Immigration is illegal, wrong

During 2006, there was lots of talk about immigration – more specifically, illegal… During 2006, there was lots of talk about immigration – more specifically, illegal immigration. Many politicians wanted to sell out American workers and taxpayers and grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens presently living in America, despite the fact that this same tactic failed to curtail illegal immigration 20 years ago. In an election year that was shaping up to be tough for Republicans, Bush sent a few thousand National Guard troops to the border and signed a bill requiring the construction of a really big fence. These moves were probably just election-year positioning, but recently, the federal government made its first real move to enforce existing laws and take real action against illegal immigration.

As reported by the Associated Press, the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement completed raids on a half dozen Swift and Company meat-packing plants throughout the country. A total of 1,300 employees were detained for immigration violations. Of the 1,300, 220 had criminal arrest warrants issued for identity theft. The plants also had their operations suspended temporarily. Julie L. Myers, ICE chief, told reporters that agents had uncovered a scheme in which illegal immigrants and others had stolen or bought the Social Security numbers of hundreds of U.S. citizens.

Swift and Company, an $8 billion company, is the world’s second largest meat-processing company. Since 1997, it has been using a government program which confirms that the Social Security numbers its employees provide are real. The program does not tell the employer if two or more people are using the same number. This has lead to increased violations of identity theft by people who do not have a real Social Security number, such as illegal aliens. Swift and Company estimates that it will lose approximately $30 million because of the raids.

These recent raids are great for America for many reasons. The 1,300 jobs that were being held by illegals can now be filled by Americans. The benefits of having American citizens work are obvious. This also sends a message to other employers of illegal aliens. It tells them that the United States is going to enforce the immigration laws, and that they will be held accountable for their actions if they decide to hire illegals. This also sends a message to the government. The program that Swift and Company used was flawed. If the United States government is going to provide a way to check to see if a Social Security number is real, it should also check for double entries. This would lead to less identity theft and hiring of illegals. Lastly, it sends a message to other illegals working in America. It tells them that the government is looking for them, and when it finds them, it will deal with them accordingly.

It can be expected that not everyone is happy with these raids. These raids have drawn a lot of criticism from illegal immigration sympathizers. A group of more than 60 labor, social justice and immigrants’ rights organizations recently called for an end to the raids that are seeking to detain and deport undocumented immigrants. According to Gabriella Flora, an immigration organizer at the American Friends Service Committee, “Enforcement is not the solution, it just creates more problems.” Sorry, Gabriella, but enforcement is a solution. In fact, it is the only solution. Allowing people to break American laws, take American jobs and take American tax dollars seems to create more problems than enforcing laws.

Some illegal immigration sympathizers even compared these raids to the Holocaust. According to Carla Vela, a Democratic Party activist, “This unfortunately reminds me of when Hitler began rounding up the Jews for no reason and locking them up. Now they’re coming for the Latinos. Who will they come for next?” That comparison is absolutely ridiculous. Bryan G. Rudnick, communications director of The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, responded to this statement the best, saying, “As the grandson of Holocaust survivors, I do not see how the enforcement of laws that keep our country safe is discriminatory or synonymous with the acts of Nazis. Anyone who chooses to compare defending our Constitution to the gas chambers, in which members of my family died, is minimizing the atrocities of the Holocaust.”

Some people just don’t get it. People are breaking American laws by entering this country illegally. Then some break more laws by acquiring stolen identities. They take American jobs and use the services offered to citizens at the taxpayers’ expense. America needs enforcement of its laws. The raids should continue until the problem is eradicated.

If you are sick of illegal immigration or just like to eat meat, e-mail Joe at jjm43@pitt.edu.