With the latest actions of ICE to create a presence in the Central Valley, it brings the issue of illegal immigration to the forefront. The key word here is illegal.
The actions of the previous administration created a major problem in this country by allowing millions and millions of people to storm our borders, illegally, and create many issues for our country.
They also reversed every program that was put in place to control illegal immigration, including the Remain in Mexico program which allowed people to come in, apply for asylum, then return to their home country, a program that worked.
Whether it was done on purpose is a topic that I have my opinions on, but since there are a few people that wrongly think that people should not have opinions unless they are based on fact, I will refrain from sharing them.
I have always been in favor of immigration of the legal sort, as we are a nation of immigrants, ones that have chosen the legal way. I have also been in favor of programs that helped our farmers to harvest their crops. But the ones that came across the border years ago to work usually made it a habit to obey the rules of the program and returned to their home country.
I hear all the time about people being deported that have decided to violate the terms of the work visa and choose to remain in the country, again, illegally. However, my being in favor of immigration has wavered as our country has made a priority to financially assist individuals that have come in, at the same time we have a homeless population that continues to grow.
Recent reports say as many as 700,000 people in the country have experienced homelessness, many receiving no help whatsoever. We also have a big number of Veterans of our military that are going without services. It’s been reported by the Center for Immigrant Studies that a majority of immigrants allowed into the country use one or more of the major welfare programs, money that could be spent on the homeless and veterans.
I firmly believe that all immigration programs be put to a halt until we get our people, the citizens of the United States, taken care of. We have all heard of some of the abuses of the programs and the fraud that has been committed which has been very costly for our government. It’s also been reported that more than $700 million in cash has been flagged by TSA as taken out of the country by one particular class of immigrants throughout a two year period — the same class that has been accused of some of the major fraudulent activity.
It’s a common occurrence where people are insisting that our government officials speak out against the efforts of ICE to deport people here illegally. Our elected officials have to uphold the laws of the land and help ensure the safety of their citizens. Many have chosen to violate their oath and do whatever they can to block the efforts. Many police departments have chosen to not cooperate with ICE. I guess the goal to serve and protect is being taken lightly.
My big question, and I have asked it many times without an answer, is, “Why do people think it’s ok for people to cross the border, illegally, and insist that they be able to remain here?” We are a country of laws and all of a sudden, on the topic of illegal immigration, people think laws should be ignored. There are some good people who are here illegally, but does that give them a right to ignore our laws?
— John Wright,
former Maderan