I'm no national security expert. I have never even met anyone who works for Homeland Security (that I know of).
To answer this question, I will convert the situation to my level of responsibility.
I am a semi-well-educated lower middle class American homeowner.
If I discover strange persons in my home who are uninvited and refuse to introduce themselves, I am going to call 911.
What I mean to say is that I am going to get my gun.
It is the policy in my home that strangers are not allowed to come in the back door (or the back yard) uninvited. My husband and I feel that allowing this sort of trespass would threaten the safety and sanctity of our home.
It seems to me that the principles involved in the security of a sovereign nation should be similar.
Submitted by Beth Rogers. Visit her blog - Veritable Observations.
#2 There Has To Be A Better Way
Of course illegal immigration threatens the safety of this country. It threatens this country in the same way the David Koreshes and John Walker Lindhs of the world threaten the United States. My point is that wackos who mean us harm are wackos that mean us harm regardless if they are illegal immigrants or United State citizens. In other words, illegal immigrants pose no greater harm to this country than The Boyd Family or say, Dick Cheney.
In my legal career, I've represented people who had no business being thrown into high security prisons with rapists and murderers simply because they, in desperation to give their children food or a chance for a better life, came into this country illegally. In terms of human rights, it's disgusting what our country is doing to people who are only doing what is in our nature as humans to do (e.g., provide for our and our childrens' basic needs at any cost). There has to be a better way to deal with illegal immigration than locking people up in this way or pretending the problem of exploiting these people for cheap labor doesn't exist at the highest levels of corporate policy. Immigration reform now, people!
Submitted by Amanda Rogers, Esq. Visit her blog - Seven Eighty One.
#3 The Prevention of Terrorism Cannot Be Related to Immigration
According to my understanding of the law, immigrants become "illegal" when they fail to meet the requirements of naturalization set forth by the government.
The use of the word "naturalization", though, makes me cringe. The US has adopted immigration policies based primarily on economic needs since the 1800s...and our historical (dis)allowance based on race, ethnicity, literacy, etc. is well documented. As a result, I believe the legal status of an immigrant has no relation to the physical safety of our nation - but maybe the economic safety...
Once naturalized, immigrants will forever contribute to the increase of the population of the US. But if naturalization policies are intended as economic tools, wouldn't it be logical to assume that the government would want those people to leave when the economy is down...?
It is pretty obvious that no moral individual would accept the practice of forcing naturalized citizens out of the country for economic purposes (e.g. when unemployment is high, etc.) - why then, do we base the legality of immigration on the economic potential of individuals?
In my opinion, the prevention of terrorism (though vitally important) can not be related to immigration and naturalization.
Submitted by Jason L. Buchanan. Visit his Facebook Profile.
#4 Looking For A Better Life
If we’re speaking from a physical standpoint (does it have the potential to injure or even kill myself or my family?), I’d say no. No more so than walking down the street. I would wager that most people who are coming to the states illegally are just looking for a better life for themselves and their families. Perhaps they’re fleeing from persecution and strife in their home country. And let’s face it, America is still a land of opportunity.
However, it’s the more intangible aspects I believe that harm our nation; Population growth, working outside of the system and therefore dodging taxes, etc. I’m all for assisting others, helping to give them that American dream and so forth. At some point though, our generosity is going to give way to freeloading. Why work when I’m being taken care of by others?
If someone wants to move to America, great! Go through the proper channels and become a citizen. I don’t mean to sound like a rule monger or anything, but if you’re going to come and be a part of this country, please do your part to ensure that we continue being successful. If I were to move to say France, I would be expected to do the same thing in order to buy a home, get a job, or drive a car.
Submitted by Brian McMeans.
#5 What Happens When There Are No More Jobs?
Yes and no. Immigration itself is what made this country. The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, yes, but we are also the melting pot of the world. When immigrants came to America fleeing religious persecution, they were offered safety and peace of mind. They were offered a chance for a new life and an opportunity to better themselves in a way that their country had not provided. If not for immmigration, I'll wager that most of us wouldn't be in this country at all. How many people do you know whose grandparents came over on a boat from (insert country here)?
On the other hand, I think illegal immigration does threaten the safety of the United States today. When I think of safety, it's not always physical safety that comes to mind. It's the comfort of knowing that I'm provided for, taken care of, that my basic human needs will always be met. In the stressful economy of today, it's easy to become increasingly concerned about our ability to maintain a lifestyle we have grown accustomed to. What happens when there are no more jobs? Illegal immigrants are coming to this country to find a better opportunity for themselves andour opportunities are rapidly decreasing with each immigrant who is hired to work longer hours for less money.
Submitted by Lauri Lenox.
#6 The Numbers Speak For Themselves
When dealing with issues of "morality" vs. "law", I tend to think that we should air on the side of law, unless the law is unjust. But in this case, the question is “Does Illegal Immigration Threaten the Safety of the United States of America?” For the answer, I think we should let the raw data and research be an indicator as to what the “right” course of action is.
Never mind the health system and education costs which have become an overwhelming drain on our budget in a system where much needed funds for essential programs are scarce (for education alone it is estimated by US news that in 2004 the cost was between $270 and $650 per household; The estimated costs of educating illegal aliens and their children for the entire US budget exceeded 28.6 billion dollars in 2004 alone.)
Why do I bring these figures up? Because money devoted to healthcare, especially for those NOT paying back into the system, takes much needed funding AWAY from other essential services, such as fire fighters and policemen, and eventually our defense budget on the whole. A case-in-point example of this is the California scenario:
"Between 1993 and 2003, 60 hospitals in California alone were forced to close, and many others had to reduce staff or implement other procedures which reduced the level of service they could provide. The article attributes these closings mainly to illegal immigration. [18] "In Fiscal Year 2001, the total cost for emergency medical care for illegal immigrants in California was more than $648 million. At the same time, the California Association of Public Hospitals notes that California’s public hospitals face a $600 million a year budget deficit."It doesn’t take a mathematician to see how eliminating illegal immigration would turn a deficit into a surplus. And in the reverse, all of those dollars that California has been heaping onto the illegal immigration problem, has gone from putting Band-Aids on small lesions in 2004, to not having the money for gauze to put over gushing wounds in 2009. Now it has gone totally bankrupt – unable to pay its police force, fire fighters, and national guardsmen – thus the state is now in a total body-cast, with no one to pay the hospital bill finally. I would say that if this trend continues across the southwest, and Texas being next hardest hit after Arizona, the issue will go from merely funding healthcare and education for illegal immigrants, to not being able to fund necessary law enforcement and emergency services across the states.
If we want to address the question of “are illegal immigrants dangerous?” head on, I hate to go there, as I believe that most illegal immigrants are like the rest of us, they just want to earn a decent wage, provide for their family, and give their children the chance they never had – to live the American dream, not to mention, I personally know a few, who are my dearest friends, and are in fact living the American dream, earning PhDs and contributing to our society. However, the numbers speak for themselves:
"California and Texas are facing drastically higher levels of crime including, Rape, Murder, Theft, Drug trafficking, DUIs, ETC in areas with high illegal alien populations. The criminal system is inundated with illegal aliens. California law enforcement agencies are claiming that they are encountering MUCH HIGHER LEVELS OF gang activity, which they attribute to illegal immigration. MS-13...ETC...MS-13's initiation ritual includes forcing initiates to rape and murder random women on the streets....Even George W. Bush citing federal agencies in 2004 (who is pro amnesty), claimed that 1 out of every 10 illegal immigrants has a criminal record in Mexico. If there are 20 million illegal immigrants in the United States, then you do the math..." (taken from a US and World report blog, dated about a year after the hit of Hurricane Katrina)Submitted by Summer Cartwright.
