It probably seems like the lacrosse affair is the only relevant news story going on right now. It's dominated the front page of this newspaper for days, and it certainly has had no shortage of wildly speculative coverage on TV. Maybe, then, when you saw the eye-catching protests at the lacrosse players' house and in the greater Durham area, you forgot about the much larger protests happening across the country in recent weeks.
In support of amnesty and guest worker programs, 750,000 immigrants protested in Los Angeles, 500,000 protested in Dallas and thousands more protested in other cities. These protests remind us of the need to address America's immigration dilemma.
A confluence of difficult issues must be considered. How do we honor our past as an immigrant nation and fulfill our desire to help new arrivals? How do we protect national security and keep drugs off our streets at the same time? How do immigrants help and hurt the economy?
It might seem like the immigration question has no easy answer, but the first step is to stop illegal immigration in its tracks. This is a nation of laws, and unless we uphold them all, none of them means anything. As a sovereign nation, we have every right to secure our borders and not be labeled unfair, racist or immoral.
We in fact have a liberal immigration policy compared to Mexico, which stations troops on its southern border and denies legal immigrants rights like holding office and even protesting. They certainly wouldn't give immigrants an education in English.
I empathize with the millions of people who want to come to this country, but the United States simply cannot support them all. We don't have the money or the infrastructure. Although most illegal immigrants are good, hard-working people, they also are usually poorly educated, fill unskilled jobs and in turn require the same public services as other Americans.
Just as seriously, illegal immigrants pose a threat to the safety of Americans. We really don't know who they are. Undocumented, undetected, they can slip past our borders and cause havoc as criminals, drug dealers and, potentially, terrorists. Just as there are millions of people who want to live an honest life here, there are millions who seek to kill us. We need to know exactly who is crossing our borders and hold them accountable for their actions in the United States.
Finally, illegal immigration is unfair to legal immigrants. Some people in the Philippines have been waiting two decades to get to this country. They respect our laws, endure the process, and wait for their turn. Illegals increase the waiting period for these people.
How can we stop illegal immigration? We need to put our national guard on the border with Mexico, employ surveillance aircraft and do whatever is necessary to keep illegals out, short of a wall. We should use jail time as a necessary deterrent.
The second thing we should do is address the problems in, for instance, Mexico, that make so many people want to reach the United States. If more Mexicans had good jobs in their own country, they might be more willing to stay there. If not for Mexico's rampant corruption, it could be much better place to live. We should focus our efforts on this goal as opposed to supporting as many illegals as possible until our own country is bankrupt.
I encourage the same people who come here illegally to try to come here legally. Legal immigrants comprise key social, economic and cultural niches in this country. Most of them work hard, pay taxes and seek a better life, just like the people who already live here. Legal immigration ensures that we are being fair to people in all countries who wish to come here. We also often get the smartest, most skilled workers from other countries, and they get all the benefits of American society. It's a win-win situation.
We should welcome as many immigrants as possible. It's unfortunate that we can't cure all the world's ills or support all the people who want to come here. Therefore, we should ensure the people who get to come here are the most deserving.
We must also not forget the concerns of the people who already are here.
Jeremy Marshall is a Trinity sophomore. This is his final column.
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