Immigration

Why should we be concerned about illegal immigration? Is it because we are racist? Is it because we lack compassion for the less fortunate? Is it because we do not care about children?

I love children and deplore the fact that children are abused and mistreated and suffer from circumstances that are not of their making. I have compassion for those who need a helping hand and contribute in numerous ways to charitable efforts to help others around the world. I try to judge a person by his or her character and not by the color of skin.

I also care about the rule of law and fairness. For those who oppose tougher immigration laws because the discriminate against good people whose only crime is walking across an arbitrary border, I would respond with the facts. When Pierre from Montreal crosses the border into the United States on a tourist visa and then decides not to return to Canada, he begins a life of crime. First, he has broken the law by not abiding by the terms of his entry visa, which is a misdemeanor. When he decides to get a job in the U.S., his crimes begin to compound.

He must first obtain a set of false identification papers, such as a driver's license and a social security number. That is fraud and forgery, which is a felony. If the drivers license number or social security number happen to belong to another person, he has committed identity theft, which is also a felony. When he finds a job using his stolen identity, his new employer asks him to sign an I-9 form that states that he is a legal resident of the U.S. and includes a statement, under penalty of perjury, that his statements on the form are true. Perjury is also a felony. Pierre, who purportedly just wants a better life for himself and his family, cannot get a job flipping burgers at MacDonalds without committing at least one misdemeanor and up to three felonies.

Though he may be hard working, Pierre may make a few mistakes along the way. Perhaps he gets a couple traffic tickets and forgets to pay them. If he has stolen a driver's license, guess who gets arrested later and has to try to clear his record. Maybe Pierre gets a couple of credit cards using his stolen social security number and then defaults on his debts. Good luck to whoever is the real owner of that social security number when he needs a loan. About half of the stolen social security numbers belong to children. Your child may already have a bad credit rating and a criminal record before he ever enters kindergarten.

I am all for people making a better life for themselves. But let them do it as legal, law abiding, honest people. As a society we would not turn a blind eye to American citizens who have committed felonies. We would want to see them arrested, prosecuted, and punished for their crimes. Even Martha Stewart and Paris Hilton have gone to jail when they broke the law. Why would we ignore the crimes of illegal aliens? It just wouldn't be fair to those who obey the law.

I want to help the underprivileged children of underprivileged parents in underprivileged countries. But I also need to protect my own children. I do not want my one-year-old grandson to have a rap sheet and a bad credit report before he even learns to spell his own name.