Immigration, "amnesty" and ethnic conflict

Issue 62: February 11, 2001

+== TIME OUT PROJECT ==+

On February 9, the Contra Costa Times wrote, "Teaching Spanish to California kids makes sense, given the increasing Hispanic population and the gradual blurring of the border, fueled by NAFTA and helped along by new presidents in Mexico and the United States." (Speaking to the future http://www.contracostatimes.com/opinion/stories/xxfrilead_20010209.htm)

To quote Monty Python’s Life of Brian, "What??!!"

When a mainstream American newspaper asserts that the American president, in collusion with a foreign government, is dismantling our borders, Americans had better sit up and take notice.

Pressure for this reckless policy comes from several quarters, including Alan Greenspan and the cheap labor profiteers who applaud the prospect of unrestricted access to the world’s desperately poor billions.

And the idea of open borders has a certain sentimental appeal to the We-Are-the-World crowd.

But the really fervent devotees of a borderless America are to be found in the growing and divisive ethnic identity movement.

Samuel Gompers, the founder of the American Federation of Labor (and himself an immigrant), wrote in a 1924 letter to Congress that one of the strongest forces against immigration reduction would be "racial groups in the United States who oppose all restrictive legislation because they want the doors left open for an influx of their countrymen regardless of the menace to the people of their adopted country."

It is with this in mind that we consider the bill (HR500) introduced in Congress Feb 7 by Representative Luis Gutierrez. The bill by the Illinois Democrat — long an explicit promoter of one specific ethnic group: his own — would grant a blanket "amnesty" to anyone lucky enough to have illegally sneaked into the country prior to 1997.

In a conversation with ProjectUSA, Gutierrez aide Billy Weinberg (202-225- 8203) said that the "amnesty" would cover about 5-6 million illegal aliens. (A new report by Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies estimates, however, that there are actually 11 million illegal aliens in the U.S. http://www.fairus.org/html/stein/stein1.htm#illegalnumbers_0206 )

We asked Mr. Weinberg about those arguments that point to a recent INS finding that "amnesties" actually encourage illegal immigration and wondered if Gutierrez might be accused of promoting law-breaking. By way of an answer, Mr. Weinberg said that people should remember that the nation’s first amnesty law was signed in 1986 by Ronald Reagan.

Mr. Weinberg blamed resistance to "amnesties" on Americans who oppose anything that "sounds like relief for immigrants," and said that since Americans could not stomach mass deportations of illegal aliens, we need to just legalize them.

Weinberg’s boss, Congressman Gutierrez, makes the same argument in a debate with Dan Stein of the Federation for American Immigration Reform on an upcoming McLaughlin One on One program scheduled to air Sunday, February 18. (It should be an interesting piece. McLaughlin asks, with 80 percent of the public calling for restricting immigration, "Why does Congress refuse to support a moratorium?")

+== TAKE ACTION ==+

We asked Mr. Weinberg whether Congressman Gutierrez would support completely open borders, and he said that that is a "long term solution that should be looked at." This puts the U.S. Congressman squarely in line with the foreign policy goals of the overpopulated country on our southern border.

We were not surprised by Weinberg’s answer: the race-conscious Congressman Gutierrez receives a grade of "F" from Better Immigration http://grades.betterimmigration.com/testgrades.php3?District=IL04 and his website proudly notes "Gutierrez’ tireless leadership championing the causes of the Latino and immigrant communities" http://www.house.gov/gutierrez/bio.html )

What’s disturbing is that so many other of our elected leaders are abetting the hostile intentions of a foreign government in spite of overwhelming opposition to open borders by the American people themselves. (Bush Begins Mexico Appeasement: http://www.vdare.com/francis_on_fox_01.htm )

If you think America’s borders should remain intact, contact the White House and urge the President to act responsibly on mass immigration by calling the White House comment line during business hours at 202-456-1414 or by emailing president@whitehouse.gov .

Remind the President that a Gallup Poll released on February 1 shows that 85 percent of Americans think it is important that President Bush and Congress do something about immigration in the next year and that 55 percent of those surveyed were dissatisfied with the level of immigration into the U.S. (http://www.fairus.org/html/stein/stein1.htm#poll_0201)

Special Action for Californians:

THE STAND-UP-FOR-AMERICA-OR-KISS-IT-GOODBYE DEMONSTRATION
Federal Building - 11000 Wilshire Blvd - WESTWOOD, CA 91423 — Just East of I-405 –Free parking in rear 11 AM to 2 PM - Thursday, Feb. 15th - the Day Before Bush Goes to MEXICO (http://www.americanpatrol.com/RALLIES/SaveAmericaRally010215.html )

Also: Check out our action page: http://www.projectusa.org/action-immigration.html

+== EMAIL OF THE WEEK ==+

The Mexican government is set to "demand Bush stop immigration violence along the border" which is a code for saying that they don’t want the U.S. to control its own border. Make no mistake, that’s what the Mexican government wants! Bush needs to be informed before going, in no uncertain terms, what the real issues are. Sure, there are problems and tragedies on the border, but they are caused by the out of control immigration situation! Don’t forget Benjamin Franklin’s saying: "Good fences make good neighbors"

Allan E. Wall, Mexico

+== QUOTE OF THE WEEK ==+

"Is there not some chosen curse,
Some hidden thunder in the stores of Heaven,
Red with uncommon wrath to blast the man,
Who owes his greatness to his country’s ruin?"

The Roman senator, Cicero, in 42 BC

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