Friday, Nov. 30, 2007 | The endless debate on the economic impact of illegal immigration has been a polarizing issue for years. However, it is not the central point we should be debating. The question we must ask ourselves is, “Are we not a sovereign nation with defined borders?” If we are, then we have both a right and a responsibility to know who is crossing those borders, and for what purpose. This has nothing to do with racism or jingoism or, for that matter, economics.
We have multiple documented cases of criminals crossing into the United States from other countries – murderers, rapists, child molesters, thieves and drug dealers, among others. Our prisons contain many. Others come and go, are deported and return, some of them repeatedly. How do they get through? With terrorism so high on the radar, how can we be assured that terrorists, bent on the destruction of our country, are not easily able to enter? A primary reason for a central government is to ensure the safety and security of its citizens. Border control is elemental in that equation.