This last week or so has once again reintroduced us to the concept of illegal aliens. If you prefer to call the undocumented workers be my guest , but no matter how you express it that facts remain that they are here illegally.
Now before you tune me out or decide which way I am leaning before reading this whole thing, let me give you some background.
I am the son of what would be by definition an illegal alien. He came here when Cuba was taken over by Castro and his choices were boiled down to two, leave or be killed.
In those days any Cuban who came ,legally or not, were allowed to stay in this country because sending them back was a death sentence. Soon he met my mother and I was born.
Here is the catch though. My father never became a legal citizen of this country until about 15 years ago. He thought that because he had a ssn and drivers license and because no one came after him that he was OK just as things were. Well he was wrong.
Immigration came after him in the 90's because President Clinton had decided that Cubans were not going to get a free pass anymore. My father had spent time in prison, so they decided that he would either have to prove that he had been in this country for all the years that he he claimed or he was going to get deported back to Cuba, which still would have been a death sentence for him. My brother and I had to show birth certificates and our mother had to show both her marriage and divorce papers to prove that he had been here but even after all that proof was in he still had to wait in house arrest for a couple of years before his case was settled and he was allowed to stay. I was in no danger nor was my brother because we were born here, but can you imagine what that would have done to my father had they sent him back to Cuba.
So fast forward to today or at least in the last few years. Since 9/11 I have had to prove that I was born here more often then I can shake a stick at. I don't look Hispanic or at least not completely and ,as anyone who knows me can attest, I really don't know that much about the culture either, but none the less this is who I am.
For my friends in the North East and particularly Vermont I have had to prove my status as an American citizen more often there, than I ever have down here in the South West where they are dealing with the illegal issues. Maybe somethings have changed and their are thousands of Canadians crossing the border....
People here have taken one look at me and decided that I didn't look illegal, so they would just look at my drivers license and call it good. Even getting my Iraq Vet plates I didn't have to prove anything. In New England I had to make several trips back and forth to get my birth certificate and my discharge papers and my SSN card. This is what my reality was like in New England. I sort of expected it here but it hasn't happened so who is it that is really harder on Illegals? Just saying...
So what does this have to do with Arizona or illegals? I am tired of everyone bellyaching about people who are here illegally having to prove that they belong here. My father had to do it, and I have had to do it more times then I can count and yet there are many who feel that these people are above our laws and don't need to obey them? Why is that? Is there more going on then meets the eye?
After 9/11 we heard a lot about securing the borders and everyone was united that we had to do "Something" about the borders and yet nothing has been done about it.And when a State finally decides to do something about it people have a cow. Whats wrong with this picture? Maybe there was something bogus about 9/11? Again just sayin...
First of all I understand why people would want to come here any way they can, there are jobs that Americans won't do that are available and living here in even the worst of conditions tends to be a lot better then in the countries that they have came from. I have been to some of them , so I know. So my issue is not with those that want to be here and work.My issue is with those who in one breath will say we need to do "Something" about the border but then sit back on there hands and do nothing.
Could it be that the real issue isn't border security, but the votes that the politicians can gain by prolonging this argument? Republicans can count on the big agri - farms for support as long as there is an ample supply of cheap labor and the democrats, if they can get them all amnesty, will have that many more votes to keep them in power. This has nothing to do with the the illegals who are being exploited by both parties, it is about who is going to control the government for the foreseeable future. DC does not care about the people in Arizona or Texas or where ever. They don't care about the illegals either, they only "care" when it will get them an extra vote or two.
So what would I suggest then? Simple; Take those that are here working and help them become legal, these are the kinds of people that we want in this country. Take all the criminals and send them back to where they came from and then secure our borders properly. If we can keep track of cows, we can certainly figure out who's who.
Then we need to re do an Ellis Island kind of thing in the south and perhaps make it easier for those who want to come here, those that have jobs or family here to come legally. If they refuse to work deport them. If they commit crimes deport them. But if they are here and they are working and paying taxes and being good members of society then let them stay, these are the kinds of people that America needs. All of us,with the exception of the Native Americans, are descendants of both legal and illegal aliens. If you ask the a fore mentioned American natives, all of us would be illegal, so consider wisely.
Maybe my views are too simple, but that why I call this Simple minded sense.
Semper Fi
Ignacio
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