Illegal Immigrants are Criminals - Commentary by Frank Gillispie

Illegal Immigrants are Criminals – Commentary by Frank Gillispie

Are we or are we not a nation of law? That is what our founders intended for us. That we would be ruled by a specific legal code, and that no one, be they paupers or presidents, were above or below the law. That rule applies to governments as well as people.

Now, if we are to be ruled by law, there has to be some written, indisputable document that sets forth the authority and the limits of law. For us in the United States of America, that is the Constitution. That document sets out the structure of our government, specifies who can create laws, who must enforce laws and who sits in judgment of those laws to make sure they are within the boundaries set out by it.

This system works only as long as the rule of law is respected and practiced by all people living within the borders of this nation. If we choose to ignore some laws, then all laws are unenforceable. We cannot pick and choose. If a law is on the books, we must obey it. If the law is oppressive, unpopular or unenforceable, then our legislators must change it. But until it is changed, it must be obeyed.

We have a set of clearly written laws about immigration. They spell out what a person must do in order to legally enter this nation, how long they can stay, the qualifications for citizenship and the number of new immigrants allowed to enter each year. Anyone who enters this nation in violation of these laws is in violation of those laws.

During the massive demonstrations around America last weekend by people protesting the immigration laws, many held signs that said "We are workers, not criminals." Well, if they are in the country illegally, they are criminals. Any violation of established law is a criminal act. Entering America without going through proper, legally established procedures is a crime. No matter if they are peace loving, hard working, God fearing family oriented people, they are still in violation of the law and are engaged in criminal activity.

It is true that we need immigrants to join the work force. We do not have enough working age people in this nation and the problem is getting worse. We don't have the workers because so many are in jail, so many more are sitting on their back sides drawing government checks for not working, and millions of other potential workers were lost in the abortion clinics.

We need immigrant workers. They need jobs. I have no problem with that. But if we allow the flow of illegal immigrants to continue, we are going to lose what little acceptance of the rule of law that is left.

Congress passes laws. The Supreme Court certifies them. The president enforces them. That is the way it is supposed to work. But what happens if Congress refuses to give the President the resources he needs to enforce law? Does that mean that by not providing enforcement resources Congress has indirectly repealed that law? If that is so, then we no longer have any immigration laws. Anyone who enters the nation by any means is legal. And there are no limits.

Congress is currently working on new immigration laws designed to bring them in line with reality. But passing new laws is meaningless unless they also give the President the resources to enforce them. They will probably be ignored just as current law is being ignored. As the President and others have recently said. We have immigration laws on the books. All we need to do is enforce the law we already have. But that will happen only if Congress supplies the necessary resources.

Some of the proposed new laws are needed. For example, all of the 12 million illegal immigrants must pay some kind of penalty for violation the law. Even if it is nothing more than a small fine. They must be placed under some kind of documentation so that their time here can be monitored and limited. Those seeking to become citizens should be required to learn English, American history and civics. (That may be a problem because few of our current citizens know much about the last two topics.)

We need the immigrants. We need their labor. But we need them to become a part of, and to contribute to our national culture. They will be a valuable part of our nation only if we do it right.