by Jerry Esmay, Stevensville
As I write this, the invasion at our southern border by illegal immigrants continues at a record rate. Associated problems continue to increase in number and magnitude:
The Border Patrol personnel have been reduced to human social directors (collecting groups for transportation to primarily “sanctuary” cities) rather than performing law enforcement duties. This has led to the Governor of Texas putting his National Guard troops on the border to provide additional control and security.
Most of the sanctuary city mayors have expressed increasing concern over having reached their maximum level of providing support. The last I heard, the Mayor of New York City was suing the Governor of Texas to stop sending anymore illegal immigrants to them. These cities have run out of places to house the influx with the use of airports, hotels and last week a high school being closed down for adequate space.
The cost associated with this invasion continues to go up. Although there remains a tight control of information on the part of the Biden Administration, I hear of cellphones being given out, money, clothing, bus tickets, airline tickets, rental expenses, etc., being spent initially. And then continuing welfare, medical treatment, education, etc., long term.
And then there are the obvious problems associated with national security: over a million “got aways” are known to have entered without our knowing who they are, Mexican drug cartels have made billions of dollars from smuggling humans and drugs, and several hundred-thousand of our citizens have been killed by smuggled drugs, primarily fentanyl.
When does this invasion stop and how do we handle the millions that have already arrived? I heard a senior Democrat Congressman explain that we need these folks to work in agriculture so that our crops don’t spoil in the fields. Last I heard, we already had a “Green Card” program on the books where laborers could legally come into our country for work but not remain permanently. Additionally, modern machinery has evolved to take over much of the work these migrants previously performed. So, the only other reason I can come up with is that the Democrats hope these hoards will eventually become citizens or somehow be allowed to vote, thus giving the Democrats a lock on government.
Maybe it is time for another history lesson, so let me leave you with President Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas on immigrants and being an AMERICAN from 1907:
“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American and nothing but an American… There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but someone else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”