Gabriel - illegal immigration again

Submitted by Sidda (United States), Feb 19, 2006 at 13:08

Gabriel, I still stand behind my last response to you. We in the U.S. are concerned about illegal immigration. Amir is correct when he states that most illegals in America are Mexican and that we are not really expecting terrorism to come from the Mexicans.

It is as I said, though, that the chaos at the border could lead to bad people coming across who do mean to do us harm. Not only the terrorists themselves, but criminal gangs such as the MS-13 who come from El Salvadore who are involved in criminal activity. I have even read that there is concern in our government that members of those gangs could possibly be recruited by al Qaeda. Also, there could be Muslims who come in legally and overstay their visas; although, I would HOPE that there is more vigorous screening now after 9/11 but with the government you can never take anything for granted!

I think the breakdown in communication with Amir is that you are coming at it from a European perspective as is natural since you live in Europe! So to sum it up, both Europe and the U.S. are concerned about illegal immigration as it relates to terrorism, but from different perspectives. In Europe you have many Muslims immigrating illegally from Middle Eastern and North African countries; Muslims who come to America are generally legal. But, it is through the overall chaos of our immigration system and our inability to control our borders that makes us in the U.S. more vulnerable to terrorism. Does that make any sense?

And you also have a very good point about the amount of illegal immigrants making it harder to assimilate. Countries have immigration procedures for a reason. It is not to be "mean" and keep all people out. It is to have an orderly system that allows people to come in at the rate and in the manner that the host country determines will ensure the best results and outcome for both the new immigrant and the host country.

When a country is inundated with hordes of illegals, it loses control and chaos ensues. Services such as health care, housing, and education are strained. Pockets of unassimilated immigrants develop. Nobody knows where anyone is and what they are doing. Immigrants are more vulnerable to being taken advantage of by unscrupulous employers because there is no law to protect them due to the fact that they are illegal. In the case of the Muslims in Europe, the high unemployment that results in these unassimilated communities makes them more vulnerable to come under the influence of radical elements. It leads to all kinds of negative consequences.

With legal immigration, people are brought in in a more orderly fashion, are provided with the support they need to transition into the new country, and they are more likely to assimilate and become productive tax-paying and loyal citizens.

Best regards.

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