Who has taken it upon themselves to proclaim that our policy is inequitable and needs to be reformed? We can currently regulate any amount of legal immigration that we deem appropriate from time to time, so what is the purpose of immigration reform if not to simply achieve amnesty for the 12+ million illegal immigrants estimated to be here by making it appear as part of a larger more “comprehensive” program? It is about establishing amnesty pure and simple even though it will not be admitted in such context. Immigration reform would not even exist as an issue if this were not its true purpose, otherwise we would just continue with our current system of bringing immigrants in legally as we have already established.

This has been turned into an emotional issue by activists and supporting politicians alike. How could we not want to bring illegal immigrants out of the shadows and give them a path to citizenship? Who wants to frighten them by kicking in doors in the middle of the night and separating families, or to live with the stress of workplace raids and deportation? Putting emotions aside, these are consequences that illegal immigrants have brought on themselves by failing to respect our laws. They come here, work and stay illegally, with full knowledge of their intentions and the risks associated with it. Then upon the rare event that they get caught, out comes the startled disbelief and emotional arguments justifying themselves and the reasons why they should remain here, and many Americans are siding with them and their illegal conduct. It is surprising that this is the case, we are supposedly a nation of laws and this is clearly in violation of them, but many citizens are turning a blind eye to this wrongdoing anyway. No amount of justification, avoidance, reasoning, emotion, or redirection of blame is an acceptable excuse. There is no reason why our nation should apologize for enforcing its laws or for not sympathizing with those that are mocking them. This will certainly become a fiercely contested issue before long and justifications will surface once more in favor of these transgressions, and all the emotionally charged appeals will emerge yet again and divide the country.

The supporters of illegal immigration seem to have a strong advocate in our Congress with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi who recently addressed a group of illegals in support of their cause in spite of our laws. Our Speaker, the second person in the presidential line of succession, is speaking to illegal immigrants asserting that they are patriotic and our laws are un-American. How is it possible that someone in her position of authority can condone their actions while putting the blame on America? Is she sworn to protect them and their rights over the rights of Americans and our laws? There is a designation that describes a violation of allegiance owed by somebody to his or her country – an act of betrayal or disloyalty. This is considered to be treason, and its validity can be determined by individual opinion, but it sure makes you question her allegiance especially in light of the office she holds. It is okay if she disagrees with the law, and it is her responsibility to participate in the legislative process debating it, but she should never take sides against America in support of any non-citizen breaking our laws.

It has been promised that comprehensive immigration reform (amnesty) will be brought onto the agenda by President Obama in the near future, and strong opposition can be expected as demonstrated before. Recently, he has publicized that he wants to consult with Mexico on immigration reform, and it should include a path to citizenship for law-abiding people who entered the country illegally which is expressed as “undocumented immigrants who are in good standing” on his website. There are two thoughts that come to mind regarding these pronouncements. First, it is difficult to grasp the concept of a law-abiding illegal immigrant, the belief of this contradiction is exactly why this issue is legitimized in the first place, and secondly, when did it become necessary to consult Mexico regarding our immigration laws? The posture taken by the Administration reveals no resolve for the rule of law on this issue, and it will likely result in rewarding the illegal immigrants with citizenship.