Malvenidos

I have zero problems with legal immigration.

I have many problems with illegal immigration. The first of these is simply respect for the rule of law. Does the law mean anything anymore? It feels terribly unfair that I must live daily life bound by numerous laws while millions of people brazenly spit in the law’s eye by their mere presence.

It does not help that they have changed our economy. No, I do not covet the low paying, laborious jobs they have. But I wish my kids could have learned (as I did) the lessons of labor by working that paper route or mowing the neighbor’s yard. Those opportunities are mere memories in the face of illegal immigration, and our kids are the worse for it.

Yes, everyone in this country except Native Americans is either an immigrant or the descendant of immigrants. But we are so big now that there must be some order to the rush. To the millions of immigrants here illegally, I say, “If you want to stay here, go to the end of the legal immigration line. Pay a fine for having violated our immigration laws. Go through the legal immigration process. Do not march in the street waving the flag of another nation while you demand benefits from this nation. Speak English when in public. If you have committed any crimes during your stay here, expect to be deported.”

To the U.S. government, I say, “Secure our borders. Change citizenship laws to preclude nativity as an automatic grant of citizenship. Penalize businesses who employ illegal immigrants. Run the millions of illegal immigrants now here through the system.”

If I have to live with the system, they should too.