Despite Border Crisis, Left Still Peddles Stale Amnesty Arguments Americans Reject
Although thousands of migrants pour across our borders every day, the good news is that amnesty appears stalled…for now. It’s not just because a GOP-led House makes legislation unlikely. It’s not just because it’s audacious to ask for amnesty while migrant flows are at an all-time high and enforcement is at an all-time low. Nor is it just because amnesty advocates have given up – on the contrary, they’re still in full assault mode. Instead, after years of fair consideration, many Americans have concluded that amnesty offers nothing for them and are tired of hearing duplicitous clichés. Of course, that doesn’t matter to the open-borders/amnesty industry because they’re paid to sell thread-worn slogans designed to dupe a new generation inspired by Lenin’s maxim, “Give me four years to teach the children, and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.”
We all know the basic physics of granting amnesty; it rewards illegal behavior, encourages more, and is fundamentally unfair to those who play by the rules. But the left sidesteps this rationale. So, for the benefit of the young, the as-yet uninformed, or those just wanting to refresh their defenses, here are several devious tactics still used by the left to persuade, intimidate, or deceive.
Shout Racism
This favorite line of attack implies that any intelligent deliberation of immigration policy and the impact of amnesty on our rule of law or broad national interests is a wholesale indictment against immigrants. The indiscriminate use of the charge has caused it to lose some of its effects (ironically, to the benefit of actual racists). While the mere mention of the word “racism” used to cause people to run for cover, it is now widely recognized for what it is; a crude, transparent tactic to intimidate people from expressing views and shut down debate. The vast majority of Americans who simply want reasonable enforcement of rational laws have shown no malice toward immigrants whatsoever, nor are they willing to let someone falsely accuse them of it.
Euphemize the Language
Amnesty for illegal aliens was branded as “a path to citizenship,” while amnesty for those who entered the United States illegally as minors became the “DREAM Act.” Massive amnesty bills sweetened with hollow promises of enforcement became “comprehensive immigration reform” while “illegal aliens” morphed into “undocumented workers.” News flash for amnesty pitchmen: Americans have been wearing their decoder rings for years and can instantly translate code words for what they are. Give it up.
Assert Americans Won’t “Do the Jobs”
An oldie but goodie that at one time made for clever cocktail chatter by the elites. In fact, the assertion is incorrect and insulting to Americans who will do any job given living wages and safe working conditions. Sure, unemployment by historical standards is low right now but it has resulted in a tightening labor market and rising wages. Amnesty would permit millions of illegal aliens the legal right to work, thus squandering that momentum. It would also be a slap in the face to 6.1 million Americans who remain unemployed, and serve as a disincentive for millions more who have dropped out of the labor force from considering reentry.
Claim Enforcement is Up So Now It’s Time for Amnesty
This tactic fails because numbers don’t lie. Nearly 7.5 million people have crossed our southern border illegally since President Biden took office, and thousands continue doing so each day resulting in an unprecedented backlog of asylum cases (most fraudulent) that top 800,000. Overall, the docket of immigration cases has reached an all-time high of 2.1 million. 17,000 pounds of fentanyl have been seized along the Mexican border so far this fiscal year – a massive yearly increase that is enough to kill every American many times over. Worksite enforcement has all but stopped, scrapped in favor of paper audits in which employers get just a warning or modest fine. Construction of the fence has hit a wall with only 738 miles of it built along the 1,954-mile Mexican border. Virtually every enforcement metric is worsening. Yet, the most damning evidence of all comes from soon-to-retire, Raul Ortiz, Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, who testified before the House Homeland Security Committee that the federal government does not have “operational control” of the southern border – a statutorily defined requirement that his agency is obligated to meet.
Use Emotional Extortion
Amnesty advocates claim we have a moral obligation to help illegal aliens but Americans comprehend the self-perpetuating cycle this imperative implies. Given that amnesty incentivizes more illegal aliens to come – all hoping for their future amnesties – the country then faces endless moral obligations for the next round of illegal aliens, and the round after that, and so forth.
Remind Us We Are a Nation of Immigrants, or if desperate, mention the Statue of Liberty
Americans know we are also a nation of laws and sociologically, a nation of citizens. And those in the know remember that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to commemorate the U.S. Centennial. Its purpose was to symbolize Liberty Enlightening the World — liberty under the law — not lawlessness, not amnesty.
Declare that Amnesty is the New Civil Rights Battle
Many African Americans find this offensive, and rightly so. Saying that illegal aliens share their same struggle is, in effect, identity theft of the civil rights movement and an insult to the legacies of Americans who suffered terrible past injustices.
Final Note
Granted, backdoor amnesty is in full stride given the protections offered by widespread sanctuary policies, expanding benefits for illegal aliens, and President Biden’s abuse of parole authority that admits hundreds of thousands of migrants into the U.S., not otherwise lawfully eligible. But thankfully, any massive legislative amnesty proposal would now face stiff public resistance. Ultimately, the left’s well-financed amnesty hustlers have been unable to convincingly answer one simple question asked by Americans: What’s in it for me?