On the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty there is a poem by Emma Lazarus. One of the most recognized lines reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” The United States of America gives the warmest, most sincere welcome to anyone who wishes to enter. The color of your skin, the place of your birth and the religion you practice does not matter. Not only do we embrace [legal] immigration in this land of the free, but we also trust immigrants with the responsibility of pursuing their immigration status to become a legal citizen. Unfortunately, America is now being taken advantage of and trampled on by people who resort to being illegal aliens instead of becoming legal immigrated citizens of this nation. It is time for America to toughen up. The passage of Arizona Senate Bill 1070 is the first bold step that has been taken to restore this great nation and its immigration policies. The previous two blogs explain the who, what, when, where, and how of SB 1070. Following are several reasons why SB 1070 is necessary in Arizona.
Currently there are eleven million illegal aliens in the United States (Obama) and 460,000 of those reside in Arizona (Broomhead). Both of these numbers are far too large to be ignored, which the federal government has been doing for decades. Due to the fact that no recent president has confronted America’s immigration problem beyond rhetoric, some state governors are now taking steps to be able to enforce the federal laws on a state level. Paving the way is Arizona Governor Jan Brewer who signed SB 1070 into law. In Arizona, 50% of homicides are carried out by illegal aliens and the city of Phoenix has now become the kidnapping capital of the United States (Broomhead). Arizona geographically shares 370 miles of border with Mexico (NDIC), whose citizens are streaming across Arizona’s porous border, undocumented, on a daily basis. In addition, 35 Islamic countries, known to harbor terrorists, contribute to those crossing the border illegally each year(Longley).
Those who come to America undocumented, hence illegally, are breaking the law. Not only do illegal aliens break our laws as soon as they step foot across our borders, but being in America undocumented causes them to break many other laws and puts burdens on the citizens of America. “Billions are lost in taxes each year because [illegal aliens] are paid under the table,” claims President Barak Obama. America relies on taxes in order to support our country’s infrastructure, social security, and welfare programs. Those that do not pay taxes are breaking the law and taxpayers are forced to shell out billions a year to Title 1 school programs, education daycare, health care, food stamps, Section 8 housing and subsidized rent, bilingual services, SSI and Medicare. In addition, many do not maintain car insurance, which is illegal and puts all Americans at risk. As citizens of this nation, we continue to uphold the laws of the land and are continually burdened with the costs to support the needs of illegal aliens as they continue to break our laws and eat off of our backs.
Not only will SB 1070 enforce federal illegal immigration laws and reduce costs for taxpayers, it will aide in reducing the dangerous drug problem that has entered the United States via Mexico. Drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) smuggle methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana from Mexico into Arizona daily. Because Arizona is a national- level distribution center with highways extending to both our East and West coasts (NDIC), this is not a problem Arizona faces on its own; this is a problem the entire nation faces. Along with trafficking the drugs, comes protection of the goods. DTOs carry an extensive range of weaponry and often engage in shoot-outs with rival gangs, law enforcement, and citizens. This illegal activity in the United States is becoming more and more dangerous and moving further north into Arizona. In many instances the DTOs are better equipped than our law enforcement and have already claimed the lives of many innocent citizens and law enforcement officers.
Although the majority of Arizonians and Americans support SB 1070, there are many who believe that the previously mentioned reasons for why the bill needs to be enforced are not strong enough. They believe comprehensive immigration reform, including amnesty, is the answer. Though there is no specific plan of action for comprehensive immigration reform, it includes admittance to breaking the law, registering, paying taxes, paying a fine, and learning English (Obama). Why amnesty? This is a way to let illegal aliens remain in America without deportation back to their country of origin and without disrupting their lives and families. This is a political maneuver that sympathizers use to fight on behalf of illegal aliens and in turn receive the majority of their eleven million votes in elections. Thus, increasing the support from minority groups and cementing election bids.
Illegal immigration is not only an Arizona issue. Illegal immigration is an issue that America faces as an entire nation. Whatever steps we take to address the problem, the problem needs to be fixed, not merely bandaged. Immigrants- both legal and illegal- need to respect the laws of the United States and abide by them. As Arizona trailblazes forward on the illegal immigration issue, the United States needs to take a tough stance on illegal immigration by enforcing the nation’s existing immigration laws.
References:
Barak Obama. Immigration Speech on July 1, 2010.
Mike Broomhead. KFYI. Referenced Associated Press article on/around June 28, 2010.
National Drug Intelligence Center. Arizona’s Drug Threat Assessment. Retrieved on July 2, 2010 from http://www.justice.gov/ndic/pubs6/6384/overview.htm.
Pictures. Retrieved on July 4, 2010 from http://images.travelpod.com/users/eightydaze/1.1217037360.lady-liberty.jpg and http://www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Border+Patrol+Seizes+Drugs+Illegal+Immigrants+gAUDGiw5eAXl.jpg.
Robert Longley. Terrorists: The 'Other' Illegal Immigrants. Retrieved on July 5, 2010 from http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/defenseandsecurity/a/otmaliens.htm.
You have brought up some very valid points. There are so many Americans who complain about having to spend tax money on illegal immigrants, and there is an increasing problem with drugs coming into this country via Mexico, therefore, this bill seems to be an answer that the federal government has been ignoring.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this bill is the answer to the illegal immigrant problems that Arizona is facing. What I think the state should do is instead of this bill is to put more patrol at the borders and make it easier for immigrants to come to the states. Most immigrants aren't here to cause trouble. They are here simply to better themselves and the lives of their family. What's so wrong with that.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of states that face illegal immigrants such as California and Texas, however; you don't see anyone rushing to enact a bill such as this.