Heartwarming Story from the Border Battle
Manuel Jesus Cordova Soberanes rescued a child in the Arizona desert after the child’s mother died in a car accident. Cordova was an illegal immigrant in Arizona when we noticed the child alone. He came to the child’s aid and kept it warm for one night in the desert before they were rescued the following day by some hunters. Cordova was detained by the Border Patrol and voluntarily returned to Mexico without being deported. There has been some discussion about whether he should be granted the right to work in the United States. Some believe that he has earned that right, since he performed a great deed. I think he deserves to be given a visa. He has illustrated the ability to be compassionate towards others which is an excellent characteristic. It might be a stretch for him to receive a visa, but I believe the rules should be bent for his special case.
Language Battle
This is a very interesting debate. Should we make English the national language of the United States? I believe that immigrants can be an annoyance by not knowing the language, but they will eventually learn English. I think immigrants know that if they are fluent in English, then that gives them an advantage in society. Studies show that immigrants become more familiar with English the longer they live here. That seems obvious, but if that is the trend, then we just need to be patient with immigrants while they learn the language.
Is our government dedicated to deporting illegals?
I would say the answer to this question is no. The government sends out letters to companies who hire illegal immigrants tellling them that they will be fined for hiring illegal immigrants. A very alarming statistic was published in a recent GAO report. The number of notices sent out in 1999 was 417. However, in 2004 only 3 notices were sent out. If we really are serious about deporting illegal immigrant workers, then we need to be more dedicated to what we are doing. This statistic shows me that we are sending mixed signals to the companies hiring these illegal immigrants. The lack of notices being sent out shows that the government feels that our economy cannot survive without these illegal workers.
Outrageous Cost for Deportation
We have an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States currently. Many people believe we need to deport all of the illegal aliens. This is a good idea in theory, but could it work in reality? The estimated cost for deporting all of the illegal immigrants is around $94 billion. Our country is already in debt, so this option is not really feasible at this point. One of the biggest parts of this large price is actually detaining the immigrants. This idea will be a big topic in the upcoming election of 2008.
Guiliani Supports Virtual Fence
Rudy Guiliani mentioned a legitimate option to help control illegal immigration across our southern border. He said a physical fence in some places along the border makes sense, but a system of cameras in other spots on the border seems to be the best option. These cameras could be monitored by border officials. They could tell who was physically crossing the border and also who was approaching the border. I think this might be one of the best ideas to lock down our border from illegal immigrants. Rudy supports this system which may go into working order in January 2008. I think this system gives us the best chance to protect our borders.
Immigrants Continue to Surge on our Southern Border
Assaults on Border Patrol have doubled in the past two years. This increase is unacceptable for our country. The Homeland Security secretary maintains that we are trying to prepare our border police better, but the reality is that our border control is in shambles. How can we just continue to let the violence towards our border police increase? We need to take active steps to improve the protection of our country instead of just talking about what we are going to do in the future. For this situation, the future is now, and there is little room for error.
American Cultrue Threatened?
Is American culture threatened by increased immigration rates? I do not think our culture is affected by immigration on a large scale. I think certain communities along the border can be affected, but the country overall cannot be affected. It would take a serious influx of immigrants to change the face of an entire nation. I guess in theory it is possible, but the likelihood of that change actually happening is very small.
Where should we draw the line?
This story was just outrageous to me. A woman was detained by immigration agents while she was breast-feeding her child. She was put in jail while her daughter cried uncontrollably. I think this is so rediculous. No child should be denied food for any amount of time. The agents who did this should be relieved of their duties. I realize at some point the mother should have been detained, but to interrupt her breast-feeding her child is preposterous. I know they are supposed to “do their job,” but some exceptions should be made.
Should non-citizens be able to vote?
This is a very controversial issue in the United States today. This topic sparks heated debates between politicians. I think non-citizens should be able to vote only if they are in the country legally. We shouldn’t award the right to vote to those who entered the country dishonestly. However, those who went through the whole naturalization process should be given the right to vote. Some cities are allowing these legal non-citizens to vote in minor city elections. But should we let them vote in the Presidential elections? I believe so. They have earned the right vote by entering the country through legal means.
Border Patrol’s Role
There seems to be some confusion about what the objective of the Border Patrol should be. Should they just worry about terrorist actions, or should they be concerned with illegal immigrants? The answer to this seems obvious to me. They should be concerned with any type of immigration and smuggling. This includes terrorist actions as well. They are called the Border Patrol, so shouldn’t they protect our border from any number of actions? I believe so. This article informs us that the chief patrol agent says that the purpose of the Border Patrol is just to protect from terrorists. This is outrageous, and the purpose of the Border Patrol should be revised.
