The Litter Box

~ Thursday, April 13, 2006

Apr. 11, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

EDITORIAL: The shocking demands of illegal immigrants

Euphemisms mask scorn for American law, sovereignty


Across the country Monday, illegal immigration supporters brought the first signs of sophistication to their massive demonstrations. Their "National Day of Action" featured marchers in white T-shirts waving American flags. The Mexican flags and cries of "Viva Mexico!" that dominated previous rallies -- and infuriated American citizens who want immediate border enforcement -- were much less common. Signs were written in English, the language of the majority.

"The goal is to show Congress and the media and the White House that we can organize ourselves, because we have not been very well-organized in the past," Juan Carlos Ruiz, who coordinated Monday's march in Washington, D.C., told the San Jose Mercury News.

In other cities, peaceful rallies emphasized a "campaign for dignity" and the need for "comprehensive" reforms.

Such euphemisms, like Monday's signs reading "God bless America" and "We have a dream," are deliberately ambiguous. Organizers wanted the marches to be more about people and less about policy. Most television stations swallowed the bait and delivered news reports soft enough to follow "Sesame Street" on PBS.

The reason for such an approach is obvious: If marchers made their demands the clear centerpiece of protests, the outcry from American taxpayers already fed up with the costs of illegal immigration would overwhelm the previously full mailboxes of every member of Congress.

Monday's march in Las Vegas might have been the country's most honest immigrant rally. Its leaders deserve credit for having the moxie to spell out their ideas of reform: no criminal penalties for illegals currently living and working in the United States; no fencing or other physical improvements to bolster security along our southern border; and a path to citizenship and amnesty for all illegal immigrants and their families.

Talk about wanting something for nothing.

There's no acknowledgment that crossing a sovereign nation's borders and using all manner of fraud to make a living there is wrong. There's no spirit of compromise, no willingness to say, "We recognize that our families are stretching the resources of your school districts, public hospitals and welfare rolls. In exchange for the ability to work here, we're willing to go along with the growing number of state laws that deny taxpayer-funded services to noncitizens."

Make no mistake, Monday's marchers believe the federal government should continue to ignore illegal immigration, that the United States of America should have no discernible borders and that citizens of Latin American nations have an unquestioned right to employment and education for their children here -- first come, first served; Asians and Indians with engineering degrees will just have to wait -- regardless of whether they speak or understand English.

Imagine the reactions to today's news reports if, instead of seeing Latinos draped in American flags, citizens saw signs that read, "We don't need no stinking green cards," "Your laws don't matter," "Send my medical bills to your state legislature" and "Bilingualism: It worked for Quebec."

These opinions are not shared by all Hispanics. The Washington, D.C.-based Pew Hispanic Center and the Center for Immigration Studies point out that Latinos are far from unified on the issue of illegal immigration, and that those who favor enforcement of immigration laws are fearful of being labeled traitors to their culture.

Rather than heed these trends and listen to the concerns of the majority, the U.S. Senate insists on enabling these demonstrators by sabotaging legislation intended to tighten our porous border, restore some congressional control over who may enter and reduce the rapid growth of a net-tax-recipient population that resists assimilation and could one day overwhelm public services, stagnate our economy and lower the quality of life in this nation.

These same senators have spent billions of dollars on the "war on terror" and defended the need for the Department of Homeland Security, yet they won't spend the billions necessary to properly secure our border? They can't have it both ways.

The United States government has an obligation to its citizens to control who enters the country. Disingenuous displays of patriotism by illegals and their supporters will never change that.

posted by Nikki B at 12:46:00 PM