Shoved To The Back Of The Immigration Queue: So What!

It ought to be obvious but it's not. Immigration policy is not about right and wrong, fairness or unfairness, upholding the law or undermining it, or doing what is best for individual immigrants or even individual Americans. Immigration policy is about the national interest of the United States, and immigration policy should serve the national interest.

John Derbyshire hits on that point on National Review Online's The Corner

"Immigrants, legal and otherwise, are human beings and should be treated fairly and humanely. U.S. govt. policies, however, should be directed towards what is good for America and our citizens, not towards improving the lives of foreigners, least of all foreigners who ignore the established procedures for seeking entry to our country." (Here.)

That immigration policy should be about America's interests and not the interests of foreigners is the reason it doesn't make one bit of difference if the consequence of legalizing the illegal aliens who work in this country already is that some foreigners get shoved to the back of some line for citizenship or Green Cards. Nor does it make a bit of difference that legalizing illegal aliens would be rewarding their flouting our immigration laws.

Like it or not, and many Americans apparently don't, Mexico is our neighbor. Not China, not England. Our immigration policy should at least take into account that fact. It should also take into account that Mexico is not our enemy and that Mexicans come here to work and contribute their labor to increase America's wealth, even the illegals.

-tdr

Technorati: Immigration, Illegal immigration.