Weekly Opinion Editorial
EXECUTIVE ORDER WOULD BE MISTAKE!
by Steve Fair
Word is that
President Obama is about to sign an Executive Order that will grant amnesty to around five million illegal
immigrants living in the U.S. According to Congressman Jose Gutierrez, (D- IL), the President
will sign the XO when he returns next week from Estonia
and Wales. Guitierrez described the possible action as,
“huge.” He went on to say that when he
and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus met with the President last month Obama
assured them he wouldn’t deport their people.
To say America’s
immigration issue is a complicated one that divides Republicans and Democrats
is an understatement.
Some advocates-
in both Parties- favor deporting every illegal immigrate back to their home
country, no matter what their age. They
correctly point out the immigrate came into America ILLEGALLY. They want the INS to round up the illegals
and bus them back to the border. They
believe many of those illegals are taking jobs away from Americans.
Those on the
other side of the argument say the reason many immigrates are illegal is
because the immigration policy is broken in America. They claim that many who entered the country
legally remained here after their visa has expired because the INS is inept and
unable to process paperwork in a timely manner(absolutely true). They point out that many illegals came to America as
children and had no choice in the matter.
President Obama took care of many of those illegal children when he
signed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act in June of 2012.
Some prominent
Republicans advocate a ‘pathway to citizenship, including former Oklahoma
Governor Frank Keating. In a Los Angeles
Times editorial last November entitled, “What would Reagan do,” Keating wrote: “Unfortunately, too many conservatives —
though they aspire to walk in Reagan's footsteps — have forgotten that
immigration reform is the most Republican of causes. We cannot support open
borders for trade but not for people. We cannot support the unfettered exchange
of goods and ideas while building razor-wired walls that separate children from
their parents. We cannot make America
stronger and more prosperous by excluding tomorrow's talent and industry.” The article implied former President
would have granted amnesty to illegal immigrants (Reagan did in fact grant a
‘pathway to citizenship for three million illegals in 1986, but not by
Executive Order).
At their June
2014 state convention, the Texas Republican Party voted to restore a plank in
the state party platform that had been removed two years earlier. The restored plank calls for no amnesty, a
verified secured border and penalizing employers who knowingly hire
undocumented workers. The resolution was
approved after a long debate. “Just as we
should not negotiate with terrorists…we should not negotiate or accommodate
people who are not respecting our laws,” said Ivette Lozano, a delegate
from Dallas.
Some Republicans
believe taking such a hardline stand will hurt the GOP with Hispanics, Asians,
and other minorities. But according to Gallup, only 3 percent of
those contacted said that immigration was their most important issue. Yanil (no last name given), a Hispanic women
says illegals get no respect among legal immigrates. “As a
Hispanic I can tell you, most of us are against illegals. I was born to
immigrants. Long story short, in my opinion, it's not fair that illegals get a
free pass for crossing the border, while others do things legally,” She
said.
Illegal immigrants
aren’t currently allowed to vote in elections (hence the term illegal), but if a New York state legislator has his way, that
could change. State Senator Gustavo
Rivera, who represents the Bronx, wants to grant the estimated three million
illegal immigrants in New York state the right to vote if they have lived in
New York for three years and paid taxes.
Rivera says he has the support to get the bill passed and signed into
law. New York would be the first state to grant
the right to vote to illegal immigrants.
I have not
touched on the national security threat an open border policy presents or the
cost to taxpayers to educate and provide social services to millions of illegal
immigrants pouring into our country. Granting
amnesty by Executive Order is not the way to deal with illegal
immigration. President Obama should put
down his pen and work with Congress to hammer out a common sense solution on
this important issue. Contact President
Obama and tell him to not grant amnesty to illegal immigrants by Executive
Order. Here is the link to do it by
email http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp/contactus
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