What part of “illegal” don’t we understand?

Much ado about nothing has been made concerning the current debate over illegal immigration.
I just don’t get why there is any debate at all. An illegal alien, or immigrant more softly put, is just what the term says—illegal. This means that a law has been subverted, broken or ignored. When we drive over the posted speed limit, we are ignoring and breaking the law. When we fail to report income to the IRS, we are breaking the law. And when we move to another country without reporting to the immigration authorities, we are breaking the law.
What part of “illegal” don’t we understand? When we break the law, we can expect there to be consequences. Many of us drive over the posted speed limit every day without getting pulled over and cited. But when we eventually do, we become angry and upset because we finally got caught; not because we felt picked on.
Illegal aliens probably feel picked on with all the attention on immigration these days. But the reality is that they are not being picked on. They have just gotten caught breaking the law, and “We the People” of the United States are demanding that the law be enforced. It is just that simple.
Now, I realize that deporting illegals back to their home countries threatens to break up families. After all, millions of illegals have crossed our borders over the years to have their babies in the United States. A child of an illegal born on American soil is considered a naturalized U.S. citizen. The buzz-word for these children is “anchor-baby,” the practice of which has created quite a dilemma for lawmakers, who are supposed to defend and enforce the U.S. Constitution, which applies to anyone with legal United States citizenship. Many illegals know about this loophole. Thus, the “anchor-baby” practice has grown exponentially over the years.
However, the blame for breaking up families of illegal aliens is misplaced on U.S. laws and the American people who demand enforcement. Those responsible for breaking up families are the illegals themselves. They knowingly put their families in jeopardy by crossing our borders illegally, and taking no steps to protect their families by becoming legal residents.
Lawmakers are also partially to blame for failing to enforce the immigration laws that have been on the books for decades. Because of the inaction of authorities, illegal aliens have crossed our borders by the millions without any fear of consequences, simply because they believed there would be none.
Frankly, the children of illegals should go with them—whether or not they are naturalized U.S. citizens—to avoid the break up of families. When they become legal adults, they can return here and present their birth certificates as proof of citizenship. Either that or they can be placed in temporary foster care or live with legal relatives until their parents can obtain legal status.
A third and far less advisable option is to amend the Constitution to specify that “naturalized” means those born in the United States to legal citizens. (Personally, I think this should be a last resort. I don’t like the idea of changing the language of the Constitution, because it has the potential of opening a can of worms.)
The bottom line here is that there is a right way and a wrong way to enter and live in the United States. Millions of people have done it the right and legal way before. There is no reason why they can’t continue to do so.
Relaxing immigration laws to accommodate illegals is an insult to the many immigrants who are trying and waiting to enter the United States legally. Essentially, illegals are being given a free pass to avoid the lines of immigrants lawfully seeking citizenship. This only makes those doing the right thing look like suckers.
In the rudimentary sense, allowing illegals to remain here rewards cheaters and punishes the honest. If our country is willing to look the other way on immigration laws, then what is the point of having laws in the first place? A dog without any teeth can only bark. A homeowner without any defense can only scream and yell. And a nation without enforcement of its laws is weak and vulnerable to exploitation. By ignoring immigration laws, the United States of America continues to open itself up to be undermined from within by those who wish to destroy our nation and its infrastructure—be them terrorists or other groups with agendas and ulterior motives.
How many more terrorist attacks must we suffer before immigration laws and our borders are enforced? When will our country wake up to the reality that America’s sovereignty is being dissolved by the acid rain of apathy, complacency and indifference? A war has been waged on America’s culture, language and heritage by those who only have their own self interests in mind. And the self-interested, knowingly or not, have diluted the meaning and importance of being a citizen of the United States of America.
The only way to restore America’s legacy of being that shining city on a hill, full of hope and opportunity for the world’s tired and huddled masses, is not to continue down the path of open borders and government freebies for lawbreakers. This only encourages future lawlessness and brings people to our country for the wrong reasons.
The way back is to restore the value of legal immigration, making the decision of coming to America one of hope for a new life, prosperity and the opportunity to pursue dreams. Doing so may just restrain the cancer of mass ignorance of law and order that currently exists in our country.
Laws are broken everyday, but only those not enforced grow into bigger, uncontrolled problems. We best repair the leaks in the dam before it bursts, because when that happens, all that shall remain will be the aftermath. Frankly, I’d rather clean up the mess left by a few obnoxious leaks now than build the dam all over again when it is too late. Water is much harder to contain once it has spilled.