[US Patriot]

In anticipation of President Bush's visit to Mexico, those opposed to immigration amnesty are calling for a shopping boycott.

Prior to the September 11 attacks, the Bush administration had begun talks with Mexican President Vicente Fox to legalize more than 3 million undocumented Mexicans currently residing in the United States. The dialogue came to a halt after the attacks and were not resumed.

The last major amnesty program, which began in 1986, was a complete failure, when more than 2 million illegal immigrants were granted blanket amnesty. The move did not stem illegal immigration, but instead created an avenue for millions of new immigrants to legally enter the country to visit newly legal relatives. Many chose to stay in this country, illegally after their temporary visas ran out.

Republican legislators are proposing a bill, which would impose a $1,500 fine on illegal immigrants before they were granted legal residency. Applicants would have to compete with workers who entered the United States under guest-worker programs such at the H-1B visa, for available slots.

President Bush believes that he can shove amnesty for illegal aliens down our throats because the people have "no place to go," (i.e., both political parties support legalizing those who have blatantly broken our immigration laws).

Immigration is probably the single most important issue facing the U.S. today, though not many realize it's significance. Every political, economic, and social issue facing our nation today and in the future depends on how we resolve the issue of immigration.

Issues, such as education, government spending, taxes, judicial appointments, energy, national defense and social issues including: abortion, medical marijuana, gun control, receive much more attention by the media and politicians.

Turning a Blind Eye to History

President Bush and his advisors seem blind to the implications that our immigration policy will have on the national political make-up. All the principles upon which our nation was founded may soon be lost to us and our posterity, if we do not awaken to the threat posed by President Bush's plan of amnesty for illegal, Mexican immigrants.

In a time when immigration reform is badly needed, our President is not only unwilling to confront the problems of massive, uncontrolled third world immigration, he is proposing an amnesty program for illegal aliens that will bury any successful chance of future reform.

Surprisingly, too few on the conservative and Republican side of this division realize the inevitable impact that uncontrolled third world immigration is having and will have on the balance of power in this country.

Politically speaking we have seen this country polorized in recent years with an almost 50-50 split between Democrats and Republicans. Allowing mass legalization of immigrants is sure to affect our political maps and upset the balance of power and forever change this country.

Bush proposes giving amnesty to more than three-million illegal immigrants, largely from Mexico. This would not only make a mockery of U. S. Law, but undoubtedly encourage more massive illegal immigration.

This demographic group has been voting a Democratic ticket at ratios of two and three to one over Republicans. Reinforcing this voting block will tip the balance of political power decisively and perhaps permanently to liberal Democrats.

We have only to look at California too see what lies ahead. California was once a solidly Republican state. In just a few short years immigrantion from Mexico has turned California into an impregnable Democratic voting block with very leftist strongholds.

Arizona, Texas and New Mexico, may soon be next.

A Nation of Immigrants

Many in this country are too blind to see. Anytime we question immigration policies invariably we hear that old tired argument, "we are a nation of immigrants."

Indeed, we are a nation of immigrants. But let us have the common sense to distinguish between immigrants who have come seeking freedom and the American dream, and those who know little of our history, our constitutional principles, and our moral foundations.

Many of today's social ills are coming from outside our borders along with the influx of immigrants. Drug smuggling has increased, putting our children at risk. We've seen our courts filled with case after case challenging our our laws, from teaching English in schools to those who wish to take away our religious freedoms. A foundation upon which we base our national existence.

Republicans and conservatives maintained a continuous tirade against President Clinton for his blatant disregard of our borders and his efforts to swell the Democratic voting ranks by giving citizenship to hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens. Continuing these policies, they warned, would lead to national suicide. Many of those voices, however, have been strangely mute as President Bush has continued, and in some cases expanded, Clinton's suicidal immigration policies.

Some Kind of Legal Status?

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has called for "some kind of legal status" for the estimated 8 million to 12 million immigrants living illegally in the United States.

Ridge, who oversees the nation's borders, said that such an unprecedented legalization program should be coupled with a decision about "what our immigration policy is," followed by a firm commitment to enforce it.

"I'm not saying make them citizens, because they violated the law to get here," Ridge said. "You determine how you can legalize their presence. Then, as a country, you make a decision that from this day forward - this is the process of entry, and if you violate that process of entry we have the resources to cope with it."

Legalize their presence but never allow them to become citizens? This is an absurd notion. Does this mean that they would become permanent legal aliens?

Once the millions of illegals are legalized, political pressure will build to grant them full citizenship and all it's benefits.

These statments are reminicent of the last big drive to legalize millions of illegal immigrants.

"We've heard that one before," says Karl Nelson, a retired investigator for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). "Look, that's what the immigration 'reformers' promised with the 1986 IRCA [Immigration Reform and Control Act] amnesty," Nelson told The New American.

"What really happened? Most of INS resources were shifted over to processing nearly three million aliens for amnesty. They immediately pushed for widening the amnesty and granting innumerable exceptions. And the Reagan administration caved in."

Processing millions of applicants will surely eat up the already stretched resources of the INS.

Enforce Existing Laws

"We must enforce existing immigration laws," several congressional members wrote. "The law enforcement approach would reduce the migration of illegal aliens, reduce the ill-gotten net gain from illegal immigration, raise American wages, improve American working conditions, reduce the overall illegal population, and reduce the number of crimes committed by illegal aliens."

The letter was signed by conservative leaders Rep. Steve King (R-IA), Rep. J. D. Hayworth (R-AZ), Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), and Rep. Charles Pickering (R-MS), among others.

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), a leading voice of opposition for uncontrolled immigration, delared. "I can think of few things that could be more dangerous for homeland security than granting amnesty to 8 to 12 million illegal aliens." "Perhaps the administration ought to dedicate more energy to enforcing our existing immigration laws and less on finding ways to allow millions to skirt them."

Finding Willing Employees

President Bush has been quoted as stating "I have constantly said that we need to have an immigration policy that helps match any willing employer with any willing employee." The president has repeatedly expressed this policy position and done everything possible to implement it. This radical position has gone largely unexamined and uncontested by conservative and liberal-left politicos and commentators alike. There are literally hundreds of millions of "willing employees" throughout the world who would gladly come here to work for a fraction of what American employees are paid, which is the crux of the problem.

If President Bush's immigration policy is implimented to, then we are in for a continuous glut of immigrants — more layoffs of American citizens, as their jobs are taken by willing foreign employees; Willing not only to accept those positions but at a fraction of the wages currently being paid.

American Families Continue to Struggle

While American families struggle to make end meet, we see wages plument to new lows due in part to the influx of migrant workers willing to work for substandard wages, because they are willing to live in substandard conditions.

It's not uncommon to find large immigrant families living in two bedroom apartments. These communual living arrangements often consist of four or more working family members, one member stays home with the numerous children while the others obtain gainful employment.

While it may be admirable that they can live together to help each other out, how many families would like to be forced to live in such conditions? This is what American families are being faced with as technical jobs continue to be shipped overseas and immigrants continue to flood our boarders and bring wages ever lower.

American is swiftly on it's way to becoming the next third world nation, if the Bush administration and congress continues down their present path.

Annette M. Hall