Why Not Just Expel the Illegal Immigrants?

To expel all the illegal immigrants who are in our country is not in our best interests, nor is it the proper thing for a humane, Christian nation to do. Here’s why. Let’s stand back from the issue long enough to see some of the concerns being expressed. 
For one thing, it is estimated that there are some 11 million people illegally here; why should we have laws if we’re not going to enforce them?  Second, illegal immigrants compete with lawful citizens in the workforce. And third, we have a foreign criminal element in our midst, burdening our society.
Let’s look at Number One; yes, our laws are being broken, and an orderly society must be one which enforces its laws. The reality is, most nations don’t have fences, and people will go where they can find a better life, and even cross national lines. As I have said before, I grew up on the Mexican border, and my family would drive along the Rio Grande, with Mexico on one side of the valley, with its ramshackle huts and dirt streets, and on the American side of this meandering natural boundary were paved and lighted streets with modern homes.
We would watch the Mexicans stream down to the river to collect water and to bathe. They were not blind to the lives of the people on the opposite hill rising out of that river valley. If you were walking in their zapatos, would you return to the Third World when the first world is there beckoning you?
Think about it; immigrant labor made America. Is it wise of us to tell them that we don’t want their contribution? Western Europe, Russia, and Japan have the opposite problem and are worried sick about it; their population is falling and aging. Add to that, they aren’t just losing people; they aren’t being rejuvenated. They are having fewer children, children who would have been working in society. Who will run the factories? Who will take care of the ever older people? Now that is a problem. All societies have an ongoing need for vitality. Our current laws are being broken, but do we need to enforce bad laws, or should we change our laws to fit our needs?
When the American people elected a government promising fewer restrictions on economic activity, the stock market shot up 10 percent. We are hearing loud and clear here at the Herald from our customers who say they are now optimistic and as a result, are advertising more.
Number Two, are they taking jobs away from American workers? Immigrants have always competed for the available work; this has always been a short-run problem, which is resolved when the labor force increases and the economy expands.
And to Number Three, the foreign criminal element. Simple! Kick them out. Cape May County is currently considering sending three corrections officers for federal ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) training to do just that. If a person is arrested for breaking the law, and is found to be an illegal immigrant, that person will be deported. Note, this officer training is not for tracking down illegal immigrants, but rather to school the officers on how to deal with those already arrested on other charges.
Let’s return to the issue of building fences, or walls. We have had a porous border with Mexico since we acquired our southwestern states from them in 1848. To suddenly build a wall between them and us is harsh and not our best thinking; to “say” that we might do it if Mexico won’t agree to take a fresh look at NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), may be a useful bargaining tool.
When we dealt harshly with Germany in the Treaty of Versailles after World War I, we left such a bitter taste that we went back into war, World War II, not long thereafter. Learning our lesson from that, we handled Germany and Japan humanely after World War II. Via the Marshall Plan, we lowered trade barriers and spent over $120 billion in today’s dollars in Europe alone, to rebuild and modernize them. They have been allies ever since. If we deal equally humanely with our southern neighbors today, we can likewise expect to retain their good will.
Final thought on the people already here illegally: consider giving them work permits.  Do Americans really want to head to the hot and dusty fields to pick fruits and vegetables, or do the yard work? Low-desirability tasks have always been where immigrants get their start, then they climb the economic ladder, opening the way for the next wave of American immigrants.
Art Hall
From the Bible:  A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1