Are my ears playing tricks on me, or is that the sound of Governor Brewer’s still-beating heart I hear?
As Fox News Latino reports:
“Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer defended her order denying driver’s licenses and other public benefits to young undocumented immigrants while affirming that she doesn’t hate Latinos or immigrants.
Gov. Brewer said Tuesday she blames the federal government and parents for the immigration issue in the US as she defended her order denying benefits to those who get work authorizations under a new Obama administration policy. …
‘I think everybody in Arizona (and) across the country has compassion for those children that have been brought here illegally by their parents,’ Brewer said. ‘But it is not our responsibility. It is their parents’ responsibility. They need to follow the law.’ “
You get the sense with some nativists like Brewer that they understand the unfortunate facts of the matter, but that they don’t share the same principles as those fighting to make life easier for DREAMers — exactly the kind of children and former children Brewer calls on us to be compassionate towards.
I think it was Aristotle who warned that there’s no arguing with anyone who denies first principles. I’ll try, nonetheless.
Brewer and I agree that we must feel nothing but the utmost “compassion for those children that have been brought here illegally [or were made to stay here illegally] by their parents.” I, too, blame the parents and the federal government’s failed immigration system for raising a generation without a country.
Still, I disagree with Brewer on how to remedy the situation.
We should not send these kids back to their country of birth or make life in the United States so difficult for them that they opt to deport themselves. Many DREAMers can be rightly labeled “American,” having spent the majority of their lives in the United States and having been almost entirely molded by American society. There are even some DREAMers who have no memory of their place of birth whatsoever, nor have the slightest clue of what life is like there.
All these children and young adults need — in fact, what they’re owed — is the chance to make themselves American under the eyes of the law, to make themselves on paper what they already are in their hearts.
I also disagree with Brewer when she argues that the law cannot and should not do anything to improve the lives of DREAMers. The law is the law, Brewer and her supporters argue, as though U.S. immigration law were a gift from God delivered to us on stone tablets. Is the law so blind, so rigid, that it cannot differentiate between one circumstance and another, between the undocumented person who was brought here at the age of two by her parents and the undocumented person who sneaks across the border as an adult?
Whatever else the law is or isn’t, it must be just, first and foremost. The current prohibitions placed on undocumented Americans are certainly not just. All that’s left to do now is to change the law so that it is.
About Hector Luis Alamo, Jr.
OMFG everything you write is all based off of ideals born in the ether. Get your head out of the clouds. The reason we must do this to these poor young illegals is because women flocking from south america come and have what we call a staple child here and boom all the sudden they get free housing free healthcare food stamps etc. when us citizens don’t have the luxury of free healthcare or housing or food… So why then should someone who’s breaking the law be allowed to obtain those things. It’s simply unfair and we’re sorry that you’re parents don’t want to take responsibility for you but that’s not our fault. Come in the legitimate way and there won’t be any problems… some of these kids especially in areas like los angeles and Houston are recruited by gangs and in fact don’t adhere to american traditions and values so are they still our responsibility even then? No, and they should have never been the taxpayers responsibility in the first place.
When did she become so kind all of a sudden?
i still dont trust her .. rather trust a rattle snake
Amen
Gov Jan is amazing! We need more like her!
Hector will be writing the same 25 years from now as another generation tries to subvert our laws, plea for amnesty and recognition.
You guys (Mario & Lee Anthony) have inspired me!! I will be donating my time on Saturday to help DREAMers complete their applications for DACA. And I’m going to smile while I do it.
While it’s rather difficult to feel sorry for someone who willingly crossed the border and broke the law by choice, I can’t help but feel sorry for all those young adults who were brought here as kids. And i certainly don’t believe in blaming children for their parents actions. It’s like saying if a crack whore brought men home to sleep with them for money, then when she passes out the men go sneak into the daughter’s room and rape her, it’s the daughter fault she got raped. That’s insane. Why so much hate towards these innocent people? Because they are innocent. They did not willingly break any laws. And I know two young ladies who were brought here at the ages of 6 months and 2 years old. They are now in their early/mid 20s and still undocumented. That’s ludacris. One now is now married, has a daughter, has been working since she graduated high school to put herself through community college, pays taxes every year using and ITIN, pays for her health insurance, contributes to SS (something she’ll never be able to claim) and has taken nothing from the government. You expect her, after 25 years to just move to another country and leave behind her entire life? To a poorer country, raise her US citizen daughter there? Make her U.S born citizen husband move with her? What’s your solution? The way I see it the only thing that seperates her from any of you is not having a SSN. She is more American than some U.S citizens I know. There are bad examples out there that can always be pulled from each group, but I refuse to let those bad apples ruin it for everyone else who really does deserve it. To those who have commited crimes, you’re chance is done. We don’t want criminals here for sure. But the rest of them, let them stay.
Maybe if some of you people lived in latin America for even one month, you’d see why people cross illegally. That combined with the fact that hardley anyone can get a visa unless you’re a college grad, own land, have a considerable amount of money in the bank. Yeah, because we need hotel maids and landscapers to be rich, right? Oh, and many farmers went out of business after NAFTA and CAFTA so get to the core root of the issue before you criticize these people who just want to eat!
Coco: So it begs the question, why won’t these people work to reform their own countries? See, that is what Americans do here. We work to reform our system.
Lee, “the people” in latin american countries do not have a say. Yes, there may be elections, and some of the countries are better at the democratic process than others, BUT they have always struggled with this as a region. Corruption reigns in Mexico and Central America. Some of these places are still military based. Not gonna happen when corruption is in the way of democracy.
And the US cannot play Mr. Innocent in Latin America’s problems, either. We all know they took part in forcing certain leaders out of power and assassinating the ones that didn’t work with their agenda.
Coco – respectfully, I understand what you are saying, and knowing about the negative things that went on in the past, but as a nation in cultural and economic peril we cannot afford the influx of millions of more illegal waves to burden an already stressed system. You all might think we hate illegals but we don’t – I have no problem with immigration done legally – that’s American! But because things go wrong in those corrupt nations is no excuse for undocumented people to think they can freely come here an have all the resources available to them when our own legal citizens are struggling. And I know what will happen when we give amnesty to the millions here already – it will be in another 5 to 10 years when another wave of hundreds of millions will be demanding more amnesty. When does it end? We need to take care of our own (as selfish as that sounds) but that’s the way it is.
@Mario, I’m not sure what these “resources” are that you are claiming are so readily available for illegals to use, but that is just not true.If they are not even able to obtain a valid state ID, I’m not sure what makes you think they can apply for any government assistance of any kind. And as I said, that is not the case. But anyway, since you have so much information to offer, what do you think is the reasonable thing to do with the millions already here? How would you like this situation handled? And I said reasonable, so PLEASE don’t say self deportation…
Doesn’t hate Latinos, she said? She’s lying through her teeth. The fact that racial profiling is allowed and encouraged, and the fact that she doesn’t care about what happens to children of illegal immigrants, the fact that she willing passed a law to deny Latinos benefits and help and drivers’ licenses is more than enough to prove she’s a racist soulless devil. She is EVIL.
They can still get medical care (a lot of medical care) at public hospitals, the kids go to American public schools (tax payers pay for this – expensive) it all adds up after awhile, the clinics, schools, roads, and social services that are really meant for legal United States citizens. – can you imagine if we all went over to Mexico and did this? They wouldn’t like it.
A friend of mine said the following about this subject and it makes sense:
If someone breaks into your home, steals your food and money, they are considered criminals. Anyone in this country would prosecute a person for doing such a vile thing to their personal space and property.
So why are the feelings so different toward illegal immigration? They are breaking the laws by the standards we have set within the borders of the United States of America. By illegally coming into this country, they are coming into our “home,” using our resources and violating our laws. A person who does this, by our standards, would be a criminal, plain and simple.
In Iowa alone, illegal immigration costs the government $241 million—by “government,” I mean you and I pay for it. This money would be to cover education, health care and incarceration for illegal immigrants. The illegal immigrants who do pay taxes don’t cover the costs of the resources used, so we still lose. The continuous overpopulation of this country puts a strain on our water supply, our energy and our forestland. Though the number can’t be anything but a guess because of their illegal, untraceable status, on average there are more than 500,000 undocumented immigrants coming into this country every year.
Because the attitude in the Latino illegal alien community, and with the American Left to a large degree is kind of like this: Screw the gringos, the whites, the immigrants that do it by the book, and USA, let them pay for me and my family, they have plenty of money, and screw the American law, because we are entitled, we hate them really deep down inside for all the bad things they did to our peoples through history, and we must use them, and we will demand and ask for everything without apologies and in their faces, and if they don’t give it to us, we will call them racist, get lawyers to sue, and raise hell! And if we have to form gangs to protect ourselves, or steal identities of Americans, and try to use the system for our betterment, then so be it! We will just nod and smile, clean their houses, take care of their bratty kids, do their lawns, work in their restaurants, and keep on bringing our relatives and having kids like rabbits and pretty soon we will multiply 100 fold and be the majority and we will have power. Horale!
Giving these kids amnesty isn’t going to change a behavior. I was born and raised in East Los Angeles, CA and my entire life I’ve known Mexican nationals who have come to the U.S. to have their babies. Currently, I know of 20 foreign nationals that are in the U.S. illegally just to have their babies. For example… my sister lives in a duplex in East Los Angeles, and her neighbors are undocumented. It’s a family of 5… the 2 parents and 3 children (all attend public school). The parents have 2 additional daughters, 1 (also undocumented) is married with kids and lives here in the U.S. and the other daughter (pregnant) lived in Mexico (not married) until about 2 months ago when they decided to hire a “Coyote” to sneak their daughter into the U.S. to have her baby. The daughter had her baby about a month ago. Amnesty won’t change this behavior. Taking a hard line will. I wrote the following on one of your other articles entitle “Let the Arizona Law Go Into Effect.” My comment applies here as well.
“Why is it so hard for most of you to see that those who draw a hard line on illegal immigration just want our laws respected. It has nothing to do with racism, with being a bigot, with hating Mexicans, or “Hispanic/Latinos” (whatever artificial identity you want to use). This is about how we, the American people, can’t afford to continue to pay for the millions of uninvited guest we have been bestowed with. Come on… how many of you have had an uninvited guest in your home? You know the one… the one who shows up unexpected and takes advantage of your hospitality. There’s even a word in spanish that I’m sure you’re all familiar with… “Encajoso.” I bet your grandparents and parents all taught you that word. Who doesn’t know someone who fits that bill. I’ve met plenty in my life. There’s also a saying in spanish that says “Es una cosa la confianza, y es otra cosa el encanche.” It’s bad enough they thumb their noses at our laws, but then they start asking for entitlements? No muchachitos! Ya basta el encanche. No es justo que sigan siendo encajosos! Our immigration laws are not being enforced by the federal government nor are they being respected by foreign nationals who are here illegally. You can’t deny that foreign nationals are taking advantage of our broken system and this free for all has got to stop. There is no doubt that the Arizona Law is driven by anti-StopTakingAdvantageOfUs sentiment. Nothing more, nothing less”.