“We can have no "50-50" allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all” (Teddy Roosevelt). Illegal immigration is without a doubt a huge issue in the United States, and Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070 attempts to take a step in the right direction and prevent illegal immigrants from residing in our state and our country . The proposed law is undoubtedly constitutional, is extremely beneficial to Arizona.and the country as a whole.
Illegal aliens are taking jobs from U.S. born, taxpaying, law abiding citizens, and the federal government refuses to take action and enforce the federal laws that are already in place. Many against this revolutionary bill argue that illegal immigrants do the jobs that most Americans will not do; but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Illegal aliens do jobs for extremely cheap, well below minimum wage. When you have millions of people doing one job or a niche of jobs, that job area is artificially depreciated; Meaning, that jobs which were once suitable for middle class Americans are now only suitable for those willing to work at or below minimum wage and live a life of poverty. A recent study by the C.I.S. (Center for Immigration Studies) shows that a mere 9% of the net increase in jobs in the U.S. went to people actually born in the United States. This stunning statistic really puts into perspective the impact that aliens are having on America. Even political cartoonist Chan Lowe believes wholeheartedly in the bill, saying “If we close the borders and have less undocumented workers, it would put some upward pressure on overall wages.It's no secret business will have to pay workers more money" (Chan Lowe). With all the hype going on with the economy and unemployment one would think that political figures would more closely examine fundamentals of the economy and see that illegal immigrants stealing jobs from American born citizens is a key component of the economic state of our nation. The reason for our out-of-control policies is simple: Politicians are afraid. The illegal immigrant population is so vast that politicians are afraid to lose the vote of those who are associated with undocumented aliens.
Another issue regarding illegal immigrants is the amount of tax dollars they use just by residing here in the United States. There are currently 5,138,069 children with illegal parents enrolled in public schooling in the United States. That enormous amount has added up to $74,592,688,516coming directly from the taxes legal American citizens pay; just to educate these non-Americans. Along with schooling, illegal immigrants are often incarcerated for disobeying American laws. There are 429,080 illegal aliens in federal prison, adding a whopping $27,496,555,931 to their tab. The medical industry is required to care for everyone who has an emergency. Every day, millions of undocumented mothers are rushed to the hospital, requiring medical attention for childbirth, without any form of insurance or means to pay the hospital. This puts an enormous financial burden on hospitals around the country which are also funded by tax dollars. The average American in-turn is forced to pay more taxes in order to balance out the burden they place on the American government. Our federal government undoubtedly recognizes the cost of housing the illegal population but continues to sit and watch while they take advantage of the system our forefathers fought so hard to protect. SB 1070 calls for more strict rules regarding the documentation that immigrants must carry. The filtration of illegal immigrants will begin the process of eliminating the problem once and for all.
Not only are illegal immigrants affecting our economic stability, they are also affecting our safety as a country. Over the past 10 years the United States has seen a significant increase in crimes committed by illegal immigrants. The C.I.S. has conducted many studies and has found many shocking statistics that display the effect illegals are having on the streets. They found that 75% of all illegal aliens are currently committing federal crimes, with most in violation of possessing fraudulent social security cards or other fraudulent means of identification. The C.I.S. has also found that 12% of felonies, 25% of burglaries, and 34% of thefts are committed by illegal aliens. All of these statistics prove that men and women from other countries are waltzing into our country, stealing jobs that are already in limited supply, and then fail to obey the rules that we have established to protect everyone in our communities. SB 1070, although controversial, is the first bill of its kind produced by Arizona that has seen enormous support from citizens. It calls for documentation to be carried with you at all times, for proof of citizenship when in possible violation. Some believe that this is an opportunity for Americans, namely police officers, to profile based on race. In reality, SB 1070 can only be enforced during routine violation stops. So, no additional stops can legally be made based on the color of your skin or the sound of your voice. Those in opposition can try to complicate the bill and make it seem racist however they want, but the unbreakable fact is that SB 1070 only gives our state the power to enforce a law that is already in place at the federal level.
A huge reason for the rising crime rate of the illegal immigrant population is increasing participation in gangs. It is no secret that gangs are a huge problem in the U.S., and Illegals are a huge portion of that problem. "MS-13" or "Mara Salvatrucha" is the biggest gang in the U.S. primarily run by immigrants from Central America. MS-13 is known to have established "smuggling centers" in Mexico where, for a price, they can be smuggled across the U.S. border. Their current affiliation with Mexico is without a doubt dangerous to Americans. In addition to smuggling people across the border, "Mara Salvatrucha" has also established a criminal business in smuggling drugs across the border. MS-13 is closely associated with the infamous drug cartels based in Mexico. Recent studies have shown that atleast 4.5 million pounds of cocaine with a street value of at least $72 billion is smuggled across the southern border every year. The drug cartels that are so publicized and known to control Mexico are beginning to successfully expand their empire into parts of Arizona. Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu has noticed this expansion and has asked for federal assistance. He says "Mexican drug cartels literally do control parts of Arizona". He then adds that the drug cartels have "scouts on the high points in the mountains and in the hills, and they literally control movement. They have radios, they have optics, they have night-vision goggles as good as anything law enforcement has. This is 70 to 80 miles from the border - 30 miles from the fifth-largest city in the United States" (Schachter, New York Post). With this information in mind Paul Babeu requested 3,000 troops from the National Guard in order to help control the extensive criminal activity that is currently going on. President Obama and his administration immediately denied this request and responded by sending Arizona an embarrassing 15 signs to be posted in a 60-mile area, that merely warn drivers that they are entering an "active drug and human smuggling area" and that they might encounter "armed criminals and smuggling vehicles traveling at high rates of speed" (Schachter, New York Post). The pathetic support from the federal government is the reason that Americans, and more specifically Arizonans, believe that it is time to take this to the state level and start the long process of filtering out illegal immigrants and all the malicious criminal activity they bring to the country. The in-your-face response by our newly elected president is being noticed by government figures across the nation. T.J. Bonner, President of the National Border Patrol Council, has vocalized his opinion on the matter saying that "The federal government's lack of will to secure our borders is painfully evident when signs are posted well north of the border warning citizens that armed and dangerous criminals are roaming through those areas with impunity," he said. "Instead of taking the steps necessary to secure our borders, politicians are attempting to convince the public that our borders are more secure now than ever before" (Seper, Newsmax.com). The problem we as Americans face today, can only be worsened exponentially if we do not take the proper action here and now.
The main argument of the opponents of the controversial senate bill 1070 is that it violates the constitution. One of the main points against SB 1070 is that it contrasts the fourth amendment. The fourth amendment states that it is the "right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized" (Amendment 4, U.S. Constitution). Asking someone, anyone, for a valid I.D. in no way violates the fourth amendment, and in fact, law enforcement may only require identification upon a violation, or reasonable suspicion of a violation of a law. In addition, article, section 4 of the constitution states that "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence" (Article 4, U.S. Constitution). Arizona is currently being invaded; invaded by a group of people who come from a place of violence; A place where crime is a way of life. According to article 4 of the constitution, the federal government is actually committing a violation when it refuses to protect our country from invasion and from domestic violence.
Surprisingly, the United States have seen immigration problems in the past and have taken strict measures to control it. In 1954, The New York Times reported that "The rise in illegal border-crossing by Mexican 'wetbacks' to a current rate of more than 1,000,000 cases a year has been accompanied by a curious relaxation in ethical standards extending all the way from the farmer-exploiters of this contraband labor to the highest levels of the Federal Government" (Fulbright, New York Times). President Dwight D. Eisenhower read the report and immediately knew it was imperative that he used his power to restrict illegal immigration across the country. He immediately ordered 1075 border patrol agents to relocate to California and Arizona and to work with state and local law enforcement to aggressively fight the problem that President Eisenhower believed was imminent. Together, border patrol and police agencies performed numerous police-sweeps of Mexican-American neighborhoods, along with random stops and I.D. checks of people who looked of Hispanic descent. Within a few months, 50,000 had been caught and a reported 488,000 illegal immigrants fled the country for fear of being caught. The enormous crackdown brilliantly led by President Dwight D. Eisenhower displayed to those of all races that the United States would not tolerate illegal immigration, and would take extreme measures to make sure of it. Although such extreme measures would not be accepted in today's society, we must learn from our former president's sense of urgency. The immigration issue we see today is exponentially worse than the problem that Americans saw in the 1950's, so our government leaders must first acquire that sense of urgency and then act on those feelings for the benefit of future generations.
The future of illegal immigration is not a very glorious one. In fact, experts are predicting an enormous increase of illegal immigration in the coming years. The Federal government must realize that with the continuing bloodshed associated with Mexico's drug cartels, families are, and will continue to flee, illegally cross our borders, and reside in our country. The U.S. Census Bureau has made an astonishing estimate that may anger a large amount of Americans. They claim that in the year 2050"the white race will become a minority in the United States. Hispanics will be the dominant race, and African Americans will remain the third prevalent ethnic group in America" (United States Census Bureau). Although the United States is seen as a "melting pot" with many different cultures and ethnicities, as Americans we cannot allow our country to become a country with a majority of its citizens accustomed to breaking the law.
Arizona's triumphant Senate Bill 1070 will take a dramatic, but needed, step towards getting rid of illegal aliens residing in Arizona and in the United States. To require legal immigrants to carry their identification papers with them at all times is a small price to pay when one considers the enormous benefits that a legal citizen reaps upon residing in our wonderful country. Without proper action, American citizens will see a direct violation of their rights if the government refuses to act. Thus, it can be seen that illegal immigrants do not bring skills, prosperity, stability, or economic growth, but on the contrary bring poverty, social problems, and crime to our beautiful country. Our elected leader, Barrack Obama said "I think the American people have a generous instinct. They understand that we're a nation of immigrants. But if those folks are going to live in this country, they have to be put on a pathway to citizenship that involves them paying a fine, making sure that they are at the back of the line and not cutting in front of people who applied legally to come into the country" (Barrack Obama). America should send one simple message to Obama regarding his statements: Put your money where your mouth is… Problem solved.
