What about American citizens?

Fairfield Daily Republic October 13, 2011
Does citizenship matter anymore?
By Kelvin Wade

This past weekend, Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB130 and AB131, the co-called California DREAM Act. The most controversial aspect is that it allows undocumented students to obtain financial aid, including community college fee waivers and Cal Grants, to go to college. A Republican legislator promises to bring a referendum before the public to repeal the act.

Who on Earth thought it would be a good time to enact an entitlement program for illegal immigrants in the middle of economic hard times? If we have to hike tuition, cut education and cut services all the while bringing in less revenue, where do we find the money to give to illegal immigrants?

Proponents were well-intentioned. Illegal minors are already here and federal courts have ruled that we have to provide a K-12 education for them. This makes sense in that we don’t want to build a permanent underclass or have these minors resort to crime. But good intentioned or not, a statewide DREAM Act goes too far.

It’s a program similar to one in Texas that has sunk Gov. Rick Perry’s presidential campaign.

The bill’s author, Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), tried to make it as palatable as possible to the masses. Illegal immigrant students would have to spend at least three years in California schools and graduate from high school to qualify. They would have to begin the process toward legal residency or swear to. And their applications would only be serviced after all legal residents are served first.

But most Californians would probably rather see those funds go to citizens rather than people here illegally.

Critics like NorCal tea party spokeswoman Ginny Rapini say, “What part of illegal do we not get?”

But the truth is our government doesn’t consider illegal immigration a high-priority problem. In fact, according to Title 8 Section 1325 of the U.S. Code, it’s a misdemeanor. It’s the equivalent of getting a ticket from Fairfield police for playing your stereo too loud and not paying it or showing up for court.

From Ronald Reagan’s amnesty to George W. Bush’s failed immigration reform to President Obama’s current challenge to Alabama’s strict immigration law, the feds don’t want to stop illegal immigration. Why? Business wants the cheap labor pool and politicians want Hispanic votes.

That’s why we have the states freelancing.

But beyond the specifics, it’s the message this sends. This can’t help but be a magnet to others waiting to cross our borders illegally. And what’s to stop someone from earning a degree and going back to their home country, depriving us of tax revenue? Taxpayers could end up financing our own brain drain.

Proponents say we shouldn’t “punish” students whose parents brought them here. We already provide a K-12 education and allow in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. How is that punishment? And perhaps parents need to think of these things before they enter the country illegally.

We should be demanding comprehensive immigration reform from the federal government. It starts with border security and then can move to a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for those here.

We must do this or else what’s the value in being an American citizen? Is it just the right to vote? Is it to know whom to root for during the Olympics? Why would anyone want to become a member of a club if most of the perks of the club are given to nonmembers? What’s the point? Peace.

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ADDITIONAL NOTES: We have to do comprehensive immigration reform. What that means is we have to devise a way to shut down illegal immigration at the border. The Obama Administration is already deporting record numbers of illegal immigrants from jails. We could step that up. We need a guest worker program because what Georgia found out when they passed a strict law was their crops rotted in the fields. We can't deny that we benefit from cheap labor. Call it what you will but if you eliminated folks working in agriculture, meat packing and hospitality industries, we would see higher food prices, higher hotel prices etc... So we need a guest worker program. We need a path to citizenship for those here that will require them to pay a fine, learn English, get in line behind legal immigrants, have a clean criminal record. It's going to require a system of registration for a certain time period. Anyone unregistered is deported. Anyone hiring anyone not in the guest worker program is heavily fined. That's how I would do it. But if states set up incentives without this other stuff in place, it will draw more people here.

I know some people just want to deport illegal immigrants. Period. That's a legitimate point of view. I just don't think it's practical. I don't think it would be possible at this point. But as I point out in my column it makes one wonder how much are we going to give noncitizens? How far are we going to go?

I love immigrants. If you have a chance, see the HBO documentary "Citizen U.S.A." The legal immigrants in that will make you proud to be an American. But I feel we do a disservice to those folks if we're going to grant the same rights to people here illegally with no sanction.