American Analysis: Undocumented Immigration, The Great Misunderstanding

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Undocumented Immigration, The Great Misunderstanding

“I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
Matthew 25: 31-40

The undocumented immigration crisis will not be resolved without an effective mechanism to prevent future illegal immigration, both through border crossing and Visa overstaying. Most opposition to the legalization of the millions of undocumented residents will eventually disappear after that. The insistence by some on the granting of another amnesty, number eight since 1986, without preventing future illegal entry, is disingenuous and divisive; it also prolongs the suffering of the millions living in the shadows.

Undocumented immigrants who want to avoid deportation must register with the government. We do need millions of legal immigrants to come to America, but they must want to become Americans, not just live here. They need to be potentially self-supporting, law-abiding people; criminal behavior must result in automatic deportation. They must be of diverse backgrounds, representing many parts of the world. Finally, each cultural group needs to arrive in digestible numbers so that our natural assimilation machine continues to work without being overwhelmed by any cultural group. We do not need sub-nations in our American nation.