Immigration has been a hot button topic for many years. And in fairness, neither Republicans nor Democrats have been willing to deal with this issue head on. We have been listening to those on the far left who claim that non-citizens, those in the country not here with a green card or any other legal status, commit the fewest crimes. The Left argues that they are productive members of society and pay billions of dollars in taxes. In New York City, lawmakers went so far as to pass a law making it legal for non-citizens to vote in local elections. It was challenged in court and a Staten Island judge deemed the law unconstitutional but I’m sure this isn’t the end of it. In addition, non-citizens can obtain Driver’s Licenses and laws meant to ensure the legal right to work, are rarely, if ever enforced. On the other side, the Right has completely ignored the topic except for the desire to build a wall and that’s not exactly a policy.

Laws are in place in every country of the world so governments can keep track of non-citizens. Legal immigration is important for two main reasons, 1) a country cannot have border integrity without control of its borders and 2) countries must protect against outsiders who may have nefarious intentions. Someone in this country not registered with the proper authorities or who has overstayed their Visa, is here Illegally. That in and of itself is a crime, by definition, not opinion. They are here illegally according to the law despite the intense emotions that may stir. If an immigrant’s life truly is in danger, then that person or persons, can apply for asylum. Sanctuary Cities, not abiding by US laws are therefore doing something illegal. Of course, we should welcome those who wish to come here for any number of reasons, but they must do it legally. They are not undocumented, although I suppose technically, that’s true.

Let’s look at the recent break in at the Pelosi home. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul was attacked by an intruder with a hammer. He spent several days in the hospital and is now recovering. As it turns out, the intruder, David Wayne DePape, is in the United States illegally. He’s a Canadian citizen who moved to the United States and never left. He overstayed his Visa and should have been deported years ago. The left instead chose to refer to him as a MAGA extremist, completely ignoring his immigration status. That’s one of the main problems with illegal immigration. It’s impossible to track all of those people who are not here according to our laws. If and when they commit crimes, the crime is compounded because if they weren’t here, a tragedy would have been avoided. In addition, despite the tax contribution claim, (sales taxes, not income taxes) they may be taking resources from citizens and those here legally, and that’s unfair.

Moving forward, whenever a serious crime is committed, immigration status should be required by law. If the left claims that illegal immigrants commit fewer crimes, then the left should have no problem with this policy. Those statistics are statistically significant. More importantly, it would further justify sanctuary cities like LA and New York in their claims that those here illegally, are less likely to commit crimes than those here legally. That they are productive members of society. Then both parties could examine policies that put in place a clear path towards legal citizenship, or temporary Visas. But we can no longer allow millions of people to live here illegally without understanding their effects on our country, both financially and socially. It’s not cruel or unfair, it’s a way of fixing a broken, neglected immigration system.