Controlling Illegal Immigration not Racist

The process of assimilation into a new country requires several things. First, the person who choses to come to the new country must allow that the customs of the host country supersede those of his/her own. The guest, who presumably seeks to gain employment and/or citizenship, needs to become familiar with the customs, history and traditions of the new country. learning the host language, often a barrier to future success, must be tantamount to any other function if the guest is to appreciate and be appreciated in and by the host country.

Laws such as SB 1070 in Arizona and the new, much tougher law in Georgia are not racist in their nature or reasoning. They are meant to provide a legal solution for an illegal immigration policy that the Federal government has for decades turned a blind eye toward.

The nature that farmers complain that the labor in the fields is drying up in the face of immigrant fears over the law's implementation says two things: Some workers are here in violation of immigration law, and some employers are lax in validating worker eligibility. The need to control immigration as a means to control state expenditures, health care costs and other costs associated with managing a large undocumented worker population is critical. This is especially true in the current economic climate where these costs often come at the expense of roads and other infrastructure improvements necessary to support the existing, legal population.

It is not racism to require proper documentation of foreigners who seek employment in the U.S. The number of people who seek to enter this country counts in the millions per year. Immigration must be balanced between the desire to allow people to come to this country a chance at a better life (compared to their home country) and the need to facilitate immigration at a rate that does not incur undue burden to the existing taxpayer base.

Unbridled immigration, a path to citizenship or outright amnesty are recipes for disaster to state programs already facing economic collapse. If there is to ever be a solution to the immigration problems facing the United States, it must start with a policy to discourage illegal border crossings.

I support guest worker programs, whereby employers may ask for certain work skills to be allowed into the U.S., contingent upon successful background checks and employer sponsorship. Guest worker programs should have as a component and automatic deportation for any crimes committed in the U.S. with permanent barring to reentry for felony/drug related crimes. If you are here legally, you should have no fear of institutional racism. If you are here illegally, you should make your way to another country. Come through the correct door and be welcomed.