Many mainstream Republicans have watched as elements of the party have changed, particularly with the desertion of the non-public union middle class from the Democrats. Some like George Will display a level of discomfort with the new elements of the party that were particularly attracted to our last President. Will’s January 22, 2021, column epitomizes how his ilk have no comprehension of what the party believes while he fuels the minds of the Republicans’ political opposition.
He starts his column by saying that immigration is the sincerest form of flattery. Thank you, but we all know that. The question has been how and how many. That question has been the overarching concern for Republicans for at least 50 years or since the 1965 passing of Ted Kennedy’s Immigration Bill. That bill radically changed both the number and nature of our immigrants despite being pitched as maintaining existing standards.
Will goes on to tell his readers that Republicans are out of the mainstream. He reveals to us a Gallup poll saying 77% of Americans think immigration is a good thing. That is not surprising because poll participants probably know an immigrant and know immigration is a good thing. But Gallup probably did not define who chooses our new immigrants for the most part (their relatives), the cost of immigrants who use government services or how many are coming here.
Then he goes on to tell us that the illegal immigrants here did not come in such a bad way. They just overstayed their visas. That supposedly totals 40% of the country’s 11 million illegals. How does he or anyone else know how many illegal immigrants are currently in the country? It is not as if these people lined up to let everybody know they are here. To assert how many illegals are currently in the country is a mirage. No one knows.
Biden has thrown out the same number (11 million) and wants to give them a path to citizenship. What if the number is 23 million as some surveys have stated? No one has any idea until they show up at government offices, declare themselves and start the process. Even then we don’t know how many will not participate and that could be in the millions. Here is an idea — why don’t we make the decision after we have an accurate count.
We have been lied to about numbers on every prior immigration bill. There is a good chance we will be lied to again on this one. We were told the 2.7 million illegals legalized in 1986 was the end of it. We would have border protection. That worked well. Now 35 years later, they want to legalize a new and larger batch.
The one thing Republicans stand by and George Will ignores is this point: Biden’s bill has no mechanism for border security. No method to track and kick out people who overstay their visas. Will does not argue for these matters; he just argues for cleaning up the current mess.
Will talks about Biden reigniting a debate. He is not “reigniting” a debate. The debate is the same one since the last two bills. It has not changed one bit. Will is just high-minded enough to side with Biden. Will states illegal immigrants here need to be addressed and if we do not (Republicans) are leading us into a “dark current of 21st century politics.” With friends like George, who needs enemies?
Then Will thrusts himself totally into the Democrat argument. Republicans are anti-immigrant. Mr. Will, if you had any clue about the party you would know better. Just like a good Democrat he conflates people who come here legally with illegal immigrants. Republicans want two things: zero illegal immigrants and a review of the procedures we currently use for immigration that were established 35 and 55 years ago. That is not anti-immigrant. That is saying we have borders and we get to choose what goes on within those borders.
People like Will never actually talk to people who have come here legally. They despise our current immigration system that allows so many illegals/everyone showing up at our border who claim to be refugees. These immigrants know those people are scamming the system which allows them to get in and then disappear into our large country.
Will lays out another argument that Biden makes. The population density of our country is low. We should be more like other countries and squeeze more people into small spaces. He may like that, but he will never have to suffer the consequences. He based that on another fake survey purporting how we should run our country.
It often seems like Will is making Biden’s arguments for him. The only thing Will does not argue is that we should change and call every immigrant here a “noncitizen.” The terms “illegal alien,” “resident alien” and “nonresident alien” hurt their ears. Like everything else they want to change the names to protect the guilty. We guarantee you if this new term is adopted, it will become tarnished faster than you can blink. It is the process and the end results that matter, not what we call people.
It is no wonder many Republicans have become disgusted with people like George Will. While telling us we do not have lofty enough positions, they adopt positions we find appalling.
Biden’s immigration bill is a disaster. It has no means to stop the failed process we already have. In 10 years, we will be in the same place – flooded with illegal immigrants. Will used to understand that. He has lost his way. We have not.
One Last Point – Parents in Central America are sending their children unaccompanied across dangerous terrain in the hands of unscrupulous people who are paid to sneak them into the United States. We have no idea how many children die along the way. That is never reported. We can only guess that these parents hope the children will become anchors for bringing in their siblings and their parents. And if we don’t take in these children we are the evil Americans. There is only one way to end this travesty – Just Say NO. We have to put a stop to this happening and it stops at our border and letting people throughout Central America know that if they send their kids they will be stopped and turned around. It is probably far-fetched to imagine the Biden Administration enacting this policy, but it is actually more humane.