Yes, immigration laws should be enforced
Can we be brutally honest? All land is “stolen” land, if you want to go back far enough. We can recognize the injustices of the past without becoming anarchists.
We have seen an eruption of much sound and fury over President Trump’s increased enforcement of immigration laws. There is plenty to discuss regarding the tactics used to round up and deport illegal aliens, and the appropriateness of those tactics, which I am not going to get into here. My point is more of a general one: Yes, illegal immigration is illegal. From the U.S. Code:
§1325. Improper entry by alien
(a) Improper time or place; avoidance of examination or inspection; misrepresentation and concealment of facts
Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.
It is dishonest to claim that illegal immigration is a “civil infraction” when the penalty for breaking the law is prison time. Even President Obama said that illegal aliens “broke our immigration laws, and I believe that they must be held accountable.”
One of the silliest responses I have seen is that we should “deport every single person that is caught speeding because it’s the same infraction.” No, it is not. If you are somewhere you are not legally allowed to be, the proper response to that is to remove you from that location. This includes being on American soil if you entered the country illegally or if you overstayed your visa and did not leave when you were supposed to leave. This applies to immigration and trespassing on private property. The idea that a natural born citizen should be deported for speeding is an absurd comparison.
“No one illegal on stolen land?” If you are of European descent and you believe this, leave. By your own logic you are saying you are benefiting from “stolen” land and to remain consistent you should go back to Europe where you just said you belong.
Can we be brutally honest? All land is “stolen” land, if you want to go back far enough. Before any European colonists arrived, Native tribes were conquering each other and taking their land. This is true for the entire world, for all of human history. Man is a violent species, prone to taking things by force from others. The Babylonian empire conquered land, and they were conquered by the Persian Empire. The Persians were conquered by the Greek Empire, who were in turn conquered by the Roman Empire. My family was from Germany, but the land that was Germany at the time they emigrated is now part of France due to Germany’s loss in World War 1.
What that does not mean is that we have to erase our national sovereignty, not secure our borders from invasion or illegal migration, or erase two hundred and fifty years of private property rights under our laws. We can recognize the injustices of the past without becoming anarchists or taking a sledgehammer to the rule of law.
So, yes, President Trump is correct in enforcing our immigration laws, just as President Obama and President Clinton were. One does not need to agree with specific tactics or what groups are targeted in order to support general enforcement of the law. Let’s stop using dishonest arguments about illegal immigration being a “civil” matter or dishonestly equating illegal immigration to lawbreaking by natural-born citizens.