Lazarus Austin is a junior majoring in history. He can be contacted at [email protected].At least here in Mississippi, if not the whole nation, some progress is being made against illegal immigration. A bill that just passed the state’s Senate floor could deny illegal immigrants workers’ compensation and death benefits.
Instead of forcing the taxpayers (legal immigrants and citizens) to pay for it, the employer who hired the illegal person in the first place would have to pay for any immediate medical attention needed after an on-the-job incident. After that, it is up to the illegal to pay his way.
Now there is less motivation to immigrate to Mississippi, and employers are less motivated to hire illegal immigrants in the first place. This is certainly a step in the right direction for Mississippi.
Some people say it is cruel. They also say it is cruel to deny illegal residents health care, deny to put them on organ transplant lists and refuse to provide them with a free education. What if they don’t have the money? Are we just supposed to let them suffer?
Let me put it this way: if I have to pay rent on my apartment, but I spent it all on drugs, parties or whatever, that was my choice. The government, federal or local, should not subsidize me. That’s how life works; it’s all about choices and taking responsibility for those choices.
Also, if an illegal immigrant can receive all the same services I can, what’s the difference between being illegal or not? What are the benefits of being a citizen? If there was no difference, I would personally prefer not being a bonafide citizen. A non-citizen has no responsibilities.
It’s not fair to put illegal immigrants before taxpaying American citizens. A couple of years ago, there was an illegal Hispanic woman put on a donor list for an organ transplant in California. She had priority over many Americans, including a war veteran.
Furthermore, the influx of illegal children in schools is taking a toll on the education system. Illegal immigration, overall, is taking a toll on our whole country.
Local governments have to make an impact on the fight against illegal immigration, especially since the federal government is more worried about the borders around Iraq than they are ours. It has been a federal responsibility, but they are not doing their job.
The first priority should be to eliminate illegals’ motivation to immigrate. Beside the American dream, we give them every reason to come here – free health care, free education, amnesty, workers compensation, social security, you name it. President Bush and potentially future presidents want to encourage them to cross our borders by providing a means for that amnesty, and they want the taxpaying citizens to pay for it.
A pet peeve of mine is the claim that anti-illegal immigration laws are racist. This logic doesn’t make sense. If the majority of people who commit murders are white or black, should we legalize murder? The point is that anti-immigration laws are aimed at immigration in general, it just so happens that most people who commit it come from the same country.
There are a lot of good reasons to immigrate to our great country. The American dream promises equality and opportunity, not wealth or free services. And of course, being an American citizen has its responsibilities.
Under our current system, though, why should an immigrant be inclined to come here legally?