Immigration. Illegal immigration. These are words that cause our politicians to pause. They should. It is my opinion that immigration is one of the few issues that has caused many many people to shy away from the current iteration of the Republican Party. I don’t know why we, as conservatives, are taking such a hard line on this one. Especially when I think that we are wrong. And more especially because I think a lot of people feel that same way I do.
This past Tuesday, the N&O published an article on Chatham’s unwillingness to have it’s officers participate in the ICE program.
…a federal program that would allow local law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration laws.
Chatham officials are concerned about such participation and expressed themselves very well:
Enforcement of ICE agreements can lead to violations of civil rights and liberties, distrust of law enforcement, the separation of family members and racial profiling,
As a conservative, I think that we are wrong on illegal immigration in general and ICE in specific. We have people all over the globe trying to come to the United States. These folks bring with them a love of freedom and will also bring a love of their new country. These people are the kinds of people we want. These are the folks that have taken a good hard look at there position and have found that they may be able to do better for themselves and their families by sacrificing. By giving up the life they currently have for one in the United States. Almost always these are the types of people that bring with them a work ethic that is strong. They bring a willingness to participate and interact. In short, these people are DO’ERS! They are not get along’ers.
Because we have a situation where both parties feel they will gain, we should make the process to become a citizen easier. This business of 9+ years to become a citizen is incredibly inefficient and needless. The only thing that you need to know about the process is that it is the government that is in charge of it. Any good conservative will tell you that a program run by Uncle Sam is one that is inefficient. So, this creates a situation where people are in the country illegally. Except for their legal status, they are critical and productive members of society. They are winning and we are winning.
For the specifics of ICE, well, immigration and the illegal entry of people into our country is a Federal matter. This should be handled by Federal Agents; not local police forces. To think that the feds can just push down the responsibility to the local and often times struggling police force is not fair, and not how the whole system of jurisdiction works. Further, Chatham has it right. A community has to trust it’s police team. It has to trust it’s officers, their supervisors and the chief himself. The whole system has to be trusted. And it can’t be for exactly the reasons Chatham pointed out.
We have to get this one right. We can not afford to take every opposite positions that the Democrats through at us. When they are wrong, oppose them and run on that platform. But when they are right, then take their idea, make it better, do it better and run on THAT platform. How does that ol’ jingle go?
Anything you can do I can do better; I can do everything better than you!