Latina Lista: News from the Latinx perspective > Palabra Final > Immigration > Immigration Reform: Confusion Over the Bigger Issue

Immigration Reform: Confusion Over the Bigger Issue

LatinaLista — Republican presidential hopeful, Arizona Senator John McCain, offered some telling remarks at a Sunday stop on an Iowa farm where he decided to talk about immigration.

According to McCain:

“We believe the comprehensive approach to immigration failed because the American people do not have trust and confidence in the government and Washington to do what we say. When we failed in Katrina, when we failed in Iraq when we have corruption in Washington, like you see all the time, my friends, they don’t trust us to do what we say we’d do,” he said. “We said we would secure the borders, Americans didn’t believe us.”

But is it really about government failing to secure the borders or failing to keep this immigration reform issue from being hijacked and manipulated by extremists who care little about border security but creating a terror state persecuting the most vulnerable of peoples?


Time and time again, we’ve heard the excuse gallantly being given by everyone from state governors to small town city councils that “Because Washington won’t deal with illegal immigration, we will.”
From passing English-only ordinances to making college unaffordable/unaccessible for undocumented students, all these measures are being heralded as the answers to deal with illegal immigration.
How?
It has nothing to do with securing our borders and everything to do with suddenly declaring people, who have been living all along in these towns, as enemies-of-the-state because a few, not a majority, have declared that they should be seen as such.
What Washington has done that is unforgiveable is not failing to make our borders secure, that is being accomplished somewhat — but it’s failing to take back control of the immigration issue and standing idly by while men, women and children are made to suffer because these leaders can’t make up their minds on which is the bigger issue — undocumented residents, cheap labor or border security.

Related posts

Comment(5)

  • Frank
    September 4, 2007 at 4:49 pm

    There is no “English Only” bill in the making.
    Not only do we have to secure our borders but we have to make it less attractive for illegals to come here in the first place and take away the freebies that they are getting now. It only makes sense to cover all bases.
    What men, women and children are suffering? If they are illegally here they came by their own choosing. I wish people would take responsibility for their own actions and quit blaming others for their problems.
    Illegal aliens aka cheap labor should not be a deciding factor in whether or not we secure our borders. We are a soveigin nation with immigration laws and there is also the threat of terrorism from unsecured borders. We should never sacrifice our national security for ANY reason.

  • james
    September 4, 2007 at 6:01 pm

    To the user above:
    I don’t know what “freebies” you’re talking about, last time I checked no one asks for your immigration status while checking out at the register. EVERYONE has to pay taxes regardless of their situation. Furthermore, undocumented immigrants are not entitled to social programs such as medical care, or welfare. In fact, when they do their taxes they are not eligible for tax-breaks and since they don’t have a social security number the money deducted from their paychecks throughout the year goes directly into the government’s pockets.
    I’d invite you to check your facts before posting such nonsensical baloney.

  • Frank
    September 4, 2007 at 8:37 pm

    That is precisely what we need to do, ask proof of legal status in this country to enroll in our schools, free lunch programs, medical care other than an emergency situation, to gain citizenship for their newborns. Illegals do get welfare via their anchor babies and they do sometimes gain welfare for themselves with fraudulent documents. They go to the hospital emergency rooms for non-emergency purposes and they don’t pay their bill. They give birth to babies on our soil and don’t pay the bill. These costs are passed on to the American taxpayer.
    Any income taxes that they pay by using a phoney SS number should go to help pay for all of their social costs. They work here illegally and then expect a refund on their taxes? Consider it a fine for working here illegally.

  • Horace
    September 8, 2007 at 2:46 am

    Frank,
    Ignorance such as James is endemic among much of the public, especially those less educated who cannot fathom the destructiveness of adopting millions of illiterate and poor. If adopting such people as citizens were of such great benefit to the world, then why do so many first world nations spend so much effort in keeping them out? The answer is that first world nations recognize the burden they pose, and the fact that ignorance is not a national goal when international competitiveness is concerned.
    The fact is that the economically disadvantaged in this country get more from the federal government than they pay in taxes, including illegal aliens if they file an income tax form. A total refund is due, plus the entitlement to Earned Income Tax Credits. Sales taxes are relatively insignificant to the poor, as they rarely have much disposable income to by luxuries. Advocacy groups love to point out Social Security, but if given amnesty, these people would get far more out of that fund than they put in, as do all poverty level retirees under that system. Moreover, Mexican illegal immigrants drain our country of 23 billion dollars of captital every year by sending it directly to their families. This is money not spent through our retailers and not available to invest in this country. Illegal immigrant advocates are losers in the taxation argument, but the ignorant many keep repeating it as a mantra, albeit an unsupported one.

  • Visitor241
    October 7, 2007 at 5:51 pm

    I have visited your site 462-times

Comments are closed.

5 Comments