Serving the campus of the University of Alabama since 1894

The Crimson White


Serving the campus of the University of Alabama since 1894

The Crimson White

Serving the campus of the University of Alabama since 1894

The Crimson White

Make immigration reform priority

Since late April, everyone from media networks, journalists, state governments, Congress and the White House have focused extensively on Arizona’s controversial immigration reform bill. The law will go into effect at the end of the this month and after months of condemning the bill without recognizing the facts, the federal government has now filed a lawsuit against Arizona citing the principle that it has exclusive control over immigration in the United States.

From the beginning, the argument against the bill has been that it promotes racial profiling — even though the bill specifically forbids it. The bill would allow law enforcement officers to ask for proof of immigration status only after an individual has been stopped for another offense.

President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder admitted in May that they had not even read the bill after they came under fire for making comments criticizing its implementation. Not surprisingly, other liberal groups such as the ACLU and NAACP were quick to criticize. Also quick to condemn the bill was Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who stood on Capitol Hill and told our Congress that the bill would “open the door to intolerance,” even though Mexico’s immigration laws are far tougher than those in Arizona.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, who signed the bill on April 23rd, has been a hero in the fight against illegal immigration. She refuses to be pushed over by a federal government that refuses to confront such a pressing issue. She has repeatedly told President Obama to “do (his) job.”

Obama’s silence on the issue is simply a political calculation. He wants the Hispanic vote for the Democrats in the upcoming midterm election and for himself in his bid for re-election in 2012. In all reality, the Hispanic population, and the rest of the American people, overwhelmingly support Arizona’s tough immigration law.

According to a poll by Fox News last week, 55% of the American people would support a law like Arizona’s in their own state. Nine states, including Alabama, have signed a legal brief that was filed in the U.S. District Court of Arizona showing their support for state sovereignty on the issue of immigration.

Former Arizona governor and now Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, another puppet of the Obama administration, announced this month that the federal government will grant the state of Arizona a pathetic $13.8 million under Operation Stonegarden to fight its immigration problem.

Illegal immigration is a troubling issue for the safety of the American people.

Already, “sanctuary cities” throughout the country objectionably receive increased funding for housing illegal aliens. If the federal government’s reason for suing Arizona is specifically because of federal sovereignty on immigration, then cities like Los Angeles, New York City, Austin, Detriot and Seattle, who have passed legislation creating sanctuary policies, should also be sued by the federal government.

Also objectionable are states calling for a boycott of Arizona. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was for a legitimate cause, the British goods boycott of 1764 was for a legitimate cause, a boycott of Arizona by another state for simply trying to protect and secure its border is not only wrong, it’s un-American.

According to our great Pledge of Allegiance, we are “one nation under God, indivisible” and it appears we have completely strayed from that pledge. It’s time to get back to basics.

If we do not act soon, illegal immigration will only continue unabated. Our crime rate will rise due to an increase in drug smuggling and human trafficking, our fellow Americans in border states will continue to feel uneasy about their children’s safety at night and we will continue to allow individuals who are here illegally to live off of our tax dollars when they pay nothing in return.

Instead of trying to tie this whole issue up in endless legislation, we should find a way to secure our borders once and for all. The Obama administration cannot continue to make this a political issue. We need real solutions and not another lawsuit. It’s time we stand up as Americans and demand that our homeland be secure.

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