What Am I Missing?

I'm willing to admit that I may not be the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but I can walk and chew gum at the same time while still continuing to breathe unassisted. Why is it, then, that I don't understand this whole illegal immigrant thing?

Yesterday, nearly 600 immigrants from eight countries were rounded up at the Howard Industries transformer plant in Laurel, Mississippi, on suspicion of being in the United States illegally.

In many cases, mothers were fitted with monitoring bracelets and allowed to go home to care for young children who might otherwise be unattended. Husbands were not so lucky, with some being transferred to a holding facility and others being brought to federal court on criminal charges of allegedly using false Social Security numbers and residency identification. Immigrant parents are afraid to send their kids to school for fear they'll be picked up. One detainee described the horrible experience of co-workers applauding as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents led suspects away.

"We have kids without dads and pregnant mothers who got their husbands taken away. It was like a horror story. They got handled like they were criminals."

They got handled like they were criminals.

This is the area where I need a little bit of help.

It is conceivable that several of those detained are in this country legally. They will be processed and eventually released. It is unfortunate, but many innocent citizens are arrested every day for a variety of reasons having nothing to do with immigration or ethnicity and later cleared and released.

Of those who are in the U.S. illegally though, why shouldn't they be treated like criminals? Why shouldn't law abiding citizens applaud when those who disdain our laws are arrested and taken away?

Are any of those in this country illegally here because a gun was put to their heads and they were forced to come here? Doubtful.

Is this another example of evil federal officials sending in the ICE storm troopers in an anti-Mexican racist cleansing of the homeland? Again doubtful, otherwise those detainees from Brazil, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Peru would have been left alone. (Germany? Who let that arrest happen?)


The solution to the problem of government agents carting away illegal immigrants by the busload from factories and plants across the country is not to have the government stop enforcing immigration laws, as some would wish. Much as not exceeding the speed limit will generally protect a driver form receiving a speeding ticket, not entering the country by illegal methods will generally protect an immigrant from being arrested for being here illegally.

Mississippi is to be applauded for following Arizona's lead and making Mississippi an unwelcome place to those in this country illegally. Beginning July 1 of this year, all Mississippi businesses with government contracts are obligated to check the immigration status of all new employees through a Homeland Security system. All other business are required to comply beginning January 1, 2009. An additional provision of the law makes it a felony for an illegal immigrant to accept a job in Mississippi.

Laws like these are the sort of action necessary to begin taking control of the border security problem. If there are no jobs available to those who "only" violate the territorial sovereignty of the United States, then they won't be nearly as inclined to enter this country in the first place. Cut down the flood of people with legitimate economic interests entering this country illegally rather than through proper channels and the security of this nation will be improved at all ports of entry. Those with nefarious intent will be more readily identified because they won't have as dense a crowd to hide in.

As has been noted previously, illegal immigration is not a “Mexican” problem, nor will it be solved by building a fence on the southern border. That Mexicans make up the majority of those here illegally is only a matter of proximity and economic conditions in that country, not race.

Until someone can rationally explain to me why I should believe otherwise, I refuse to feel sorry for families traumatized by the consequences of their own decision to enter this country illegally. “You made your bed, now sleep in it!” comes to mind, and places the burden of guilt for the disruption these families experience squarely where it belongs.