I can’t stand it anymore. It is beyond ridiculous – people who have entered our country illegally are now demanding immediate citizenship. What are they thinking? Worse, what are those Americans thinking who agree with them?
Given the criminal nature of their very presence in the U.S., illegal immigrants have no position to demand anything. In fact, why would we even think of granting citizenship to those who have already demonstrated a severe disrespect for our laws when they violated them to enter our country in the first place?
At the very least they should be asking for mercy – not demanding non-existent “rights.” They are criminals. Nothing is owed to them except judicial consequences for their crime of illegal entry. They’ve done wrong. Where is their humility?
To get the best view of this situation of illegal immigration, let’s review what an illegal alien is. An illegal alien is someone who has defied American border laws and deceitfully sneaked into this country. That type of entry is no different than someone who climbs in a window of a rental house and begins living there without the permission of the owner. Just as there are legal ways of gaining permission to enter and/or rent a home, there are legal ways of entering this country. Just as those who sneak into a home are trespassers and squatters, so also are those who sneak into this country.
There is no flaw in this analogy. The parallel is exactly the same. It is not that complicated. Technically, the best term for an illegal immigrant is “trespasser.”
That established, let’s review the expectations and demands of those who trespass our borders.
Trespassers sneak into our country and then expect us to give their children food and medical care. This makes no sense. If someone commits a crime and breaks into my home, I am not responsible to feed or care for the children they bring with them while they commit the crime. The criminals are responsible for putting their children at risk – not me, the homeowner. Border trespassers put their families at risk by sneaking them into a country where they are not legally permitted to work. It is a foolish man who takes his children into a place where he cannot provide for them. It is a cruel man who brings his family with him when he commits a crime (unless he is certain he will be rewarded for his crime).
Sadly, the U.S. is like a bad parent who coddles his children. If we are bad parents, we say, “Pick up your dirty socks and put them in the hamper or they won’t get washed,” but when we see the socks are still there at laundry time, we grumble, pick them up ourselves and wash them. Children learn to disregard those in authority when they are not required to live with the consequences of their actions. In such homes, children fail to learn personal responsibility and parents inevitably never gain their children’s respect.
In the U.S., we forbid deceitful entry, but then we reward the trespassers. We see that they put their children at risk, but instead of sending them packing with a good scolding for endangering their children, we reward them by educating, feeding and caring for their children. By no means are we obligated to care for children put at risk by their parents, especially if it encourages further irresponsibility in the parents. How blind can we be?
Trespassers expect to receive driver’s licenses. This is another way we coddle trespassers. It’s not that complicated – they are breaking the law. They need to be kicked out of the country, not taught to drive in ours. Yes, registering drivers is a way to ensure safer roads for all who drive them, but they would not be driving our roads if we sent them back to drive in their own country.
Trespassers are demanding citizenship. The fact that trespassers are now demanding U.S. citizenship is a direct fruit of our “bad parenting” approach to government. We have coddled and shielded from consequences those who violate our laws, which has caused them to develop a “victim” mentality. Trespassers now see themselves as victims of oppression who deserve special treatment. Sadly, enough coddling of irresponsible people and they will come to think they have a “right” to that which they are not willing to work for. We have given trespassers enough special treatment that they now believe they are indeed special and exempted from personal responsibility.
The Mexican government threatens to sue the U.S. over how we handle border trespassers. What inspired me to drop everything I was doing and write this commentary was the news that the government of Mexico demands we permit their citizens to trespass unhindered, even threatening a lawsuit if we use force to guard our borders.
My goodness – a government with a victim mentality! Rather than apologize for not securing their own border and keeping better control of their citizens, the Mexican government strangely believes that it is the duty of the U.S. to care for their people. They are even threatening lawsuits if they see a “wave of rights abuses.”
Rather than making threats, Mexican officials should warn their own people about the consequences they will face if they trespass into their northern neighbor’s yard. But because they desire for their citizens a life not to be found under their own government, they act like coddling parents and neglect their own duty. They then demand that their U.S. neighbor provide that which they are failing to provide themselves.
Bad parents – bad government.
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Reb Bradley, father of six, is a pastor, writer, and conference speaker, addressing issues related to parenting, marriage, and family life. He is best known for his book, “Child Training Tips: What I Wish I Knew When My Children Were Young,” available at ShopNetDaily or through his website.
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