I highly value freedom above all else. My political philosophy resembles a mixture of libertarianism, anarchism, and minarchism. Basically, I think that humanity benefits most when everyone is legally allowed to do whatever they want insofar as they don’t offensively harm anyone else against those people’s respective wills. Accordingly, I support free trade, and want the eventual reduction of border restrictions on goods and people.
Nonetheless, I understand the immediate need for border security in the United States. The current system leads to terrorists and violent foreigners getting into the country. Most people who enter the country illegally don’t want to hurt anyone. They just want to get employed in the United States, because even crappy jobs pay more in the U.S. than the jobs available in Latin America. Unfortunately, with the unchecked millions of people who come illegally, some are very dangerous people such as terrorists, thieves, and drug-dealer gangbangers.
If the United States government wanted to secure the borders it could. Essentially, the government only provides the limited security that it does to create the illusion of security – much like security at the airport.
As comedian Bill Maher said on his show Real Time:
“We could have good security at the airport. We know how to do it. Have you ever been to a casino? There’s more cameras than a Korean wedding. [groans] With all kinds of zoom lenses that can count the stitches on your date’s sex change from 50 feet! You can’t do math in your head in a casino–without being spotted, reported on videotape, hustled off the floor and buried in the desert by Joe Pesci!”
The same applies to border security.
If the government went after the business owners and corporations that hired so-called “illegal immigrants,” than that would stop “illegal immigration” by eliminating the incentive to immigrate illegally. Additionally, the easier it is for peaceful people to legally immigrate to this country so that they can get a legitimate job, the less people who will do it illegally. Illegal immigration comes with a lot of risks and troubles, people only choose to try it because of how unreasonably hard it is for good people to immigrate to the United States.
The irony is that violent people, drug dealers, terrorists, and such can get in the United States without much trouble, while common people who simply want a job have trouble. If the United States government makes it easier for people in the latter group, than they won’t illegally immigrate. Remember, legal immigration comes with many benefits that illegal immigration doesn’t, including legal employment which comes with benefits such as unemployment pay and healthcare. When working illegally, people don’t get the legal protections granted to legal citizens.
Because of all the irrational trouble involved with legal immigration, so many good people illegally immigrate. And, the government doesn’t have the problem to sort the dangerous criminals (e.g. terrorists and gang members) from the people just looking for modest work (e.g. the peaceful farmers and pool cleaners).
Private citizens can help most of all by reporting businesses that hire “illegals” to the proper authorities, including non-governmental watchdog groups. Additionally, we can boycott such companies. Businesses hire people illegally because it is cheaper and they don’t have to provide them legal work conditions. We need to make them hire people legally, and we need to make our government let good people get into this country legally to get those legal jobs. That way violent criminals won’t be able to sneak in with the pack of hard-working people who just want a non-violent job.
What do you think?
