Closing the floodgates

An unpopular truth

[Reprinted from Issues & Views September 6, 2004]

Western countries opened up the floodgates. Now, what do they do about the flood? Says a Minister of the European Union: "People seeking asylum for economic reasons is a growing problem." In fact, he says, "It's a time bomb." Should Europe begin to offer aid to nations from which immigrants emanate, in order to prevent the masses from "swamping the European Union?" he wonders.

Even border control is being touted in some quarters, an unmentionable subject just a few years ago. There is a proposal afoot to set up "immigrant camps" or holding centers outside the EU, an idea already pounced upon by some human rights groups.

The greed for cheap labor that sparked the push for mass immigration seems to be abating, as European leaders now talk even about identifying and deporting migrants "who don't meet criteria or who would not be able to integrate in our society." In England, in the London Times (8/28/04), Andrew Green of Migration Watch, an immigration reform group, claims that there is a "huge problem" facing Britain, a problem that too many people "shy away from." He writes:

The issue now is the scale of future immigration which is a real cause of concern. . . . The reason comes down to numbers. Net foreign immigration -- those who come minus those who leave -- was 245,000 in 2002. This was more than twice the level of 1997 and the trend is rising. For the first time in our history, we are adding to our population by immigration. The Government’s own figures, albeit extremely conservative, show our population increasing by 5.6 million over the next three decades. This is equivalent to five times the population of Birmingham; and 85 per cent of it will be due to new immigration.

Where are we going to put all these people? A quarter of new houses will be required for immigrants. Yet we already have severe congestion. England now has more people per square mile than India, and the South East is twice as crowded as the Netherlands, the most crowded country in Europe. Common sense suggests that it is simply absurd to let immigration add to our overcrowding.

Over the years, England's leaders, as well as those in other Western countries, including the United States, disdained advocates of immigration restriction and eschewed common sense. Green laments, "The government has effectively lost control of our borders."

In the U.S., where hospitals are going bankrupt and closing under the burden of a never-ending stream of migrants, the end does not seem near. In California's San Fernando Valley, the region's oldest hospital announced that it will fold by the end of the year, which will bring to six the number of announced shutdowns of such facilities in a little over a year. The reason cited is "substantial financial losses." In Los Angeles, the same story was heard as East Los Angeles Hospital was closed by a bankruptcy judge.

And, while illegal aliens now account for close to 30% of the country's state and federal prison inmates, police officers are prevented from apprehending criminals on the basis of their illegal status. The Manhattan Institute's Heather MacDonald writes about the 18th Street Gang, a major crime network in Los Angeles, comprised of 60% illegal aliens, whose members are protected, by special order, from inquiries into their immigration status. In what sounds like a zany parallel universe, "Special Order 40" prohibits officers from "… initiating police action where the objective is to discover the alien status of the person."

Frosty Wooldridge, writing for the Washington Dispatch (9/3/04), claims:

As illegal alien migration grew, so did its powerful advocates. The order was adopted by cities across America. Today, illegal alien criminals are free to move about the country in San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Denver, Phoenix, Miami, Detroit, Houston, Dallas and most other cities across the United States.

Even if caught for a violation, one that could deport them before they commit a greater felony, they cannot be detained for immigration violations. Even though it is a federal offense!

Immigrant crime is also taking its toll in Minnesota. Fighting an uphill battle is the state's Governor Tim Pawlenty, who has requested that the city officials of Minneapolis and St. Paul change certain ordinances, so that the police can have greater latitude to inquire about immigration status. It appears that there is no chance that either city will comply.

Of course, whether in California or Minnesota or New Jersey, all a criminal migrant has to do is wait long enough and he will soon be enjoying the rewards of Amnesty.

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