In an email to his constituents on September 14, 2022, Idaho Senator Jim Risch, a Republican, pointed out that over 3 million people have been apprehended entering the United States illegally since President Biden took office. He also said that number of illegal entries is greater than the population of the city of Chicago and that it is more than the entire population of the State of Idaho.
The 2020 census found that the population of Chicago was 2,746,388. It ranks third in population size among American cities after New York City and Los Angeles.[1] Idaho has about 1.8 million inhabitants, and it is our seventh least in population density among US states.[2]
Too many people are entering the country illegally, and the principle of “rule of law” demands action. Although President Trump was able to reduce illegal entry significantly, the problem was still there when President Biden took office. It has been a problem for decades. It is an undeniable fact, however, that the problem of illegal migration into the US has gotten exponentially worse, during the Biden Administration.
There are some issues on which the American public is fairly evenly divided, and about which each side is entrenched. Abortion, Gun Control, and Immigration, to name a few, are among those issues. It makes it difficult for politicians to deal with them because no matter what they do it will make about half the people angry. For example, one attempt to legislate immigration reform was the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act sponsored by Sen. John McCain in 2005. The public outcry against it was so great that the bill failed to pass, and John McCain’s political standing among Conservatives was severely damaged. Since the political risks are so great, politicians tend to avoid attempts to resolve this kind of problem.
Immigration is a very controversial subject that is laden with emotion. We need, however, to deal with the issue effectively with an eye to the long-term impact on the future of our country, and especially on how it will affect the lives of our children and their children. Therefore, as a nation, let’s set aside the blaming and name-calling that is going on now.
The problems created by illegal migration have been discussed in the halls of government, in the media, on the Internet, and between private individuals at great length. It is self-evident that illegal entry has adversely affected our educational system, health care system, social welfare system, housing availability, controlled substance abuse, crime, disease control, our job market, national security, and more. Our failure to reform our immigration laws and policies into something that is effective, coherent, fair, and just is a disgrace to our government and a disservice to our people.
When possible, I try to suggest solutions to the problems that I identify in Lamp in a Corner. To that end, I urge people to vote for candidates who will work toward doing the following:
Article 5 of the United States’ Constitution provides processes for amending it. Amendment 14 grants US citizenship to any person who is born in the United States. As with amnesty and granting asylum, some foreigners are abusing the kindness of the American people by coming to the United States to deliver their infants within our borders – making them eligible for citizenship. The simplest method for amending the constitution is for the process to be initiated by Congress. Please vote for candidates who will act to amend the constitution to provide that US citizenship for children who are born in the United States, be granted only to the children of US citizens. The amendment should provide citizenship for children of US citizens born while they are serving overseas in the military or diplomatic corps.
It is imperative that Congress revise our laws governing immigration, and those laws must compel their enforcement by the Executive Branch on pain of impeachment. If necessary, these laws should be passed over President Biden’s veto. They should provide a workable and efficient immigration process that gives priority to persons with skills that are needed in our economy, but the less fortunate must also have an opportunity to immigrate. Provision, including sufficient funding, must be made for screening out terrorists and other criminals. Persons seeking naturalization should be required to submit to random drug testing for enough time to detect the abuse of controlled substances. Potential citizens must be required to learn to speak, read, and write English, and they must make a commitment to transfer their loyalty from their country of origin to the United States. It is clear that needed changes to our immigration laws will not happen without a majority of legislators in both houses of Congress who are determined to get it done. Please vote accordingly on November 8th.
There are too many people living in the United States illegally to “round up and deport.” On the Center for Immigration Studies website on March 29, 2022, Steven A. Camarota and Karen Zeigler reported, “We estimate that in January 2022 there were 11.35 million illegal immigrants in the country — a 1.13 million increase over the 10.22 million in January 2021. Our preliminary estimate for February of this year is 11.46 million.”[3]
Amnesty is not an option that is acceptable to a large proportion of the American public. Congress must create a comprehensive strategy for motivating illegal migrants to leave the United States on their own. It must focus on removing the incentives that brought them here in the first place and cause them to remain. Humanitarian assistance must be provided to help them leave, and they should have the opportunity to immigrate legally after they return to their native countries.
We must stop illegal migration at the border with Mexico, our seaports, and our airports. The methods used must be those proven to be effective in the real world – not in somebody’s talking points. Technology, a wall, and the National Guard will not work separately. We must implement all measures that have been proven to be effective in a combined effort – a “full court press.” We need to stop people from crossing the border before it requires due process to send them back.
We need the help of the Mexican government and other governments to stop illegal migration into the United States, and we must do whatever it takes to get their assistance. If we must temporarily shut down the border with Mexico completely to convince them to do their part, then so be it. To paraphrase President Trump, ‘Mexico needs us more than we need Mexico.’ This is not intended to be arrogant, but the crisis on the border with Mexico demands that we play “hardball.” Further, it is in Mexico’s best interest to put an end to the huge revenues the Cartels are getting from illegal migration and drug smuggling.
Liberals want unrestricted immigration to increase their voter base. Conservatives want to import cheap labor. The result of this self-indulgence has been terrible suffering on the part of many illegal migrants, and it is damaging to our own people and society. Let’s put a stop to it by voting for candidates who really will work for sanity in the ways the United States manages immigration.
