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Better borders needed against illegals

By Daily Bruin Staff

April 7, 1996 9:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 7, 1996

Americans tired of paying for those who don’t make positive
contributions

Proposition 187 generated a flurry of protest and anger among
some Californians, despite the fact that it was passed with roughly
60 percent of the vote. But for all the hoopla and hype of the
anti-187 campaign, the measure passed with a clear mandate:
California’s citizens are sick and tired of having to pay the cost
of social services (i.e. welfare, education, health and safety) for
illegal immigrants.

These people are clearly taking advantage of America: They can
obtain free benefits such as welfare, their children can get a free
education, and they can receive free state-sponsored health care.
It is not the responsibility of the taxpayers of the state of
California to pay for a social safety net for illegal
immigrants.

Yes, I know that illegal aliens work in migrant farm areas and
that they contribute to the economy in that way. And I know that
they pay a local sales tax, just like the rest of us, when they go
to the local store. But please, I don’t subscribe to the notion
that this is a fair system.

Illegal aliens extract enormous benefits from the state of
California, yet their contribution to the state is hardly positive.
Overcrowded inner-city schools are not aided by the extra influx of
illegal immigrants that they receive; neither are already burdened
public health centers. When these people create crime or mischief,
we have to pay to put them in prison, and we have to pay to deport
them.

The United States cannot absorb the world’s problems in this
fashion forever. We’ve done it for too long. We must stop illegal
immigrants from abusing America; we must protect our borders with
renewed fervor and we must dismantle the incentives that are
driving illegals into America.

I’ve read in some previous Viewpoint submissions that illegal
immigrants from Mexico somehow have a moral/ethical/some kinda
right to be here in the United States and to benefit from American
taxpayers. Granted this whole place we call California was Mexican
territory back in the early 1800s. That’s a nice historical fact.
But in the world of reality, it doesn’t mean a damn thing.

For as the way things stand, this is the state of California,
government of the United States of America. This is not Mexico, not
Peru, not Sri Lanka, not Pakistan. And no Mexican immigrant that is
here illegally has any right whatsoever to claim that he belongs
here, has the right to attend this nation’s schools or to collect
assistance from this state’s treasury.

I understand we’re all a nation of immigrants. That said, the
population of our state has already reached 30 million, of our 265
million nation. We no longer need immigrants who cannot contribute
to our nation and to our economy in a significant way.

What we need are immigrants who are highly skilled and educated,
and who can help bolster America’s global economic competitiveness.
We need immigrants who have sponsors that will support them while
they are here. We need immigrants who are skilled in technology and
advanced science. What we need are legal immigrants, those that are
allowed to come into this nation on a selective basis.

One of the problems I have had with the illegal immigration
debate is that it has led to a distinct disillusionment with legal
immigration among certain American lawmakers. Our inability to deal
effectively with illegal immigration has unfortunately clouded our
judgment in thinking about legal immigrants. Even the Clinton
administration has advocated cutting legal immigration quotas. This
policy is seriously flawed, and an undeniable mistake. Legal
immigration is the bedrock of America; it is a tool that promotes
prosperity and international competitiveness.

I am not an immigrant-basher ­ far from it. I strongly
support our nation’s immigrant heritage and our system of legal
immigration. Illegal immigration is a slap in the face of all
Americans who came here legally, who chose to obey the law. It’s
about time we stopped rewarding illegal aliens for breaking our
laws. Tougher action needs to be taken.

For one, the border patrol needs to be increased substantially.
Another possibility is to use some military personnel to supplement
the border patrol forces. After all, the military is equipped and
trained to protect this nation; let’s put them to work protecting
our nation’s border. Recent attempts to beef up the border patrol
by Sen. Feinstein and President Clinton are good starting points,
but other initiatives to deploy military personnel to the border
should be implemented.

Another issue is benefits and social services that illegals can
obtain. Illegal aliens who have children here in the United States
can qualify for welfare and other assistance based on their
children. This freebie system is ridiculous. We have many other
places to spend our tax dollars (i.e. environment, law enforcement,
education, cutting our budget deficits).

Furthermore, the current system that awards citizenship to
children born to illegal aliens in the United States is flawed.
Currently, a U.S.-born child of an illegal alien gains automatic
U.S. citizenship. I favor an unequivocal amendment to the
Constitution that denies citizenship to illegal aliens’
children.

Jobs are probably the primary driving force behind illegal
aliens’ desire to come to America. There are good proposals in
Congress to allow employers to verify immigration status
electronically or by touch-tone phone before making hiring
decisions. If we need illegal aliens to work on farms or factories
or anywhere else, they can come in through guest worker programs
that would allow them to work in the United States for a specified
period of time. The Clinton administration’s crack-down on
employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants is a step in the
right direction.

What we need to remember is that all this talk about restricting
benefits to illegal aliens, and denying their children citizenship
and public school education, are not complete solutions in
themselves. A more comprehensive solution to illegal immigration
must take broader preventive measures to stop the problem.

I believe that deploying American military forces to the border
and increased border patrol will significantly help combat illegal
immigration. I concede that no amount of manpower might eliminate
all illegal immigration, so for the illegal aliens that do somehow
make it into our country, there should be only one message: You
will get no benefits, no handouts, no sympathy ­ and we will
do our damnedest to return you to where you belong.

We don’t need illegal immigrants in America. And while not all
illegal immigration comes from Mexico, the bulk of it does.
Stronger protection of our borders would solve many of our illegal
immigration problems.

Patel is a fourth-year political science student. His column
appears on alternate Mondays.

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