BY ERIN HARTWIG
Northwest Missourian
October 12, 2011
The U.S.-Mexico border is not as out of control as the press sometimes makes it seem, writes Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in a press release issued Oct. 5. For the last two and a half years, there has been a huge decline in the number if illegal immigrants crossing the border and dramatic increases in seizures.
In 2010, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported more than 195,000 convicted criminals, 81,000 more than in 2008.
Congress doesn't have a clear-cut set of rules and regulations regarding border patrol and the reform of immigration laws. The states themselves have had to create their own patchwork of laws to help secure our border with Mexico.
Napolitano aims to change this. If Congress and the states work together, it will be easier to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing the border.
Before Obama came into office, the immigration enforcement policies were such that as many resources were spent on arresting and deporting college students as much as convicted criminals. ICE conducted worksite raids and didn't consistently punish the employer, or target those people who posed a threat to public safety.
There needs to be a priority system to judge whether or not an illegal immigrant should be deported. America needs to deport more of the illegal aliens that have been convicted of crimes. Some of the people who cross the border from Mexico come here specifically to commit crimes against U.S. citizens; some come for a better life for their children and for opportunities that aren't available in their home countries. The people who were born to illegal immigrant parents or came here as children deserve some sort of immunity to deportation. Many of children of illegal immigrants don't even know they shouldn't be here. Yes, they are part of American's immigration problem, but they aren't a public threat.
There needs to be some sort of legislation in place that requires background checks on illegal immigrants. If someone has been convicted of a crime and they came to America illegally, they get deported. However, if the background check reveals no criminal history, they should be put through a system that would enable their legal residency in America.
Our country is unique and has been built on the backs of immigrants; this is how it should stay. However, all our country's immigrants should be legal.
http://www.nwmissourinews.com/opinion/article_3cc8a704-f52c-11e0-b2bb-001a4bcf6878.html
