Apr. 05, 2005 - 19:47 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Food For Thought

There is an article in today's Rocky Mountain News by Hector Guiterrez of that paper. In full:

"About 75 backers of immigrants and refugees staged a protest near the state Capitol on Monday to denounce a proposed federal requirement that applicants seeking identification documents prove they are in the country lawfully."

"Supporters of undocumented workers and asylum seekers face an uphill battle against lawmakers and citizens who have become increasingly convinced the United States borders aren't secure."

"Protesters condemned the proposed Real ID Act, which has been approved by the House, saying it would trample civil rights of immigrant workers and refugees fleeing persecution."

"The Act would force thousands of illegal immigrants and refugees to live like fugitives, they argued."

"We believe no human being is illegal, and that every human being has rights," Pilar Carrillo, of Rights For All People, told the demonsrators congregated near a bus stop at Colfax Avenue and Broadway."

" They demanded rights and protections for immigrant workers and talked about the citizens patroling the Arizona-Mexico boundary. Human right activists call the group, known as the Minuteman Project, vigilantes."

"Vigilantes are terrorists. "Go home, Minutemen," one sign read. "No more bounty hunters," read another."

"Lawmakers who back the Real ID Act said it is necessary to guard against potential terrorists who violate U.S. immigration laws as did many of the airplane hijackers involved in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks."

"The legislation would include stricter requirements for people to get benefits and driver's licenses as well as for those seeking asylum."

"Those who favor drivers licenses for illegal immigrants have argued that they would make streets safer and require immigrants to have automobile insurance."

"One speaker Nisar Nikzad, an Afghan refugee who came to the U.S. four days bvefore the Sept. 11 attacks, said he feared legitimate asylum seekers would be turned away and return to nations where they would be persecuted."

"Every year thousands and thousands of victims of war and persecution come to the united States with the hope of starting a peaceful life." said Nikzad, 21, who fled the civil war in his country. He now works for the Colorado Progressive Coalition, an immigrant rights organization."

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How can a person who fled his or her country to escape death and persecution prove he or she is in our country lawfully ? How could they possibly provide documentation to establish their refugee status ? Their home country certainly would not verify who and what they are. It seems to me that true refugees from oppression have no proof really. Now, to use the PC namby pamby words, "undocumented aliens" seem to be a different category of folks to me.

If our country could take in every poor person in the world tomorrow, how would any of us survive ? So it seems to me that much discretion must be used as to who to let in our country, its a matter of self survival and survival of those few who we can help here.

The protestors keep trying to link illegal aliens and refugees in the same breath. To my eye an illegal immigrant is truly a fugitive, but an asylum seeker is really up against it and shouldn't have to live that way if by some quirk of magic their true refugee status could be verified.

The signs carried seem to be trying to say something, too bad that one sign said, "Vigilantes are terrorists. Go home, Minutemen," The Minutemen may be misguided and may be sand in the gears of our immigration people, messing up more than they help -- but, -- BIG BUT, -- they are home.

And "the lawmakers who back the Real ID Act said it is necessary to guard against potential terrorists who violate U.S. immigrations laws "as did many of the airplane hijackers involved in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks." Seems to me that I recall some of them were in the country legally but overstayed in our country past the time they were supposed to come up for renewal of their privileges. Illegals come in many forms it seems. It appears that those who were supposed to be controlling that sort of thing were understaffed or supremely lax about keeping up with the whereabouts of our visitors.

"Those who favor driver's licenses for illegal immigrants have argued that they would make streets safer and require immigrants to have automobile insurance." Yeah right and people in hell want ice water too. From what little I know we have too many of our own citizens on the streets without valid driver's licenses, have no insurance either. It seems to me that illegals would come here with enough money to buy automotive insurance -- the first time. They might be a few years older before they could come up with the money. Or they could be customers of rapid transit and work as fugitives until they could afford the insurance.

So it seems to me that our laws need to be overhauled, finding a way to determine of people are truly refugees from persecution or not. Yet not throwing the doors wide open to people who want in just to make their lives better financially. I don't see how we could accomodate every poor person in the world and make life better for them and still have a "life of our own."

And then I fear that our administration is going to push the "National ID Card" idea to the point of Big Brother doubled.

Perhaps if the people in government would enact clear cut laws, bureaucrats quit stumbing around, and law enforcement people do what they are supposed to be doing and if enough people are put on the job patroling our borders, perhaps we could give a better life to the legal immigrants. I don't know, just an idea of mine, at least it is Food For Thought . . . . . . . . . . .

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