In New Bedford, Mass, a factory was raided and the illegal immigrant workers were rounded up and assigned for deportation. The lives of a number of children were disrupted that day and immediately the authorities were scolded for not being more caring and considerate of these immigrant families who only wanted a better life.
A major spokesman for this point of view was the Catholic archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, who claimed this tragedy was the result of “a failed public policy” whose first response was to “seek out the villains.”
Wrong on both counts. It is not a public policy to allow illegal immigrants to enter this country and work. This is, rather-a crime, and when a crime is committed the first thing one must do is apprehend the criminal. First things first. But for O'Malley and others like-minded, the failed public policy seems to be that these people were considered wrong-doers in the first place. The law says… but wait, who cares what the law says? We must first (so they say) consider the human aspect of the problem. As O'Malley said, “Before they are illegal they are human.”
Not quite. When a crime is being committed, when the law is ignored, society and its people are endangered, whether that danger is physical or economical. The laws and the trust we have in those laws that bind us as a unit are now under assault. They are being tested. A society that fails to meet this challenge is asking for its eventual destruction. The perpetrators of this crime may be human, but does this mean we overlook the crime being committed and instead center on who is committing that crime and why? That may be an interesting question for a sociologist, but not for local law enforcement.
Their claim that the human dignity of these illegal immigrants should have first claim on our conscience is just not true. It sounds good, and sounds very Christian and compassionate, but it's not true. The very first claim on my conscience should be whether or not the social structure is going to be damaged. I owe that to my family, my neighbors, and my country. I do not owe that to the family and neighbors of other countries. I may in a secondary sense, but my first obligation as a citizen is to my own country. Humanity is made up of various groups and nations, some good, some bad. They are responsible for themselves first; I am responsible for them secondly (if at all). We are familiar with the dreamers who claim to be citizens of the world to the point where they are so busy they don't have time to be constructive citizens of their own country. The danger from these people should be obvious.
This raid and what took place in the aftermath does not prove that we need to create a new immigration policy that recognizes the realities of interdependence. What it does prove is that we should enforce the old immigration policy that says this country should control its own borders. The laws we need to eliminate situations like the raid in New Bedford, Mass. are already on the books. All we need do is enforce them and our troubles are over. The present system is not “broken.” It's in good shape, but at the moment it is just sitting there gathering dust from lack of use.
At the end of O'Malley's comments he said, “Our shared respect for humanity and our faith in the promise of a better future calls us to do better.”
Wait a minute. A better future for who; me, the American citizen, one of the millions who works and makes the wheels go around, or some illegal Mexican immigrant who brings nothing except faked documents while he expects everything? Which one of us is O'Malley worrying about? If it's not me I would be interested in knowing why not? Or does his compassion extend only to foreigners while I am supposed to experience some massive guilt trip on their behalf? (Which I assure you is not going to happen.)
A better future for me is a country with one flag, one culture, one language. I would like to leave that heritage to my grandchildren. As a young boy I grew up in a world of one flag, hot dogs and baseball. Unfortunately my grandchildren may have to live in a world of two flags, tacos, and Cinco de Mayo parades. I don't want that. I have the right to feel this way and to fight and speak up for my country, the purity of my culture, and what my flag represents. If others are having a difficult time in their country then have a revolution and change it.
We did.
