-By Vince Johnson
Remember Elian Gonzales? The young Cuban boy who came to America illegally? He and his mother were two of fourteen people trying to reach Florida in a small boat with a faulty engine. His mother lost her life on the way. He was one of three survivors. Attorney General Janet Reno determined he was here illegally, and with Bill Clinton’s approval, directed the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to send him back to Cuba. Eight SWAT agents from the INS were ordered to raid the home where Elian was living with relatives. The SWAT team wore bullet resistant vests and they were armed with fully loaded automatic rifles. None of those in the house were armed. Elian was forcibly removed and within days, he was returned to his father in Cuba.
There is a question here, and I’m not sure anybody is prepared to answer it: If it takes a highly trained, heavily armed, eight man SWAT team to forcibly remove an eight year old child from his unarmed relatives, how many will it take to apprehend *eight million illegal immigrants? *Source: US Census Bureau 2000
Let’s say one qualified INS agent can apprehend five adult illegals a day. This means it would take around 55,000 agents 30 days to round up 8 million illegals. Where do they take them? How do they transport them? Who feeds them while they are processed? Where are they to be housed? How much is all of this going to cost? Oops! This is 2007! This is seven years after the US Census Bureau estimated only 8 million illegals! What happens if it turns out there are actually 12 million illegals as many sources claim?
Now we are getting down to reality. Where are we going to get 55,000 INS agents? Where do we get the money and facilities to train them, arm them, and pay their salaries?
After millions of illegals are apprehended, the hearings and trials will begin. The Department of Justice will represent the people and the defense lawyers will represent the immigrants. The DOJ will introduce evidence about border security involving INS agents, inspections and arrests and on and on. The defense will counter that the US efforts to keep illegals from crossing the border were insignificant.
The defense will also claim that America entrapped these people by luring them here, giving them jobs, caring for them when they are ill, educating their children, granting citizenship to their babies born here, giving them credit cards, driver’s licenses, housing them while harvesting our crops, and on and on.
Later, the defense will remind the jury how America defended the borders of South Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Pakistan, Iraq and many others. The reality is clear. In comparison to our efforts to protect foreign borders all over the globe, our attention to security along the Mexican border has been so pathetically ineffective it became an irresistible invitation for millions seeking to live and work in America.
Can’t you see a lawyer reminding the jury how resolute and efficient we were when deporting an illegal immigrant only 8 years old? Then ask them to compare this with how we exploited millions of illegals all over America for several years?
There will be weeks and months of testimony and after lengthy summations, the jury will commence deliberating. Eventually the jury, if it isn’t hung, will decide one way or another. Whatever the decision, there will be an appeal. As you know, appeals can take years.
No matter the outcome. There is one clear cut reality not a single one of us can avoid: If this immigration issue does not have some common ground for all to stand on, we will eventually find a final and everlasting solution beneath it.
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Vince Johnson welcomes comments. Please send them to,Vince Johnson(vjadtrak@centurytel.net)
Vince Johnson welcomes comments. Please send them to,Vince Johnson(vjadtrak@centurytel.net)
See Vince in the new book Americans on Politics. Policy, and Pop-Culture.
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