ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Immigration has been a reality since 50,000 years ago when Homo sapiens migrated to all corners of the world long before the concepts of partitioning and ownership grew out of territoriality morphed into land deeds. Migration is the history of our species.

Migration as a population relief valve has settled the world with humans but under present conditions any new migrations will be greeted by existing populations who may or may not be happy to see the newcomers. The arrival of significant numbers of a new cultural system brings change to the cultural totality through time. Recognition of enculturation mechanisms in a society is imperative. It should be remembered that the meeting of cultures has resulted in cultural blooms in art and innovation but has also produced gang activity in this country as evidenced by relationship between immigration and gang crime.

The superposition of nations over the natural migration patterns did not change the patterns. Control of the movement of peoples is a function of overpopulation as is war. War over resources also drains off excess population in the absence of somewhere to migrate.

So what does all this have to do with illegal immigration into the USA, the last human frontier on Earth?

Mexico was settled by Europeans rather earlier than the northern English colonies and already had significant Indian populations who had extensive trade routes throughout North America. Human populations prospered in Mexico as the native populations combined native and imported foods, improved agriculture and gained the metalworking technology of the Europeans. Agricultural success equaled population growth, thus setting the stage for modern migrations from Mexico to the north, where lower population densities and modern technology had created work.

Mexico’s birthrate outstrips the ability of their economy to produce well paying jobs, so the unemployed or underemployed take their chances and migrate to the USA to find work. Most of them find employment and work hard to improve their prospects while enrolling their children in our schools. These children are no longer ethnic Mexicans: they become acculturated to the USA and they become ours, illegal or not. This is an actuality, not a legal opinion. I have taught these children.

As for rounding up our friends and neighbors, I say that this is impossibility. It is simply not civilized to round people up, impound them, transport them to the border and dump them in Mexico. Then the Mexican government can deal with 12,000,000 economic refugees, feed and house them, take care of the sewage and crime problems and of course establish hostile camps all along our border. This would create an atmosphere of hatred and would encourage the development of anti-USA terrorism. It would be much better to integrate these people into our structure, put pressure on Mexico to prevent immigration and better distribute the wealth of their country and close the border to more illegal immigration through better interdiction along the border. Policies of providing free birth control needs and the education of women should be established in Mexico, along with economic incentives to restrict births. Estimates say that Mexico is exporting 500,000 people a year to the USA, a convenient pop off valve for excessive breeding. This unspoken policy on the part of the Mexican honchos has also resulted in billions of USA dollars exported to Mexico through these citizens working in the USA.

We are now at peace. Stirring up trouble is unnecessary. There is a peaceful solution to immigration and we should be committed to achieving this goal. I say listen to the leadership from Arizona, Texas, California and New Mexico. They will offer a practical solution to illegal immigration because they know the people and the circumstances.