The Current Immigration Reform Bill Will Do More Harm Than Good

Nothing is more difficult for a Republican supporter of our President than to disagree with him publicly.  However it is because I am a strong supporter and a Latino that I have no choice but to do so.

For years we have known that the illegal immigration problem is out of control.  For years there has been a lack of political will to deal with the issue.  So before criticizing my president and some of my fellow Republicans in Congress I must first congratulate them for taking on this important fight.  It’s unfortunate that their approach to solving the problem falls so far off its intended goals.

Perhaps the reason for being astray stems from the fact that this immigration bill was cobbled by some senators and special interest groups outside the normal open and customary legislative processes. As it turns out they had good reason for their secrecy.  They knew that granting de facto amnesty to more than 12 Million people who entered this country illegally was not going to be well received by law abiding citizens and legal immigrants in our country.

It’s no wonder that within the past several weeks people from all walks of life across the nation rose up in defeat of this Senate bill.  Yet it is not entirely dead.  The president and some senators not having given up at this very moment plan a revival.

On many national issues including the global struggle against an enemy that seeks our destruction I support our President. Yet where it concerns the security of our border where we face a national security crisis that threatens our nation’s sovereignty I can only hope to instruct our president in the direction our country should pursue. Much respect is the due to the president for his willingness to address this issue as opposed to leaving it to future administrations.

He shows great courage and principle. The immigration reform bill currently in Congress is not a solution.  In fact in its current form this bill does more harm than good and it sends a dangerous message to friends and foes alike: “Ignore our laws long enough and we will eventually forgive you.”

No matter how this bill is framed it grants amnesty to those who chose to enter our country by breaking the law. Let me be clear: amnesty is wrong and is not the solution.

Like my parents there are many who entered our country respecting the rules and the laws of entry. They came to embrace the American way of life; its freedoms; its opportunities; its values; language; history and traditions all the while knowing that the success of America is in its tradition of the rule of law its common language and the Constitution. When we begin to discard one or the other of these tenants of our society we tear away the very fabric of that which makes us a nation.

It is highly offensive that the immigration bill permits millions to cheat and jump in front of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been waiting for years to start their American dream the legal way. To punish these law-abiding immigrants by rewarding illegal trespassers is an outrage to our country’s values traditions and laws. There is such abject abuse of our borders that the problem of illegal entry is a crisis. To solve it we must first secure our border and then address the reasons some immigrants seek to come to our country outside the law: employers that knowingly violate the law in our country. They too should face consequences along with the trespasser for they have made themselves part of the problem.

The Government of Mexico bares much of the blame for the influx of illegal immigrants since they have failed to enact the reforms necessary to better the lives of its people. We are being abused by our “Good Neighbor” who is too corrupt to see to the humanitarian needs of its own people. Mexico benefiting from the windfall of income has shown no desire to be part of a solution; rather it sees only an opportunity for more abuse.

Our nation is the envy of the world. It is no wonder why so many people wait for upwards of 5-10 years to become part of our country. Our heritage of legal immigration and our open door to the desperate peoples of the world does not create a right in all people to come into our country at their will; nor should our nation be a repository for populations from dysfunctional governments who refuse to tend to their basic needs.

The president and congress would do well to remember that American citizenship is a gift that the nation bestows at its will and should never be a reward for illegal behavior.

Francisco “Quico” Canseco is a resident of San Antonio and a second generation Texan. His father and mother both immigrated from Mexico arriving in the early part of the 20th Century.

Mr. Canseco is an attorney and sits on the board of the Hondo National Bank in Hondo TX. He is currently seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat Ciro Rodriguez in the 23rd Congressional District of Texas.