Immigration – Welcome, But Follow Our Rules
There is still much talk about the issue of immigration in our country today. As of March of this year, immigrants and their U.S.-born children now number approximately 89.4 million people, or 28 percent of the overall U.S. population, according to the 2018 Current Population Survey (CPS). Pew Research Center projects that the immigrant-origin share will rise to about 36 percent by 2065.
Restriction on immigration to the United States is not new. In August of 1882, Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1882. It is considered to be first general immigration law.
The vast majority of Americans, even those on the far right, have no issue with legal immigrants coming to our country to make a better life for themselves and their families. Furthermore, most don’t have an issue with those coming from other countries to live and celebrate their cultures either, so long as those cultures don’t go against American law and values. However, for example, if someone came from a country where the rights of women were limited, they would need to understand that women have rights here in the U.S. and they would have to accept those laws if necessary.
Instead, to me, the majority of conservatives have an issue when people come illegally and do not follow the rules as established, or when they come and try to turn the U.S. into the country they just left.
There are many on the left who strongly support making illegal border crossing a civil, rather than a criminal offense. This has been a cause taken up by many democratic politicians, including front-running candidates for Congress and the presidency. In other words, they want to ignore or basically do away with our immigration laws.
Many talk about European nations as being next to utopia, and that we in the U.S. should be like them. In recent months, I have had personal experiences with the process of immigrating to Europe on a student visa for loved ones, and it has been quite eye opening.
While the process has gone easier than we expected, it has not been simply turning in a form. After acceptance into the university, we had to give the government all types of information and pay thousands of dollars in fees, including payment of a year’s worth of health coverage. We also had to pay for each of the family members to pay for biometric resident permit cards, which use facial recognition to track those coming to stay. So, even the U.K, which is on friendly terms with the U.S., has strict rules for an American citizen to enter the country and strict penalties if one overstays their visa.
Countries have laws. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a nation having secure borders and laws for those wishing to visit or move to a foreign country to live. In order to do so, you have to follow the laws of the nation, and everyone subject to a nation’s laws are accountable for their acts in relation to them.
The U.S. will continue to struggle with this very complex and complicated issue, and our federal government will have to address it. We, as Americans, are overall a very compassionate people, and that is part of what makes us a great nation. While we want to help those who desire our help, we have to do it in an orderly manner wherein we can lift others up while protecting our own.
It should be the hope of all Americans that good people everywhere will strive for solid principle-based solutions that properly balance the rule of law with the need for compassion. That is the true America.
Randy Gibson is the CEO of RDG Communications Group, LLC, and the former director of the Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce and the Texas State Rifle Association.
