport all the illegals it is possible to round up and guide all of them through a process that will give them citizenship, even though this process requires that they all go back to their home country for a period of time. So sending them home is both impossible and possible?

They claim that the illegals will voluntarily come forward to enter the citizenship process. But why would they? The process requires that they pay a fine, learn English, start paying taxes, and go back to their home country for a period of time. If they don’t come forward they can stay here indefinitely without having to do any of these things because … it’s impossible to round up and deport them.

They claim that the bill does not grant amnesty to the illegals because it has conditions and imposes a penalty. The only valid argument that the bill doesn’t reward the illegals for ignoring our immigration laws is that the bill’s citizenship process will be unattractive to the illegals and, therefore, ineffective — as I argued in the previous paragraph. In other words, it’s not amnesty only if it doesn’t work. If it is attractive to a large number of the illegals it obviously is amnesty.

The bill is a sham and it at least intends to grant amnesty to the immigration law breakers. That’s why it’s being called the Shamnesty Bill and that’s why it should not be passed.

By Carson Sasser | Also posted in Congress | Comments (0) |

No Sympathy for Paris Hilton, but…

June 8, 2007 – 7:34 am

I have no sympathy for Paris Hilton’s plight, but if similar offenses by tens of thousands of illegal immigrants were given the same amount of attention this country would be a lot safer.

Typically, illegals just pack up and move to another area after being arrested and charged with some offense and then released on their own recognizance or on bond. Little effort is made to locate these fugitives and bring them to justice. Is this because we don’t consider their behavior to be correctable? Or that they are just not worth our effort? After all, they have already demonstrated that they have no respect for our laws simply by coming here.

I have a problem with deer eating the vegetables in my garden. Knowing that I’m not going to be able to change the innate foraging nature of the deer there are at least two things I can do to ensure that I will be able to harvest enough vegetables for my household. One is to build a deer-proof fence around my garden. The other is to grow enough vegetables for my household and the deer. I have found the latter to be the most practical.

In other words I have decided to just accept the cost of the foraging deer rather than try to change their nature. That’s because I know they are just animals. Are we demeaning the illegal immigrants by not holding them accountable for their actions? Are we treating them like they are less than human?

By Carson Sasser | Also posted in Police & Law Enforcement | Comments (0) |

Senator Mel Martinez on Immigration

May 24, 2007 – 7:00 am

Here’s what Martinez is boasting about in his latest newsletter:

Thursday, Senator Martinez joined a bipartisan group of senators in announcing the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act. The consensus bill was introduced on the Senate floor on Monday, and debate is currently underway. “This bipartisan and comprehensive reform package addresses our nation’s security, our economy, and reforms our country’s immigration policy so that we don’t have the severe illegal immigration problem that we do today.”

“So that we don’t have the severe illegal immigration problem that we do today?” Nice justification Mel. Are you gonna make all our problems go away? Are you gonna make our hurts all better? Are you gonna make the world a better place? Are you smarter than a fifth grader? Do you think that I’m a fifth grader?

Are you trying to be clever? I noticed that you don’t promise to eliminate severe immigration problems; you just promise that the next one won’t be the same as the one we have today.

Thursday, Senator Martinez opposed the largest tax increase in American history by voting against the Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. The measure will increase taxes by a minimum of $736 billion dollars over the next five years. The resolution passed in the Senate by a vote of 52 to 40. “It is unfortunate that an unreasonable budget resolution passed today, taking more money out of the pockets of the American people,” said Martinez.

Way to go, Mel! I’m glad to know that you occasionally flinch from raiding the pockets of the taxpayers. But how are you going to finance all the pork you brag about bringing to Florida if you’re shy about thrusting your hands into our pockets? Read on.

Last Wednesday, Senator Martinez voted in favor of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA). The measure authorizes Everglades restoration, projects for the Picayune Strand and Indian River Lagoon, a study for the Lake Okeechobee Herbert Hoover Dike, and authorizes numerous Army Corps of Engineers projects vital to Florida. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 91 to 4.

Mel, you need to understand that most of us who receive your newsletter know that the politics of pork require that each project you bring to Florida has to be mirrored in 49 other states. Senators that don’t receive pork aren’t going to vote for your pork. We can do the math: When you bring a million dollar project to Florida we know it actually costs 50 million dollars. Read on.

Wednesday, Senator Martinez announced that the Department of Education has awarded more than $5 million in Upward Bound Program Grants to 17 Florida colleges and universities. Upward Bound programs assist participants in completing secondary and post-secondary education.

The actual cost to the taxpayers is more than 250 million dollars. Yes Mel, we understand.

Isn’t secondary education high-school? Then why is the money going to colleges and universities? Are they having to send their students back to high school?

By Carson Sasser | Also posted in Politics | Comments (0) |

Higher Pay Answer to Farm Labor Shortage

October 4, 2006 – 11:22 am

MSNBC reports that farmers have unpicked crops lying in the fields due to a labor shortage. They say that part of the reason is tighter borders. I say that is good news — at least the tighter borders part. If the farmers need more workers they should try offering higher wages.

Another reason given for the farm labor shortage is that construction firms are “actually recruiting workers from the sides of the fields.” Again, the reason construction firms can do that is because they are offering higher pay or better benefits. All the farmers have to do is match or exceed what the construction firms are offering to keep their workers. It is really that simple.

The farmers argue that higher labor wages will force them out of the market; that people won’t pay the resulting higher price for their products. Well, if they won’t then apparently they didn’t need the products in the first place. Because I guarantee that people are going to have to eat something. They will pay market price for food, whatever that is. If a lot of apples and oranges rot on the trees, then the price of apples and oranges will rise — and then perhaps the farmers can afford to pay their pickers more.

If farmers are so dependent on Mexican labor, then perhaps they should consider moving their farms to Mexico.

By Carson Sasser | Comments (0) |

Coming to America

August 21, 2006 – 5:57 pm

For Carlos and Luis there was no work in Mexico,
So to America they decided they would go.

They had heard that opportunities abound,
If across the border a way could be found.

Their mother raised an exasperated voice
That her young sons faced such a choice.

The risks they would face were widely known,
But now the seeds of hope were already sown.

They argued that Uncle Miguel had taken the chance,
Now his family gets money for their lifestyle to advance.

So they departed after being bid farewell
Only to enter what became a living hell.

They survived the trip with the thought of how grand
They would find the opportunities in the new land.

They found Uncle Miguel working on a road
And he helped them find a job and a humble abode.

They were happy in the new land for the time they had spent,
But now they were hearing growing voices of dissent.

They heard that learning English was a burden too great to bear,
And their status as ‘illegals’ was believed by most to be unfair.

They heard some Mexicans call for resistance to assimilation,
That Mexicans should take back the land for their own nation.

They asked Uncle Miguel about the things they were hearing
And he told them that a new culture they should not be fearing.

He reminded them of the opportunities in this new place
And the situation in the homeland they could no longer face:

Where is the wisdom in resisting a new way of life
When the one you had was so full of strife?

The culture here fills you with hope and tends to inspire,
While the culture there deprives you of the things you desire.

Go learn the language and it will set you apart from the crowd
Of those who don’t and find advancement won’t be allowed.

Prepare yourselves to become an American now,
Because someday the government might show you how.

Better yet, take what you learn and all those like you pair,
And go back home to lead your country out of despair.

By Carson Sasser | Comments (3) |