Illegal aliens seemingly have it made, entering the last year of “President Lightbringer’s” Administration, as the number of arrests made for breaking into this country is at its lowest since the 1970s.
The Border Patrol apprehended 327,577 illegal crossers along the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2011, which ended Sept. 30, numbers not seen since Richard Nixon was president, and a precipitous drop from the peak in 2000, when 1.6 million unauthorized migrants were caught. More than 90 percent of the migrants apprehended on the southwest border are Mexican.
The number of illegal migrants arrested at the border has been dropping over the past few years but appears to be down by more than 25 percent this year.
Experts say that Border Patrol apprehensions are a useful marker for estimating the total flow of illegal migrants, though imprecise because the U.S. government has no idea how many are not caught. But coupled with census and labor data from both countries that show far fewer Mexicans coming to the United States and many returning home, it appears that the historic flood of Mexican migration north has slowed dramatically.
“We have reached the point where the balance between Mexicans moving to the United States and those returning to Mexico is essentially zero,” said Jeffrey Passel, a senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center, whose conclusion was shared by many migration experts.
Such a steep drop in illegal crossings gives supporters of immigration reform ammunition to argue that now is a good time to tackle the issue.
In Congress, comprehensive immigration reform has been sidelined, stuck between those who would not allow illegal migrants to remain and others who are pushing, like President Obama, to create a “pathway” to legal status, but not necessarily citizenship.
The lower number of apprehensions supports the Obama administration’s contention that the border is more secure than ever — that the doubling of Border Patrol agents since 2004, along with hundreds of miles of new fence, cameras, lights, sensors and Predator drones, has helped slow the illegal flow northward.
But those who say the border remains out of control can point to the fact that hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants still try to make the crossing every year.
The views of the top two Republican candidates for their party’s presidential nomination are typical. Newt Gingrich believes it is inhumane to deport any of the 11 million illegals who have been working here illegally for years.
During the November 11 GOP debate, Mitt Romney attacked Newt on this issue:
“Look, amnesty is a magnet. If people who come here illegally are going to get to stay” that will encourage more people to come illegally,” Romney said about Gingrich’s view on how to deal with illegal immigrants.
However, in a 2007 interview with “Meet the Press,” Mitt Romney said the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. should be able to obtain citizenship at some point.
“Well, whether they go home–they should go home eventually. There’s a set per–in my view they should be–they should have a set period during which period they, they sign up for application for permanent residency or, or for citizenship. But there’s a set period where upon they should return home. And if they’ve been approved for citizenship or for a permanent residency, well, thy would be a different matter. But for the great majority, they’ll be going home,” Romney said in the interview with Tim Russert.
Legalization, which is not amnesty, is not as generous as the outright citizenship Romney advocated in 2007.
So, was that a flip…or a flop?
To wrap up today’s article, I refer you back to a rant from my post Illegality, Not Civil Rights. This was an answer to a comment by a young man named Benito, who claimed to be a member of a pro-illegal immigration group, perhaps here illegally himself:
What makes the current influx of illegal immigrants exempt from the rules and regulations that every other generation of immigrants to this country had to abide by in order to become legal citizens of the greatest nation in the world?
By being here illegally, they are not entitled to the same rights as natural-born or naturalized American citizens. They are like someone who breaks into someone’s home, does their dishes, cuts their yard, cleans their house, and then helps themselves to their food and drives their car without asking. This is in no way a human rights issue. Freedom is God-given. And with freedom comes responsibility. With citizenship comes responsibility, like paying taxes and making your own way.
I understand that people want a better life for themselves and their children. We are all immigrants in this land, expect for American Indians, and they got here by crossing the Bering Straight. But there is a huge difference between immigrating here legally and sneaking in illegally, between assimilating into an existing culture, and insisting on replacing a country’s existing culture with that of the country you left.
I’m all for assisting anyone in becoming a legal citizen of the United States, if that is their wish. But, it must be done the right way, and they must accept responsibility for their illegal entry, show a willingness to learn our language, and embrace our American way of life, including respecting the American Flag.
A wide-open Southern Border is as big a threat to the sovereignty of the United States as anything that our enemies can throw at us right now. Mr. President, quit playing political games. The safety of America is at stake .
SECURE THE BORDER NOW.
