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SOMETHING FOR NOTHING (OVER MY DEAD BODY!)
By Mark Andrew Dwyer -- January 28, 2003
Originally published in the January 26, 2003 issue of the Alamance IndependentMexicans are very fortunate people. Rather than using our generosity as a bargaining chip to better protect our national interest, or to encourage them to be more cooperative, we keep giving them something for nothing, just because, I suppose, it makes some bleeding heart liberals feel good. They collect everything that we bestow on them, with not as much gratitude as a simple "Thank you", and they keep demanding more.
Take, for example, Mr. Fox's demand that after years of our tolerating mass illegal immigration from Mexico (that translates into billions of dollars, annually, of remittances send back to that country) we launch the "guest worker" program that would allow millions of Mexican jobless, who did not know how to skip the border, to compete for work on much more desirable (for them) American market. Although such a program, except for few owners of strawberry farms and meat packing plants, would most likely drive the incomes of working Americans down, Mr. Fox seems to believe that it's our sacred duty to give this opportunity to Mexican people, and gets very impatient with a lack of quick progress in this matter. Unfortunately, the strawberry growers and the meat packers, with support of membership-needy labor unions and voters-needy Democratic party, seem to have enough per$uasive power to convince Republican-controlled Congress about unavoidability of yielding to Mr. Fox's persisting demands. Even some folks, who have had unquestionable accomplishments in the area of informing the American public about the scope and devastating effects of illegal immigration, have recently joined the defeatists' crowd, as if opening American border for Mexican labor were inevitable.
If a "guest worker" program were really a historic necessity then it would have been an inexcusable mistake just to give it to Mr. Fox on a silver-plated tray, without demanding concessions that would benefit our nation as well. First of all, if any immigration accord that would allow Mexican guest workers to temporarily work in the U.S. is to be stricken with Mexico then the return of all "undocumented" Mexicans (a.k.a. illegal aliens) and their dependents to their country of origin had to be mutually agreed upon as a non-negotiable prerequisite for such a deal. Moreover, all such temporary workers, or any of their U.S. born children, would have to leave the U.S. upon expiration of their contracts, or otherwise be never eligible for immigration status adjustment or for eventual naturalization. Any breach of such an agreement, or a lack of cooperation on part of Mexican authorities in repatriating all the illegal Mexican immigrants back to Mexico, should allow the U.S. to suspend the entire program until the all conditions of the agreement are met.
The language of 14th Amendment (quoted below) needs to be clarified as well. The Supreme Court (by ruling) or the Congress of the United States (by passing a legislation) needs to confirm that the clause "and subject to the jurisdiction thereof" excludes American-born children of guest workers (and illegal aliens) from automatic obtaining of the American citizenship as they are subjects of (jurisdictions of) their foreign governments. Until then, admitting any female guest workers should be deemed very risky as it would inevitably lead to out-of-control explosion of Mexican population in the U.S. Of course, the border must be scrupulously enforced by both sides. And, above all, persisting unemployment in the U.S. should temporarily suspend issuing new visas under the "guest worker" program.
Should Mr. Fox object to any of these and want to get from us something for nothing then I would say: "Over my dead body!"
FOOTNOTE: Amendment XIV to the Constitution of the United States
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. [...]
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