First, I should probably begin with a disclaimer. I refer to myself more and more as a Libertarian, but I do not adhere to every tenet. One of the areas I apparently depart with many Libertarians on is borders. I do not believe in pure "open boarders," and I guess I should explain why.
The Preamble to the Constitution establishes that the people ordained our system of government to, among other things, "provide for the common defence [sp]." From the Federalist Papers, we know that the Founders believed that a stronger central government was more capable of handling this responsibility than a weak confederation of states. That is one of the many reasons they advocated the people giving up a portion of their liberty for the stronger Constitution over the weaker Articles.
A government cannot defend those who have granted it its authority (the people via the consent of the governed) without first delineating and securing the boundaries of the territory it plans to defend (that territory claimed by the people for their exclusive use). For the government, this means not only keeping out invading armies, but also ensuring that those who enter from without have been properly vetted for the protection of those within.
Our world today is a global one, there is no denying it. People will come to the United States to visit, to work, to learn, and to live. We cannot completely shut off our borders, and I am not advocating that. But despite our global world, it is a dereliction of duty by the government (upon which we have bestowed power) to fail to provide for rigorous checks at the borders.
I understand that many of those who seek to enter are seeking opportunities they cannot find in their native lands. I do not propose denying them those opportunities. I believe that opportunity is what brought many of our relatives to America. I do, however, propose ensuring that all who wish to enter, and especially all who wish to make a life here permanently, are not a danger to the people of the United States.
I will also not deny that our current immigration system is broken, and in need of reform. Those we have elected seem to have no real interest in fixing it, other than as a political talking point for votes. Many factors play in to that, from misguided liberal beliefs to perceived capitalistic needs. But how can we demand that the government protect us (a misguided demand, but one for another rant) and still cry that attempts to secure borders are racist.
Personally, I don't care if the illegal alien is Mexican or Irish, Iraqi or Italian. There are rules. You may not like them, but they are there, and your legal options are to obey them or change them. Ignoring them because you don't like them is illegal. That is not a question, it is a statement. Stop acting shocked that a criminal got arrested.
So what do we need to do? Well, we probably need to take a serious look at our system for allowing in guest workers. This could have many positive benefits, including protecting those that come here to work, instead of forcing them into the shadows where they can be exploited. There is obviously a demand signal for their labor, and there is obviously a labor force willing to fill it. There is also obviously a serious gap between the demand signal and the legal way of filling that signal. There should also be a way for a guest worker to apply for citizenship. There is absolutely no reason why a wage level guest worker should have less of a chance at the American dream than a white collar worker from an immigration standpoint, PROVIDED they have followed the rules to come here. We also need to take a look at the citizenship process altogether.
We need a way to balance our security with our economic, growth, and humanitarian desires. This will demand a top to bottom re-evaluation of our immigration system, and it needs to be predicated on the assumption that our elected leaders care about our borders, and will enforce the laws that we establish to govern them.
