Posted by Dan Ewert : 8/22/2002 11:29:00 PM (Archive Link)
While we’re on the topic of Mexico and President Fox, I’ll also discuss his view on immigration. To quote the newspaper, “In negotiations with the Bush administration over immigration, Fox pointed out he has requested a ‘legalization’ of undocumented immigrants, not a blanket amnesty that would open the doors to naturalization, the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. ‘We did not ask for their naturalization. We do not want it, nor do they want to be Americans.’” “Undocumented immigrants,” of course, is another way of saying, “illegal immigrants.” I’ll be honest with you, I greatly dislike the idea of “legalizing” or naturalizing illegal immigrants. These are people whose very presence in the U.S. is a violation of its law. Some will say that these are just poor downtrodden folks trying to better themselves. Even so, I hardly think it’s an auspicious start when you flaunt the sovereign laws that govern the nation you intend to make your own. As such, I think the idea of legalizing or naturalizing such people is absurd. You’re basically rewarding people for committing a crime. It’s like capturing a burglar and then letting him go… while allowing him to keep his plundered swag.

This reminds me of something similar that was causing some debate not too long ago. Texas decided that any foreigner, whether they’re here legally or not, will be deported if they’re convicted of a violent felony. And the law agencies were interpreting “violent felony” to include such things as drunken driving. There was the rub. You had these foreign nationals who were sent packing for this particular moving violation and you heard sad stories about people who had legally been in the U.S. for 20-30 years and had a family, etc., and the state was trying to ship them back from whence they originally came. So the protests mainly centered around the unfairness of it all and how such a thing as drunken driving shouldn’t at all be considered a violent felony. I could not disagree more. Driving while intoxicated is about as violent as you can get. You hop in a two ton machine and pilot it around at high speed, all the while not being fully in command of either yourself or the vehicle and endangering everybody around you. And the people you’ll harm aren’t targeted, they’re just mere innocents who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time… the most tragic variety of victims. So a violent felony, yes.

Should such people be expelled? Absolutely. Whether they’re in the U.S. legally or not (but especially if they’re legal), they’re here under the good graces of the government and its citizens. As such, they have the moral, ethical, and legal responsibility to obey its laws. When they fail to do this and when they willingly and stupidly endanger the lives of its citizens, they have lost the privilege of enjoying the country’s hospitality. They have become persona non grata. I don’t particularly care how long they’ve been here, if they are not citizens, have not bothered and/or desired to become citizens, then they are guests of the U.S. And much as you would toss out a houseguest for waving a knife at your kids, so these people should be tossed out as well.