OPINION:
“Gang of Eight” member Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, is threatening that if the amnesty bill before Congress is not passed into law, there will be massive civil disobedience. His threat alone puts the lie to the nonsense that he and others in Washington have been pushing at us about the poor, downtrodden undocumented individuals living “in the shadows.”
Mr. Schumer acts as though we owe these people a place in the American family just because they managed to get past our borders or stay illegally in this country when, in fact, we owe them nothing, certainly not the reward of United States citizenship.
If this massive civil disobedience does occur in our streets, our government should show its good faith with the citizens of this country by enforcing our existing immigration laws and arresting these people. If they are here illegally, they should be swept out the door and back to their own countries. Then that triple fence — the building of which was signed into law years ago — should be immediately built behind them. That should be followed by a swift revamping of our now-defunct tracking system of those in this country under student/visitor visas who now account for more than 40 percent of all present-day illegal immigrants.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, our long on-the-books immigration laws should be faithfully enforced before any discussion is held regarding the fate of those who are here illegally. That discussion should be held publicly and at length with an eye to our national best interests, financial and otherwise, including the right of sovereignty and the safety of this nation. Only then will the American people begin to trust this government again.
LAURELLA A. CROSS
Irvine, Calif.
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