The "Gang of Eight" Immigration Bill

It’s kind of interesting watching people debate immigration.  It’s like watching two furious children.  One says a banana is an orange and the other says it’s an apple.  Meanwhile, logical people either put their head in their palm, laugh at their ignorance, or fume over their stupidity. 

I figure that when I start talking about political issues, people want to know what party I am.  I’m no party.  I think parties are destructive to the American people (I talk more about that here: ).  However, there is something I believe in regards to immigration that I believe many people have rejected because of pride and racism. 

The “Gang of Eight” immigration bill that is in Congress right now has been met with a lot of criticism.  Put simply, the bill is supposed to do two things: provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants over a period of about ten years, and increase border control.  The primary criticism of the bill has been that it is an “amnesty” bill.  In other words, it’s rewarding illegal immigrants, which is going to give way to more illegal immigration.  This criticism is part of the reason that there is a provision for tighter border control.  But something is being ignored.  Something big.  An unanswered question that begs us to answer it.

Who are we to keep people from coming into the country to begin with?

There is a very prevalent and despicable form of racism that has not been eradicated from the hearts of many Americans.  However, it’s not against blacks.  Instead, it’s against Mexicans.  I’m sure you’ve heard it before: they steal our jobs, they don’t pay taxes, so on and so forth.

And who is making these accusations?  The very people that ran the Native Americans out of their land.

Sound familiar?  The fact is, we’re fine with the fact that our ancestors did that and we shy away from addressing their cruelty and disregard for those who were already here, but God forbid that it be done to us.  Instead it’s an American pride that insists that we deserve the resources of this place more than those that want to come here.

That’s problem number one.  Problem number two is another more blatant form of hypocrisy.

One of the American history stories I heard the most about in school as well as being told to me outside of my studies is that of the pioneers.  Fleeing persecution from the church of England, they came to America: the land of solace.  Now America is only the land of solace if we so choose to let the oppressed inside of our “sacred” borders. 

What I find increasingly ironic is that the same people that argue for smaller government seem to be okay with the government controlling who they allow to live inside of the country, and even call for the deportation of those outside of the government’s authorization.  Something is wrong with this picture.

I’m not saying that there aren’t reasons to be careful about who comes into the country.  We don’t want to be harboring foreign criminals.  With that said, who are we to demand that those that want to enter the country aren’t good enough for America?  If America is the land of opportunity, then let’s start acting American.

As such, I support the “Gang of Eight” immigration bill, and I hope that through it, some will begin to see the hypocrisy of the nation we have lifted upon the pedestal as though it were meant to be God’s promised land.