Illegal Aliens

“Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” (Excerpt of the 14th Amendment – bold mine).

Read more at Wikipedia – ” Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution“.

To tell you the truth, I did not know all of this until last week when I received an email from a relative regarding this issue. I, like many others, believed that if a woman somehow managed to give birth on our soil, the baby would be American. In reading more, I have learned that those important words “and under the jurisdiction thereof” makes all the difference. It means that children born to ambassadors (while living here) are not American Citizens. The parents are not under the jurisdiction of our government. Persons who arrive here illegally are likewise not under the jurisdiction of our government. In fact, this amendment is not even about immigration law, but in reality was written as part of the Restoration after the Civil War. It was meant to ensure the rights of African Americans who were born here as a result of slavery.

Learn something new all the time.

This is a hot topic nowadays. I have some opinions and I plan on sharing them with you. So here we go.

I used to be more permissive in my attitudes regarding illegal aliens. I thought, let them be, they do jobs that American workers don’t want to do…Now, upon more reflection, I must say I have changed my mind.

Consider…If we enforced our immigration laws and eliminated illegal aliens as a cheap work force of persons willing to do our dirty work for a song, what would happen? Wouldn’t the employers (who currently pay these illegal aliens a pittance) have to raise the wages in order to entice American Citizens to do these jobs?

Consider…Many of our manufacturing jobs are going overseas. It seems to me that this means fewer jobs available in this country already. But, if we do need more workers, there is nothing stopping us from allowing people to immigrate here legally. Perhaps, on a year to year basis, we could have some sort of formula for determining how many persons we allow to come here to live and work. (I don’t really care where they come from, I think everyone should have an equal chance at immigration. I do think there should be some sort of screening process to weed out the criminals.) Once here legally, they certainly would have the right to study and become naturalized if they so desired.

I am not without sympathy for those who want a better life. However, if someone snuck into my backyard and then insisted I feed them, I would be very put out. Trying to force me to take care of you does not make me sympathetic, it makes me mad. That is what seems to be happening on a larger scale. Illegal aliens sneak into our backyard (country) and then demand rights. Now we must educate their children, pay their medical bills (when many legal citizens don’t have health coverage), and (in many cases) must have bilingual social service workers providing those services (because many of these aliens cannot or will not learn our language). As long as we put up with it, they will of course keep coming here.

On the other hand, I heard on National Public Radio (some time back) where the government increased the fee for applying for naturalization. I found this article: “Paying Too Much To Be American“. I don’t think that it should cost so much to become a citizen. I think it is more important that they learn our laws, history, government, etc. I think it is more important for potential citizens to show they want to work and live here peacefully and productively. So, the written test, a background check, and a reasonable fee (to cover administrative costs) seems fair to me.

Consider…The Republicans that are on such rant about this issue may not really be concerned with illegal aliens. It may be a red herring to keep us from being focused on Iraq, (or more importantly what is happening to our Constitution). It seems strange that just when things heat on on the Iraq issue, other issues like illegal aliens, gay marriage, etc suddenly become hot. (This is just my observation.)

And yes, I do think we should regulate who comes in to this country by securing our borders. In fact, I really don’t understand why this would even be in question. In terms of security, it should be a given. Unless, someone does not really want to secure our borders…

I may no longer be Christian, but I do find wisdom in the bible. One scripture comes to mind “By their fruits shall ye know them”. (Sorry, I don’t remember the book, chapter or verse.) This tells me that “they” can say whatever they want and some can weave a pretty tale; but look at the “fruits” (results) of their labors…What actually happens after all is said and done.

Personally, I care more that our Constitution remains intact with its Checks and Balances in place. With that foundation, we will be more able to solve these other issues. We all have a different perspective, which can be important in solving our problems. Different perspectives allow us to discuss (and understand) the entire issue, and eventually come to a decision. This is our government. The politicians are there to serve us, not the other way around. Remember that, whatever you believe about illegal aliens.