Current immigration laws encourage illegal immigration

As the government shutdown continues over President Trump’s funding request of $5 billion for the border wall, Crying Chuck and Speaker Pelosi have come up with many reasons to deny this funding even though it is less than .125% of the total budget. Arguments against the wall are not grounded in fact.

Let’s examine the claim that walls are immoral. This is a false narrative. Extrapolating that logic, are vaults in banks immoral? Are barriers and checkpoints at airports immoral? Is the presence of police immoral? Is military immoral? Are ancient fortresses a symbol of immorality? Are doors on our homes immoral? Walls and other barriers intended to keep people out mean one simple thing: there is something special inside which is valuable enough to be protected!

To be sure, a wall is just one component of a broader solution. Homes in gated communities still need doors with locks. Likewise, we cannot stop illegal immigration unless we reform the loophole-ridden immigration laws. For instance, today all one needs to do is walk across the border and proclaim “asylum” and they are in. Bring along a child, any child, and we have to let them in; otherwise, we hear deafening screams about the immorality of separating children from their parents. Place them in a holding area, and we hear screams that people are treated less than human. “Catch and release” is a free pass into America. From driver licenses to sanctuary cities, we have actively encouraged illegal immigration. When Illegals have children, those children are automatically granted US citizenship. Birthright citizenship was enshrined in the constitution to give rights to slaves who were forcibly brought into this country, not those who came into this country voluntarily by breaking laws.

Once an illegal alien enters the country, they will have access to a plethora of benefits. Show up at a hospital, and you get free medical care. Show up at a school, and you get free instruction (including lessons for English as a Second Language) along with nutritious meals. States get rewarded as census counts everyone, including illegals. Illegals file for taxes, claim children that don’t exist or claim children who live in their home countries and get tax credits (Source: WTHR/NBC- Indianapolis). They can ship cash out to their home country without any restriction. As you can see, the current immigration system is riddled with loopholes for illegal entry and filled with rewards post-entry.

One final point: The costs of illegal immigration are significant. It’s not doctors, lawyers and scientists who are running across the border. Low-skilled Illegal immigration hurts America’s ability to compete globally. In a world where Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing are the wave of the future, America needs to stop importing low-skilled illegal immigrants who bring down wages and take away jobs from blue-collar Americans. That doesn’t even start to address crimes committed by the illegals, a topic better saved for a later time.

As for funding the wall, immigrants send billions of dollars to their country of origin. In 2016, $138 billion was sent by migrants to their home countries (Source: Pew Research), with $48 billion going to Central America ($28 billion to Mexico alone). A 25% tax on remittances to Central America and Mexico will more than pay for border security, including the wall. Fair share, anyone?