Starrick: Over the Border Line
Who will act to secure our safety?
Jesse Starrick, op-ed columnist
Issue date: 11/28/05 Section: Opinion
Illegal immigration and border security - two issues that go hand in hand and yet that our federal government refuses to address.
To be fair, there are a few members of Congress, like Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado), who have courageously and consistently pushed for something to be done about this crisis in America. And he may soon be joined by others.
Out in Orange County, California's 48th Congressional District, a special election is set to take place on Dec. 6 to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. Chris Cox, whom President Bush nominated to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Since Democrats are virtually non-competitive in this particular district, the race pits establishment Republican candidate and California State Senator John Campbell against independent candidate Jim Gilchrist, the founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Project (www.minutemanhq.com), which does the job along the U.S.-Mexico border that the U.S. government has thus far been unwilling to do.
In the primary this past October, independent Gilchrist had an impressive showing, garnering 27 percent of the vote to Campbell's 37 percent. Interestingly, the early absentee vote had Campbell at 52 percent and Gilchrist at only 6 percent.
As you might imagine, Gilchrist is a political conservative, running on an anti-illegal immigration platform, calling for immediate, sweeping reform of our border security policies.
It is time for others to join in this effort as well. It has always seemed puzzling that any politician in a post-9/11 world could argue about the importance of homeland security without addressing border security. The two are inextricably intertwined.
Some estimates place the number of illegal immigrants currently in the U.S. around 11 million, and some believe there may even be as many as 20 million illegals here. This is inexcusable.
As Gilchrist points out on his campaign website, "The supposed economic benefits from illegal immigration are not worth the costs to our economy, our security, and our principles."
Gilchrist further adds, "Illegal immigration is excused for economic reasons. Politicians in the pocket of special interests tell us our economy needs cheap, foreign, 'illegal' labor. In reality, a case can be made that illegal immigration drains our resources. Illegal immigration costs taxpayers an estimated $70 billion a year in subsidies for healthcare, schooling, welfare benefits, and domestic crime-fighting."
On top of all that, there are issues of human dignity that surround the practice of smuggling illegals into this country. Many who cross at the Southern border are often found, eventually, by the Border Patrol, in a state of dehydration and malnutrition. Women and children have been raped, and smuggled into the U.S. to serve as prostitutes, against their will.
And then there are terrorists, who could easily cross our open borders and wreak havoc on the U.S. in another planned, major attack.
These issues also bring into question what exactly we value as priorities for our nation.
Our government spends and exorbitant amount of money, time, and resources, in furtherance of our nation's War on Drugs at the border.
Border Patrol officers examine the shopping bags and trunk contents of loyal, tax-paying American citizens traveling back and forth from a day of shopping or leisure in Mexico with the strictest scrutiny, hoping to catch them with a little marijuana, or perhaps some anabolic steroids.
Meanwhile, 5 or 10 miles down the road, the border remains unguarded, so that any criminal, terrorist, or human trafficker can literally walk right in, and do us harm.
The bottom line is that the political correctness and sensitivity that has infected Washington, D.C. over the decades must end.
Some have called for constructing a fence along the 2,000 miles of southern border which, it is estimated, could cost the U.S. up to $8 billion. Considering the ridiculous things our government wastes money on, this would indeed be financial resources put to a good use.
Others have called for adding an abundance of Border Patrol officers to help secure America. Regardless of what solution you prefer, one thing is clear - the American people are out in front of the politicians on this issue, and it is about time they start listening and getting their priorities straight.
Columnist Jesse Starrick is an NCAS political science major.
To be fair, there are a few members of Congress, like Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado), who have courageously and consistently pushed for something to be done about this crisis in America. And he may soon be joined by others.
Out in Orange County, California's 48th Congressional District, a special election is set to take place on Dec. 6 to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. Chris Cox, whom President Bush nominated to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Since Democrats are virtually non-competitive in this particular district, the race pits establishment Republican candidate and California State Senator John Campbell against independent candidate Jim Gilchrist, the founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Project (www.minutemanhq.com), which does the job along the U.S.-Mexico border that the U.S. government has thus far been unwilling to do.
In the primary this past October, independent Gilchrist had an impressive showing, garnering 27 percent of the vote to Campbell's 37 percent. Interestingly, the early absentee vote had Campbell at 52 percent and Gilchrist at only 6 percent.
As you might imagine, Gilchrist is a political conservative, running on an anti-illegal immigration platform, calling for immediate, sweeping reform of our border security policies.
It is time for others to join in this effort as well. It has always seemed puzzling that any politician in a post-9/11 world could argue about the importance of homeland security without addressing border security. The two are inextricably intertwined.
Some estimates place the number of illegal immigrants currently in the U.S. around 11 million, and some believe there may even be as many as 20 million illegals here. This is inexcusable.
As Gilchrist points out on his campaign website, "The supposed economic benefits from illegal immigration are not worth the costs to our economy, our security, and our principles."
Gilchrist further adds, "Illegal immigration is excused for economic reasons. Politicians in the pocket of special interests tell us our economy needs cheap, foreign, 'illegal' labor. In reality, a case can be made that illegal immigration drains our resources. Illegal immigration costs taxpayers an estimated $70 billion a year in subsidies for healthcare, schooling, welfare benefits, and domestic crime-fighting."
On top of all that, there are issues of human dignity that surround the practice of smuggling illegals into this country. Many who cross at the Southern border are often found, eventually, by the Border Patrol, in a state of dehydration and malnutrition. Women and children have been raped, and smuggled into the U.S. to serve as prostitutes, against their will.
And then there are terrorists, who could easily cross our open borders and wreak havoc on the U.S. in another planned, major attack.
These issues also bring into question what exactly we value as priorities for our nation.
Our government spends and exorbitant amount of money, time, and resources, in furtherance of our nation's War on Drugs at the border.
Border Patrol officers examine the shopping bags and trunk contents of loyal, tax-paying American citizens traveling back and forth from a day of shopping or leisure in Mexico with the strictest scrutiny, hoping to catch them with a little marijuana, or perhaps some anabolic steroids.
Meanwhile, 5 or 10 miles down the road, the border remains unguarded, so that any criminal, terrorist, or human trafficker can literally walk right in, and do us harm.
The bottom line is that the political correctness and sensitivity that has infected Washington, D.C. over the decades must end.
Some have called for constructing a fence along the 2,000 miles of southern border which, it is estimated, could cost the U.S. up to $8 billion. Considering the ridiculous things our government wastes money on, this would indeed be financial resources put to a good use.
Others have called for adding an abundance of Border Patrol officers to help secure America. Regardless of what solution you prefer, one thing is clear - the American people are out in front of the politicians on this issue, and it is about time they start listening and getting their priorities straight.
Columnist Jesse Starrick is an NCAS political science major.