Immigration Is Not National Security: Lack of It Imperils the Nation

Policy Review ^ | Dec 2006 | Mary Eberstadt

[arnoldfwilliams]

In sum, the insistence by impassioned theorists that illegal immigration south of the border is the pre-eminent problem of our time makes perfect sense — or would, had those been Salvadoreans piloting airplanes on 9/11, Guatemalans bankrolling their efforts, Hondurans plotting attacks on the subways and government buildings of Europe, and Mexicans across the global labor diaspora plotting how to bring down the American government, presumably by poisoning our gardens and toilets. If you do not think that is the way it went down, then Occam's razor dictates this: The sheer volume of emotion on the subject of illegal aliens makes most sense as a manifestation of denial about who would really like to see the end of the American republic — as it turns out, one form of many now circulating.

[From One - Many]

There is no doubt the mexican and those south of our southern border are working with the moose. Anyone thinking otherwise doesn't understand what is taking place.

[Hugin]

Islamic terrorism is a possibility but I tend to suspect retaliation from the illegals. In either case it fits the description of terrorism in my opinion.

Since we are talking about e coli here, I suspect they are just defecating in the fields, a common practice in Mexico.

[tumblindice]

"Begin in the United States with the literature lately generated on the paleoconservative and nativist wing of the right on the red-hot subject of illegal immigration — now not only a literature, but also a newly minted political movement that has gone on to enjoy populist and national success. Of course many Americans, including some nonconservatives, oppose the idea of uncontrolled immigration per se. But that is a political and practical fact, as opposed to a creedal statement. It is the creed of the theorists that is of interest here, for it's in that creed that today's anti-immigrant ideology appears most clearly.

According to those theorists and this movement, the threat to our civilization and way of life — such are the terms in which the discussion has been framed — is plain. The foreigners we must focus on most, those who according to some are a dagger aimed at our civilization, those whom we must do everything in our power to keep out of our country because of the harm they intend us, are . . . no, not immigrants from the demographic and cultural risk pool associated worldwide with Islamism, but rather those from somewhere else: specifically those working-class, poor, Spanish-speaking, largely Christian migrants from Mexico and other points south who break U.S. immigration laws by crossing the border in search of work."
Mary Eberstadt

Classic `straw-man' argument.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

and forgetting about Canada, where it is.

Yeah, those Mounties juiced up on Molson are scary.

Build a wall on the Northern border now!!!

[oldbill]

You guys are gonna get Dane all riled up.

[arnoldfwilliams]

This guy should move into one of the shacks in the part of my city that looks like Mexico and see how long he lasts. His chances of being the victim of an illegal would be much greater than his chances of being hit by an Islamic terrorist.

As it turns out, you're wrong. He would be in more danger in YOUR neighborhood. Immigrant neighborhoods are safer.

Don't want to believe facts? Sigh. That's what the post is about.

[arnoldfwilliams]

As Joseph Lelyveld observed, for example, in a cover piece for the New York Times Magazine in October about the border dispute, “The argument that the border must be secured because of the threat of terrorism remains largely theoretical. The Border Patrol keeps a count on non-Mexicans it detains (otm's, they're called, for ‘Other Than Mexican') . . . a trickle can be traced to what the Department of Homeland Security classes as ‘special interest' countries. . . . In the Tucson sector, just 15 such persons had been picked up by September 10 in the fiscal year that was about to end — scarcely one a month.”

Going ballistic to defend against that danger shows a certain lack of thrift. I'd prefer to spend public money more carefully.

[arnoldfwilliams]

...and who don't see identity theft, human trafficing, drug running, importation of foreign gang-wars, community blight, $ucking-up of tax dollar$ for benefits to illegals, and all the other ills of illegal immigration as any kind of threat, economic or otherwise.

Ah. But let's tease that out, shall we? we know immigrant neighborhoods are lower crime.

But perhaps there is another point you wish to make?

If they work, that's bad because they are taking our jobs. If they don't, that's also bad because they are taking our welfare. Men come to America and live in groups instead of in families: This is bad because men in groups can be frightening and unruly. Men come to America and live in families instead of in groups: This is bad too because it means more Mexicans here. Women come to live with the men: This is worst of all because they are doing it to have what the critics call “anchor babies.” Similarly, the workers come here when they're young and healthy and that's bad because it makes them better at physical labor; but they are apparently also full of diseases that make them a menace to a First World community. And so on — and on and on. One wonders when an environmental impact study of the very air they exhale near the Rio Grande will be waved by Lou Dobbs to show just how far the law-breaking civilization-busters have gone now. Tancredo even manages outrage over the fact that undocumented aliens can apparently use the stacks of the Denver public library by presenting only a driver's license. Mexican farm hands, reading in a library? Dios mio! Will these people never learn to behave like Americans?

I see.

[cripplecreek]

I'd prefer to spend public money more carefully.

Spending buillions of dollars supporting illegals is "thrifty"?

[sheana]

You know what? I actually have family and friends that still live in some of those neighborhoods. You should tell that to them, as the gangbangers are crawling over their back fence and breaking into their houses. As they are stopped driving down the street to get to their house by a gang of 21 hispanic thug high schoolers, etc.

I have no clue why these people have spent hundreds of dollars lighting their houses up all the way around with security lighting that looks like daylight. And that still hasn't stopped the thugs from coming.

Yeah, right, they (and I) would really believe you.

[ckilmer]

Consider this article Illegal aliens murder 12 Americans daily Death toll in 2006 far overshadows total U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq, Afghanistan

Below are some government stats to back up the article's assertioms

From the FBI crime statistics * An estimated 16,692 persons were murdered nationwide in 2005, an increase of 3.4 percent from the 2004 figure. * Murder comprised 1.2 percent of the overall estimated number of violent crimes in 2005. (Based on Table 1.) * There were an estimated 5.6 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.

Illegal Alien Crime Wave

On April 7, 2005, the US Justice Department issued a report on criminal aliens that were incarcerated in federal and state prisons and local jails. In the population study of 55,322 illegal aliens, researchers found that they were arrested at least a total of 459,614 times, averaging about 8 arrests per illegal alien. Nearly all had more than 1 arrest. Thirty-eight percent (about 21,000) had between 2 and 5 arrests, 32 percent (about 18,000) had between 6 and 10 arrests, and 26 percent (about 15,000) had 11 or more arrests. Most of the arrests occurred after 1990. They were arrested for a total of about 700,000 criminal offenses, averaging about 13 offenses per illegal alien. One arrest incident may include multiple offenses, a fact that explains why there are nearly one and half times more offenses than arrests. Almost all of these illegal aliens were arrested for more than 1 offense. Slightly more than half of the 55,322 illegal aliens had between 2 and 10 offenses.

CRIMINAL HISTORY

More than two-thirds of the defendants charged with an immigration offense were identified as having been previously arrested. Thirty-six percent had been arrested on at least 5 prior occasions; 22%, 2 to 4 times; and 12%,1 time. Sixty-one percent of those defendants had been convicted at least once; 18%, 5 or more times; 26%, 2 to 4 times; and 17%, 1 time. Of those charged, 49% had previously been convicted of a felony: 20% of a drug offense; 18%, a violent offense; and 11%, other felony offenses. Twelve percent had previously been convicted of a misdemeanor. Defendants charged with unlawful reentry had the most extensive criminal histories. Nine in ten had been previously arrested. Of those with a prior arrest, half had been arrested on at least 5 prior occasions. Fifty-six percent of those charged with a reentry offense had previously been convicted of a violent or drug-related felony. By contrast, under half of those charged with alien smuggling, a third of those charged with unlawful entry, and just over a quarter those charged with misuse of visas and other charges had previously been arrested. The criminal histories of these defendants were generally less extensive: more than 70% had been previously arrested fewer than 5 times. Sources: US Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, National Security Institute, National Association of Chiefs of Police, US Department of Justice

[kabar]

Immigration by the numbers.

[arnoldfwilliams]

Spending buillions of dollars supporting illegals is "thrifty"?

Basic social services are designed for the public good. If they cost something, that's because we're getting something back. As a quick illustration, those "overburdened emergency rooms" do serve to stop illness from spreading through the population, and do help get people back to work. They do not cause illness. Public health is for everybody's benefit. Welfare, for which aliens don't qualify until they've been here a while, is another, and has a specific purpose and (since Bill Clinton's time) definite ending dates) is another: but welfare for aliens is substantially cheaper than citizens (see the study.).

As a quick shorthand, let me put it to you this way: every mouth comes attached to two hands. For further development of the idea using rigorous logic, see Julian Simon: greater population leads to greater general prosperity. (Not a controversial idea in economics).

[Rurudyne]

I'm sorry, but the danger posed by illegal immigration is much more dire than mere terrorism.

Whatever their motivation, whatever their excuses: the simple fact is that illegal immigrants violate our laws because they don't feel they have to obey them.

That they paint this essential lawlessness up in terms of their needs or their motivations is really only a way to whitewash the issue, for such introduces the concept of social justice and applies it to those who are––by the very terms of their entrance––outside of our laws.

Naturally, folks sneaking and entering don't think things through this far: they feel justified to break our laws for innumerable reasons ... some simply because the Mexican government has taken the position that our laws don't matter.

But all that does is leave them breaking our laws because they feel they don't have to obey our laws (to attempt to legally immigrate).

The danger of this is of a piece with any systematic lawlessness of any demographic group; however, since ours is a nation defined by our common laws and not by our race, ethnicity, religion or even language the presence of such people sows seeds of even greater lawlessness in future generations: as people come to accept and be comfortable with the view that laws don't matter if you can justify disobeying them––especially if for the spurious claims of social justice.

[cripplecreek]

Nothing of value here. Moving on.

[verbal voter]

yOU ARE 100% RIGHT.

[arnoldfwilliams]

"Immigration by the numbers" was a terribly flawed presentation by someone who has trouble with basic statistics.

Not a good cite. The rest of us don't remember the Great Depression as a time of labor peace.

[arnoldfwilliams]

That they paint this essential lawlessness up in terms of their needs or their motivations is really only a way to whitewash the issue, for such introduces the concept of social justice and applies it to those who are––by the very terms of their entrance––outside of our laws.

The fact that they can be arrested for crimes, just as you can for speeding in your car? When was the last time you were dragged off to jail for going 30mph in a 25 zone?

I'd invite you to think a bit harder about what you said.

[kabar]

Wrong. What statistics specifically do you have a problem with?

At the peak of the Great Wave of immigration in 1910, the number of immigrants living in the U.S. was less than half of what it is today, though the percentage of the population was slightly higher. The annual arrival of 1.5 million legal and illegal immigrants, coupled with 750,000 annual births to immigrant women, is the determinate factor— or three-fourths— of all U.S. population growth.

During the 1990s, an average of more than 1.3 million immigrants — legal and illegal — settled in the United States each year. Between January 2000 and March 2002, 3.3 million additional immigrants have arrived. In less than 50 years, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that immigration will cause the population of the United States to increase from its present 300 million to more than 400 million.

[WatchingInAmazement]

Tell these people how "safe" illegal immigration is. While a few of you fight for this illegal, corrupt activity, thousands of families mourn. Where's that "compassionate conservatism" now???

http://www.ojjpac.org/memorial.asp

VICTIMS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS

MEMORIAL

In honor of Americans killed by illegal aliens.

Deaths that could have been prevented if Congress and the President would have secured our borders and enforced US immigration laws.

Each day a victim's name will be added to the memorial.

~

List of Victims