illegal immigration

Last week, the Department of Justice sent a forceful letter to Alabama school districts reminding them that under Plyler v. Doe a state may not deny any child equal access to public education based on his or her immigration status. The letter, signed by Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, included a ten-point list of demands for enrollment information that must be submitted by November 14 and updated monthly.

The American Legion is the nation’s largest veterans’ organization. Chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a group made up of dedicated veterans, the Legion has become synonymous with patriotic activities including community parades and its famous amateur American Legion baseball teams.

The failure of the federal government to enforce our nation's immigration laws impacts the lives of increasing numbers of our citizens and lawful immigrants.  This impact has many manifestations but the most egregious of these manifestations involve illegal aliens who commit crimes that result in the death or serious injury of many victims.  Each and every death or serious injury committed by an illegal alien could have been prevented if the illegal alien who perpetrated that crime had been prevented from entering our country and then remaining in our country in violation of l

The question that forms the basis for my commentary addresses the fundamental aspects of the immigration issue.

The short answer to the question, "Why did the illegal alien run our border" is that there is no definitive way of knowing.  In this case, what we don't know can certainly harm us.  An alien who runs our borders is violating our nation's sovereignty and our nation's laws- laws that are being ignored by our federal government and those municipalities and states that have "Sanctuary" policies in place.

Governor Rick Perry, a presidential candidate with unwavering support for Texas’ version of the DREAM Act just proposed that the federal government should extend work visas that would allow illegal immigrants to move freely between the U.S. and their home countries. Then, in his next breath, Perry insisted that he opposes amnesty or any path to citizenship. [Perry Endorses Work Visas for Illegal Immigrants, Associated Press, November 3, 2011]

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has embraced the case of five Florida college students suing to pay in-state tuition versus out-of-state tuition, "Children of Illegal Immigrants Sue Florida Over State’s College Tuition Policy," http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2011/11/02/children-of-illegal-immigrants-sue-florida-over-states-college-tuition-policy/

There is a saying that, "Figures don't lie but liars can figure!"

Statistics are often used to as a metric to establish the effectiveness of a program.  Statistics can provide an appearance of total objectivity and being fact-based when nothing could be further from the truth!

There is yet another report that a US Border Patrol agent has been sentenced to prison for "mistreating" an illegal alien (U.S. border agent jailed for improper arrest of suspected drug smuggler, http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/25/border-agent-jaile-arrest-teen-drug-smuggler/).  The most recent incident involves a 15-year old illegal alien drug smuggling suspect.  Agent Jesus E. Diaz, Jr.

The title of my commentary could refer to a number of aspects of the immigration crisis that our nation is currently confronting and suffering from.  Certainly the number of illegal aliens who are present in our country has risen to unprecedented numbers or to put it in other words, the numbers of illegal aliens in the United States has ballooned.

However, for the purpose of this commentary, my use of the term balloon in conjunction with the immigration crisis, relates to the fact that immigration must be thought of as a closed system.

On October 12, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement held its long promised hearing on deferred action amnesty. The topic was officially labeled: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Priorities and the Rule of Law".