Dear Editor: Immigration

Dear Editor,

For years we have watched as our government becomes less involved with our southern border. Now it is to the point where the border is wide open. People are coming into this country and we have no idea where they are from, what they have done in the past, or what their intentions are. Many I know talk about the lives these people are leaving behind. The poverty, the threats from gangs, the crimes, and the sufferings they live through. What they do not want to hear about is the crime coming in with an open border. And it is an open border.

At the time I am typing this, it has been reported the average life expectancy of a United States citizen has declined from 79 to 76.5. What has created this? Drug overdose. The number of drugs coming across the border is horrendous, especially Fentanyl, a drug so potent merely coming into contact with it can cause death. This drug is manufactured in China and shipped to the Mexican cartels where they process it and bring it across the border to kill Americans. This alone is reason enough to control the border; add to that child prostitution, prostitution, gang members, and terrorists. Yes, terrorists. The Border Patrol reports last fiscal year over 400,000 "got aways" entered the United States. These are people who came into the United States and avoided officials. The cartels have set up stash/drug houses all throughout the United States.

An open border is destroying our nation, so why allow it? What is the political gain? There are many conspiracies abound on the subject.

Most elites and talking heads blame Congress for failing to update the immigration laws., but what are the laws in place? I have spent years stating the government just needs to enforce the existing laws. After all, every single one of them swore an oath to uphold the laws and Constitution of this country and ensure the security of the United States citizens. The best way to find out is to go to the source, so here goes:

• The first formal process to become a U.S. Citizen was created by Congress in 1790. One hundred years later, the federal government started reviewing and processing all immigrants seeking to enter the U.S. The original goals of our immigration policy were to reunite immigrants with immediate family members who live in the U.S., to admit workers with specific skills, or to do jobs that are experiencing a shortage of labor. Immigration policy was also established as a refuge for those facing political, racial, or religious persecution in their home country. Also, to ensure diversity by admitting people from countries with historically low immigration rates.

• There were two main paths to being in the U.S. legally. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), commonly known as green card holders, are eligible to work in the U.S. and can apply for citizenship. Officially, LPRs are categorized as immigrants. The other way to enter the U.S. legally is on a temporary visa. This is tourism, diplomatic missions, schooling, temporary work, and such. Officially, these are categorized as non-immigrants.

That was pretty simple. Fairly easy to understand. We know that D.C. can’t have anything simple and easy to understand. God forbid if you do not need a lawyer to figure out what they have put on paper.

• In 2004, the State Department issued over 5 million temporary visas. They also created the Visa Waiver Program. Under this program, 15.8 million more entered the U.S. They come from countries with a preferred trade status. People from these nations have 90 days to do what they do in the U.S. and then they must leave.

• In 1980, under Jimmy Carter the Refugee Act was created. It gives the President authority to set the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. annually, with the consultation of Congress. You will love this sentence, straight out of the CBO report:

The 1980 refugee act "brought U.S. policy in line with the 1967 protocol to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention. The protocol, together with the 1969 Organization of African Unity Convention, expanded the number of people considered a refugee." In other words, the U.S. adopted the U.N.’s definition and protocol for refugees and asylum seekers.

• In 1986, under Ronald Reagan the Immigration Reform and Control Act was created to take on the task of illegal immigrants in the United States. It was meant to enhance enforcement and created two more ways for those here illegally to become part of the American dream via the Seasonal Agricultural Worker amnesty program and the Legally Authorized Workers amnesty program. These programs opened the door for the roughly 7 million illegal immigrants residing in the United States; around 2.7 million took advantage of these programs. Under this act, employers were sanctioned for hiring illegal immigrants.

• In 1990, diversity became the cry and in answer, the creation of the Diversity Visa came along. This allowed 50 thousand a year to become permanent residents through a lottery system.

• The 1986 amnesty plan worked so well that 10 years later they did it again. In 1996, under Bill Clinton, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Acts were created. But without enforcement, they mean nothing.

• To muddy up the waters there are a variety of special Visas: E-2 visas for investors, the I visa for foreign media representatives, the H-1B visa for professionals in a special occupation, the H-1C visa for registered nurses, the L-1A/B visa for intra-company transferees, the O visa for foreign individuals with extraordinary achievements or abilities, the TN NAFTA visa for professionals from Canada or Mexico, and more.

The H-1 visa was meant to fill employment vacancies when citizens are not available, though it is often abused. In 2014, Disney laid off 250 workers and hired Indian nationals to take their place. In order to receive their severance package, the released employees had to train their replacements. There is only one reason I can think of that a company the size of Disney would fire a large number of employees to replace them with immigrants, and that is money. Disney was not the first nor the last to do this. Disney was the largest layoff to date.

On September 11, 2001, terrorists flying domestic airliners crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Another plane, meant for the White House, crashed into a field when the brave passengers fought back. In total, 2,997 people died in one day from attacks on American soil. In 2002, under George W. Bush, the Homeland Security Act was developed, which created the Department Of Homeland Security. This department took control of all things border-related.

With all these changes, we still hear talking heads calling for immigration law reform. To me, the problem is not a lack of reform, but a lack of enforcement, especially with the current administration. The present administration has thrown the border wide open to the sick, the poor, the drugged, the human traffickers, the gang members, the criminals, and the terrorists. Again, research this for yourself. Unlike most legislation, immigration law is easy to read and understand. It’s only hard to enforce because administrations choose not to enforce it. I have my thoughts as to why, but you can make up your own mind.

Jim Buterbaugh

Jefferson County Commissioner Candidate