PagesLike a great many issues, the problems facing San Diego, and many other parts of the Southern United States regarding Illegal Immigration and Border Security appear on the surface to be cut-and-dry. Law makers and even some of our media personalities suggest that it is really simple. The illegal immigrants don’t belong here, and so they shouldn’t be given things like health care, educations, and diver’s licenses. True enough. But that doesn’t make the issue easy.
Currently our borders are being crossed practically at will, or so the numbers being reported would suggest. An Assembly committee recently rejected, by 4-2 vote, proposed constitutional amendments seeking to deny a series of benefits to illegal immigrants and create a state border police force. The committee also voted 5-2 to reject an amendment by Assemblyman Ray Haynes, and R-Murrieta, that would create a California state border police force to supplement federal efforts to enforce immigration laws, including the ban on hiring illegal immigrants.
The rejections were mainly based on the constitutional questions, and that the solutions as proposed could actually increase state costs. It was voiced and that the two lawmakers should be complaining to President Bush about inadequate immigration enforcement, since border protection was a Federal issue.
While this may be true the US-Mexico border has become a huge crime issue. If only the illegal immigration problems were the ones being addressed, perhaps drastic measures like those proposed would be not be so attractive. However Arizona and New Mexico have both reached states of emergencies on their borders and California doesn’t look far behind.
Drug trafficking, violence and trafficking in humans is reaching an all time high. Nearly 6,500 children were arrested at California border crossings in the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, 2004, a 17 percent increase from the previous year, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection bureau’s San Diego office. These children authorities say, suffer the alarming practice of immigrant smugglers stuffing them in all kinds of vehicle compartments, including trunks, dashboards, engines and even gasoline tanks.
“We all have talked about the importance of really securing the borders,” Schwarzenegger told KFMB’s Rick Roberts during a recent talk radio interview referring to Schwarzenegger’s recent talks with Mexican Officials and the Governors of Arizona and New Mexico.
“It is not just the flow of illegal immigrants that are coming over here, but it is also the drug trafficking that is going on, the violence that is going on at the borders and the human trafficking,” he said.
Schwarzenegger said he would only consider declaring a state of emergency along California’s border with Mexico “if there’s a need.”
“Right now, we are having things somewhat under control, so there was no reason for it yet,” he said. “If there is a reason for it, we definitely would do that.”
Rick Roberts also spearheads a movement, asking for volunteers to photograph or video tape companies who pick up ‘illegal workers’. They do this at known gathering places for those who are willing to work as cheap labor. Most of these people work for less than minimum wage, typically homeless, those who can not hold a regular job for one reason or another and yes, illegal immigrants as well. How Rick Roberts’ volunteers decide who is illegal to work in the US and who is not, is not quite certain.
There are however plenty of places in San Diego where one doesn’t have to worry too much about certainty. Many believe that the border problem is, … well… down on the border, which simply isn’t a realistic image. What brings the real image home are the Immigrant Camps around Rancho Penasquitos, Carlsbad and even further north in parts of Oceanside. After visiting one of theses encampments for the Rick Roberts Show, Andy Ramirez had a whole different story. “I was overwhelmed at how large the encampment was, and the fact that this was mere yards away from an elementary school in Rancho Penasquitos. There were tent city-like areas all over. This is not even close to the border, and you’d think you were in the middle of Tijuana.”
It is not just Mexican citizens who cross the southern border illegally. The border jails are filled to overflowing with people coming from China, Poland, Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador and many other places in the world. These Non-Mexicans often stay in the jail for over 89 days on the average, waiting for paper work and documents from their counties. Because of this, often non-Mexican border crossers are often simply released. Under Federal guidelines anyone with a record of violent crimes must be jailed, and those from 35+ “special-interest” countries are detained and processed as well. With only 19,444 beds however, the Border Patrols have had to start being a bit picky about whom they accept.
The problems stem even into our own society, in the shape of vigilante groups like the Minutemen. A Minuteman from San Fernando Valley said at the recent Anti-Illegal Immigration Forum held at Carlsbad High School, that sanity on the border is a priority, “no matter what the solution!”
No matter what the solution?
The supporters chanted such slogans as “No open borders,” “Go back home,” and “Speak English.” Some waved flags and all joined in to sing God Bless America. “Twenty-four million illegal aliens bring disease, chaos, and social unrest into our country,” said San Diego resident Fred Smith, “costing American taxpayer billions a year.” A member of the Minuteman Project infiltrated the group of protesters and assaulted a 17-year-old Mexican male.
There were several Anti-Illegal Immigration speakers at the Forum, but no speakers from any opposing views, which made the event more of a staged rally than a public forum. The contingent of policemen from Carlsbad, Oceanside, El Cajon, La Mesa and the Sheriff Department managed to keep the peace for the most part.
Meanwhile, experts issue dueling studies. Some show illegal immigrants contributing more in taxes and productivity than they consume in government services; others show exactly the opposite, like a recent one that suggests San Diego County is losing $2.2 billion and 31,000 jobs annually.
The basic fact is the US birth rates are so low that if we don’t acquire millions of immigrants, future economic growth is going to suffer greatly. It isn’t a matter of ‘closing’ our borders but ’securing’ the borders, as Governor Schwarzenegger said recently correcting his own poor choice of words to the press. The borders do need to be secured so that a workable policy to manage who and how many cross the border can be enforced.
Posted by Glenn Hefley in Example-News Story
