By refusing to secure our borders or enforce our laws, President Obama has shown disdain for the will of the people and the authority of Congress to regulate immigration. Making matters worse, the president has refused to consider any legislation that would alleviate the current border crisis and is now planning large-scale executive action to ensure that broad categories of illegal aliens cannot be removed from the country.
- Understand there are limitations until the next president is elected. This is just the sad truth and it can’t be glossed over. Our constitutional system doesn’t afford the public many remedies – short of impeachment – against a chief executive who violates his oath of office. That said…
- Pay attention and get involved. Gallup polling recently revealed that immigration now ranks as the top concern for Americans, so rest assured that you’re not alone. However, it remains to be seen just how many folks will actually act on their concern. By the way, if you assume the “other guy” is doing something about this problem, you’re correct. Big business, their allies at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Republican Leadership are indeed working on the issue; they’re busy manipulating immigration policy to squeeze out American workers with new foreign workers, while the Democrats are gutting enforcement to fuel their electorate. Sit on the sidelines at your own peril.
- Hold your candidate’s feet to the fire. 2014 is an important mid-term election year so there are town hall meetings taking place and ample opportunities to express opinions and ask questions of public officials and candidates such as, “how will you respond if the president abuses executive power by ordering a massive amnesty for millions of illegal aliens?” “Do you believe that’s an impeachable offense?” “What is the true purpose of immigration and what will you do to achieve it?” Demand clear, specific answers because waffling on the immigration issue is no longer acceptable.
- Take preventive steps at the state level. If by imperial edict, Obama were to announce large scale amnesty, it would fuel even more flows of illegal immigration, just like it did in the aftermath of the 1986 amnesty. That’s why it’s vitally important to continue to fight against local policies that shield and reward immigration lawbreakers. These include sanctuary policies, the issuance of driver’s licenses, in-state tuition and other benefits to illegal aliens. Activists must fight against anti-detainer bills that shield illegal aliens from federal officials and push hard for mandatory E-Verify state-by-state and nationwide.
- Secure your job and fatten your piggybank. If that sounds drastic, consider this. If the majority of illegal aliens in this country are legalized by executive action, they will become instantly eligible to compete for your job. And the pressure will then mount to extend access to subsidized health care and local, state and federal means-tested benefits. The “public pie” would be sliced into much smaller pieces to accommodate many more people, meaning Americans who are truly in need will get less. And don’t believe the flawed argument that legalizing those who violated our laws will enhance our economy. In fact, they will be a net drain because the overwhelming majority of them consume more in government assistance than they contribute. Amnesty is a massive bailout, not the next stimulus plan.
- Keep calm and carry on. Churchillian yes, but the power of the ballot box ultimately gives us hope and a clean slate. Granted it will be a long, grueling eight years of immigration chaos but a new president – with support from a cooperative Congress – can reassemble much of what this president dismantled and restore credibility to a badly damaged immigration system.
Finally, if it’s any reassurance, Americans have learned some valuable lessons in the past few years which they are unlikely to forget:
- Immigration matters. It affects literally every aspect of life and too much of it is expensive and detrimental to our jobs, education, health care, budgets, safety, the environment and our overall quality of life.
- Actions have consequences. Unsecured borders, lax interior enforcement and the availability of benefits such as jobs, free education, health care, social services and instant citizenship for children born on U.S. soil are powerful magnets that attract tens of millions of illegal aliens.
- Special interests corrupt the system. Americans who want a fair and sensible immigration system that serves their interests must be the architects of our policies, not business and political lobbies who abuse immigration policy for their own financial and electoral greed.
