[VDARE.COM NOTE: Today's column is Juan Mann's 100th article on immigration law and real immigration reform in his VDARE.com archive. Congratulations, Juan!]
Goodbye illegal aliens—hello "good-hearted people"!
The days of preserving the distinction between lawful immigrants and aliens who enter the United States illegally are numbered if President Bush has his way.
In his recent interview with Washington Times editors, President Bush made it clear that 2005 will be the year for pushing his disastrous "this is not instant citizenship" amnesty plan. ["Bush vows push on immigration," By Joseph Curl, Washington Times, January 12, 2005]
But whether Bush calls it the "legalizing work" initiative, "the good-hearted people who are coming here to do jobs that Americans won't do" Appreciation Act, or The Mexican Middle Class Creation (and Relocation) Act of 2005—it's still just another illegal alien amnesty.
America has been there, done amnesty before. She continues to draw illegal aliens into the country with various incentives and give-aways. She doesn't have a system in place to either find them, deport them, or figure out whether they're filing fraudulent immigration benefit applications.
And now the President of the United States is "passionate" about opening the border for cheaper and cheaper labor . . . so women who grow live oak seedlings can hire illegal aliens with "comfort."
I've done my best to try to makes sense out of the President's remarks about his "realistic and common-sensical" amnesty plan.
But his December 20, 2004 press conference and January 11 interview makes no sense to me at all.
Peter Brimelow has identified one of the techniques currently being used by the President to "solve the illegal immivasion problem"—
"Define it away — call them "undocumented workers," the term favored by the Treason Lobby, ignoring their tax-eating dependents."
But there's more. From the December 20 and January 11 remarks, the President appears to be reinventing the "undocumented worker" into something even more noble than ordinary Americans.
Here are the President's latest euphemisms for illegal aliens:
So what is the common thread here? All these noble appellations have been in effect stolen from lawful immigrants to the United States.
Lawful permanent resident aliens (i.e. "green card" holders) and law-abiding non-immigrant visa holders are the foreign nationals on American shores who really deserve to be called good-hearted, hard-working and law-abiding.
Illegal aliens don't deserve such praise.
By definition, illegal aliens are cheaters, liars and thieves.
They are stealing a life that they are not entitled to have. They overstay lawful visas or border-crossing cards. They steal taxpayer subsidies and benefits which are not their own, including American citizenship for their progeny.
Yes, Mr. President, there is a difference between "good-hearted" law-abiding immigrants, and law-breaking illegal aliens.
Someone who might be able to lend a hand in explaining this concept is Joe D. Whitley, the current General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security.
As the DHS' chief legal counsel, Whitley recently sent this seemingly generic message to his employees. It was provided to me by a VDARE.com whistleblower.
Note the interesting surprise in the last sentence of the first paragraph:
"As we enter 2005, I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your families all the best. I also extend my heartfelt thanks for your work this past year in making the Office of the General Counsel a vital contributor to the DHS mission. Without your efforts, important initiatives like US-VISIT, MTSA, Secure Flight, the Homeland Security Acquisition Regulations, HR redesign, Information Sharing, the Safety Act, and the Container Security Initiative would not have been possible. Nor would we have succeeded in drafting and issuing the myriad of regulations and legislation necessary to provide our operational colleagues with the tools they need to keep our country safe, including the intelligence reform legislation recently signed into law by the President. Also, you assisted DHS in providing aid to victims of disasters in 2004, safely interdicting migrants at sea, deterring illegal drug trafficking, and preserving the distinction between lawful immigrants and those aliens who enter the U.S. illegally. [Emphasis added].
"I am most impressed by how each of you performs your duties always mindful of the rule of law and the need to remain vigilant that vigilant that civil liberties be preserved. Although we have accomplished much, we will continue our efforts to strengthen our legal function through better coordination and effective integration. Thank you again for your hard work and support."
It looks like General Counsel Whitley hasn't quite gotten the word yet about the Administration's new amnesty talking points.
He forgot to mention the "honest" and "good-hearted" illegal aliens gracing us with their presence.
It might be that someone in Whitley's office still has a copy of the Immigration and Nationality Act sitting around. Maybe someone even read it.
Perish the thought!
This may come as a revelation to the White House, but section 101(a)(3) of the Immigration Act says:
"the term 'alien' means any person not a citizen or national of the United States."
And to save VDARE.COM readers the trouble of slogging through it, the Immigration Act goes on to explain in great detail all the categories of aliens . . . they are either legal or illegal . . . and that the illegal aliens and convicted criminal aliens should be deported from the United States.
It's something to remember for 2005 – the year, if Bush has his way, of the "good-hearted people."
His fellow Americans need not apply.
Juan Mann [send him email] is a lawyer and the proprietor of DeportAliens.com.
