Sue for Citizenship

By now every man, woman, child and housepet has seen the pictures of illegal immigrants being apprehended after a high speed chase through three counties in New Mexico. The video taped incident made news headlines nation wide and the ambulance chasing lawyers were quick to run to the defense of the illegal immigrants.

Instantly these people were categorized as the new Rodney Kings. There is one glaring difference, however: Mr. King is a citizen of this country. He is therefore defended by the rights guaranteed in the Constitution and has thus been protected and rewarded by them.

The illegal immigrants are planning to sue, in a United States court, for ten million dollars. Perhaps if the officers in question were ordered to retire the suit would drop in cost to the county in question. It is no wonder that the people of the area want the deputies reprimanded. Maybe if the illegal immigrants ever see any of that good green currency they will pay for the damages caused by throwing pieces of the canopy, attached to the truck, all over the freeway. If the county is very lucky they will even get the speeding ticket paid.

The most ridiculous thing about the incident, the suit and the media's hyping of how bad the incident actually was, is that it is only a small portion of a larger problem--the salt on the margarita, if you will. The only reason the incident came to the forefront was the fact that it was caught on video tape. Illegal immigration occurs everyday and causes untold headaches for border patrol officials.

Instantly a cry of racism comes up whenever the immigration issue arises. For those who will label me as racist towards Hispanics, I would like to point out that Mexico is not the only border we share. From across the ocean we get loads of illegal Chinese immigrants. Before I get an ear bashing about my anti-Asian stance, it would enlighten people to find out that even Europeans, those with blond hair, fair skin and blue eyes, are illegally migrating to America as well (remember "Green Card"?). It is not just a problem on our southern border.

The problem itself is not a question of the worth of the individuals trying to cross the border or what they can give to American society. The problem is that we have only so much and there comes a point when we canšt take anymore. Malthus suggested this when he predicted that we would reach a level where the human population would no longer be able to adequately support itself. To maintain the standard of living that most Americans are able to acquire, the United States must keep immigration at a certain rate.

The strain on community and government services is a portion of the problem. When a legal immigrant arrives in this country they are usually destitute and unable to speak English at a proficient level.

The United States government makes services available for these people, expecting the volume of people to remain consistent with the limits set for immigration. There are quotas for the number of immigrants the United States can accept on a yearly basis. If America were a big candy store, the illegal immigrants would be the bullies stealing candy, leaving nothing but empty wrappers for the legal immigrants.

Some countries are granted more positions for immigrants than others depending on their population and other demographic factors.

When I was visiting my family in Saudi Arabia, the bus driver, who was from Bangladesh, leaped into the driver's seat as we were heading to the town center. He ecstatically cried, "I've been accepted, I've been accepted!" He had been accepted into a pool of applicants of which two percent (from tens of thousands) would be selected for entry into the United States. He had a small chance, but seemed satisfied.

A week ago, while walking to work, I ran into a recent immigrant from Africa who, incidentally, spoke the best English of any person I have met since living in Eugene. He was riding his old bicycle to a job interview miles away and needed instructions from me. After I directed him as best I could, I asked him where he was from and if he was new in town. He said he was. After questioning further, he told me it had taken him several years but he was finally granted residency here in the United States; he had been several years waiting for a chance at the American dream.

Even my own family has problems with the government and its granting of citizenship. My mother is forced to return to the United States on a regular basis to be granted a green card to be able to enter the country legally. Of course she does so and endures all the bureaucratic red tape in order to get in the country and see her family.

The pattern that you see developing is that all the aforementioned people are entering the country legally, going through the procedures that it takes to gain access to America. Once they arrive in the United States they have a difficult road ahead of them, but this, for most immigrants, is secondary to the fact that they have arrived. They have more to offer the United States, they add to a deeper labor pool, they add to the cultural diversity of the country and in return they receive the rights granted to them in the Constitution and the privileges of legal residents.

When Pat Buchanan and other political isolationists claim that we need to close our borders and crack down on illegal immigration, they are half right. Those that break the law should be dealt with accordingly. While I donšt advocate beating the crap out of someone, if this is what it takes, then so be it. The claim that we need to stop immigration altogether is stupid. Obviously immigration is beneficial to our country and culture.

Mass migrations of people can cause catastrophic problems, though. One would only have to look at the situation in Africa with the Rwandan refugees to see what mass movements of people will do. This is precisely why the United States has quotas on the number of people it allows in from a certain region.

Not only will the damage come in the form of a strain on resources, but there would be far reaching consequences with regards to the effect on the culture of the area affected. Imagine thousands of Germans spilling over into France on a daily basis; the language conflict would be the least problematic detail of this exodus. The racial tensions caused by mass movements of people to a certain area are apparent in almost every border state in this country.

The people of this nation have come from every cultural background in existence. The contributions of every nation constructed this country from its earliest inception. Their differences were set aside in times of conflict.

The United States is a very young nation; it has been strengthened by the peoples that came from abroad. The United States could suffer as a very young nation as well, if we have too many people arrive and donšt accommodate for the changes.

The problem of illegal immigration is not racial and the immigration procedure is not unfair. The United States is doing what it has to do, with regards to immigration, to keep the process regulated and not cause drastic strains on the standard of living of most Americans. However, it must do more.

The illegal immigrants must know that there is a right and wrong way to do things. Speeding through three counties while throwing parts of your vehicle at officers of the law is definitely not one of the right ways.

Gordon Gilbert writes for the Oregon Commentator