Immigration Is Not National Security: Lack of It Imperils the Nation

Policy Review ^ | Dec 2006 | Mary Eberstadt

[arnoldfwilliams]

In sum, the insistence by impassioned theorists that illegal immigration south of the border is the pre-eminent problem of our time makes perfect sense — or would, had those been Salvadoreans piloting airplanes on 9/11, Guatemalans bankrolling their efforts, Hondurans plotting attacks on the subways and government buildings of Europe, and Mexicans across the global labor diaspora plotting how to bring down the American government, presumably by poisoning our gardens and toilets. If you do not think that is the way it went down, then Occam's razor dictates this: The sheer volume of emotion on the subject of illegal aliens makes most sense as a manifestation of denial about who would really like to see the end of the American republic — as it turns out, one form of many now circulating.

[arnoldfwilliams]

Of course, we have the silly theorists here who get all worked up about the Mexican Border, where infiltration by Islamists is not much of a hazard, and forgetting about Canada, where it is.

[cripplecreek]

We've also got some real geniuses here who choose to ignore captures of islamics crossing the southern border.

[Izzy Dunne]

ignore captures of islamics crossing the southern border.

I don't mind ignoring the captures; it's the ones they DON'T capture that worry me.

[Monterrosa-24]

Even if no Mohammedan fanatics were crossing the southern border we still need a real border.

El Salvador is my second home but the culture there is NOT our culture. It would also be good for El Salvador is a few Salvadorans stayed there. As for Mexico, it is big enough to send us over two million per year and keep growing within its borders.

[Old_Mil]

Crossing the northern border far away from our cities is not an easy task due to the weather part of the year, the vast distances involved and the possibility of running into large animals.

Crossing the southern border, where an established network of smugglers exists, the population density is greater, and far more legal and illegal hispanics live (making blending in more likely) is the better strategy for Muslims.

...one that they do use on an ongoing basis, by the way.

[sheana]

This guy should move into one of the shacks in the part of my city that looks like Mexico and see how long he lasts. His chances of being the victim of an illegal would be much greater than his chances of being hit by an Islamic terrorist.

[ApplegateRanch]

We've also got some real geniuses here who choose to ignore captures of islamics crossing the southern border.<

...and who don't see identity theft, human trafficing, drug running, importation of foreign gang-wars, community blight, $ucking-up of tax dollar$ for benefits to illegals, and all the other ills of illegal immigration as any kind of threat, economic or otherwise.

[libbylu]

Call me worked up. The southern border is fair game, everyone in every cave knows it's easy to get in thru that border.
This is what kills me: the apparent premise of the article ----- IT'S NOT IMMIGRATION, IT IS THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION!

[DTogo]

we have the silly theorists here who get all worked up about the Mexican Border

Yeah, why get "all worked up about" a few tons of narcotics, a few hundred human slaves being smuggled, a few dozen rapes, a few dozen murders EACH WEEK!

[fr_freak]

Of course, we have the silly theorists here who get all worked up about the Mexican Border, where infiltration by Islamists is not much of a hazard, and forgetting about Canada, where it is.

For some reason, we seem to have a number of people around here who don't think that we can secure our borders AND deal with Islamic fascism at the same time, or that one effort will help the other.

[cripplecreek]

I am concerned about the Canadian border because I only live about 70 miles away BUT....Canada actively attempts to control their border while Mexico actively encourages human smuggling.

The last estimate I saw on illegals from Canada was in the thousands while estimates from Mexico are in the tens of millions. I guarantee it would be easier for a muslim to hide among millions.

[From One - Many]

The author Mary Eberstadt is either dumb as a rock or has an agenda. I'm willing to bet she has an agenda.

[GrandEagle]

EVEN IF there were not a single terrorist coming across our Southern Border (A BIG if); Stopping the willful, deliberate colonization of our country by a foreign power would be a primary function of our Government.

We are being invaded, while not a military invasion, it is an invasion non-the-less.
It is a violation of our Constitution for the Federal government NOT to stop it.

Article IV, Section 4
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion;
and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.

[From One - Many]

it would be easier for a muslim to hide among millions.

They are hiding among the millions, even learning spanish to try and pass themselves off as mexicans. The FBI director has said as much. Plus, IMHO, the mexicans have decided to wage war against the US of A by their own actions of a criminal illegal invasion, but many refuse to see the truth.

[Hugin]

Why is it the same country club Pubs who tell us that we need illegals to fill jobs also tell us raising the minimum wage will make it impossible for entry level workers to find jobs? Maybe if there weren't 20 million or so illegals and their kids flooding the job market, we wouldn't need minimum wage increases, because in a real job market supply and demand would work to keep wages adequate.

[Charles Martel]

In a recent issue of Car & Driver magazine, there was an article about the "car-boat" contraptions which have been sailed from Cuba toward the Florida coast. It seems that two such craft stopped by U.S. Coast Guard over a span of a year or two were both the handiwork of one determined man.

I guess the third time was the charm for that Cuban, because he was interviewed by the magazine's columnist after finally making it to U.S. soil - via the Mexican border. The entire world knows about the "easy way in", so we shouldn't be surprised when someone far worse than even the MS-13 thugs eventually makes use of it.

Perfect border security is not attainable - but there's no excuse for failing to make the bad guys work just a little bit harder at getting in. None.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

According to those theorists and this movement, the threat to our civilization and way of life — such are the terms in which the discussion has been framed — is plain. The foreigners we must focus on most, those who according to some are a dagger aimed at our civilization, those whom we must do everything in our power to keep out of our country because of the harm they intend us, are . . . no, not immigrants from the demographic and cultural risk pool associated worldwide with Islamism, but rather those from somewhere else: specifically those working-class, poor, Spanish-speaking, largely Christian migrants from Mexico and other points south who break U.S. immigration laws by crossing the border in search of work.

For those who do not get dirt under their fingernails, you should understand that immigration is the ax by which capitalists hack the wages of labor and the bludgeon by which the Marxists beat the taxes out of the ordinary man. The ordinary man asked for neither and has every moral right to rebel against the two.

[sheana]

Well there may be a connection to terrorism from illegals streaming across our borders......or there may not.

That should NOT be the only premise for stopping illegal immigration. The argument about no terrorism is just another way of confusing the issue. There are many reasons for stopping illegal immigration, whether or not terrorism is one of them.

[cripplecreek]

Plenty of people have suggested terrorism as a possible reason for the seemingly endlesss string of food poisonings.

Islamic terrorism is a possibility but I tend to suspect retaliation from the illegals. In either case it fits the description of terrorism in my opinion.