Hold It on the Sympathy

                                                By John Vinson

With the federal government now making at least a slight effort to enforce immigration laws, illegal alien advocates are straining with all their powers to stop it. They and their friends in the media are manipulating as much sympathy as possible for illegals who have suffered the gross indignity of actually paying a penalty for breaking the laws of our land. True to their skills as propagandists, these advocates cherry-pick the most heart-rending stories of illegal residents being rounded up and deported.

            And indeed some of these stories are pitiful. But before we bite the sympathy bait, let’s do some reality checks. To begin with, just what is the alternative to enforcing our laws? With no enforcement we send the message to the peoples of the world that our country is theirs for the taking. One recent study indicates that half-a-billion folks worldwide might like to come here. And if we give them the green light, and they come, what pitiful stories will our grandchildren tell about their lives in a balkanized, overcrowded, impoverished America? Let’s consider both sides of the compassion ledger before we dole out our charitable sentiments too quickly.

            Also, let’s be aware that the down-and-out foreigner might not be so sympathetic if he had the upper hand. Just two years ago hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens pridefully marched through our cities demanding legal status and other benefits. Fortunately, their arrogance triggered a backlash among Americans which culminated in defeats of the amnesty bills of 2006 and 2007. After those stinging setbacks, the illegals and their supporters retreated to lick their wounds.

            But if we let up on the pressure, their sadness will turn to arrogance once again. By refusing to enforce our laws and affirm the worth of our citizenship we simply invite their contempt. And we also invite more of them to come here. In time, especially if amnesties are granted, those numbers will translate into social and political power—the power to dominate. To illustrate this point, consider the experience of Americans over and over again when illegal aliens begin arriving in U.S. communities. At first the newcomers are quite pleasant, as humble and docile as can be, but when their numbers reach a critical mass, the humility fades, and swagger and demands soon follow.

            Another reason we should not be too quick to extend our typically American sympathy for the perceived underdogs in this case is that while they may seem lowly, they are not alone. They are key and integral players on a powerful team which certainly makes underdogs of average Americans. Behind the rank-and-file of illegals is the vast wealth and influence of foundations, corporations, political interests, ethnic supremacy groups, and foreign governments. There is no way to defeat these kings and queens, who mean no good for our country, if we do not capture and deport their pawns.

             It is not as if we Americans have been ungenerous to foreigners. For decades we have been generous to a fault, allowing the highest sustained legal immigration levels in our history and granting successive amnesties to millions of illegal aliens. We cannot continue this misguided “compassion” indefinitely. Even those who value immigration above all else might reflect that immigrants will gain nothing from coming here if their massive numbers simply recreate what they ran away from.

            In any case, it is not the interests of immigrants that should come first for Americans. It is a total inversion of morality to say that parents should put the interests of other peoples’ children before the interests of their own children. The same applies to esteeming foreigners more than one’s own countrymen.