by Robert Anthony
Dec 29th 2024
The issue is beyond political - unfortunately. If we could get politics out of the way and have a reasonable conversation about the hot topic - there is room for both deportation and citizenship. (But this has turned into a huge political negotiation and even war.)
Common Sense
Do we want family-loving, hard working, patriotic people to immigrate to America? The obvious answer is Yes.
I have lived most of my life, especially my childhood years on the West Coast throughout Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Seattle. I have been in business several times with immigrants, both first and second generations immigrants. In fact, I built an entire company with Spanish-speaking legal immigrants. We were very successful, we had quite the team, mostly college-educated (I might add) and very professional. I can't say enough about my wonderful experiences with these family-loving, often God-fearing, hard working, Patriotic Immigrated-Americans!
Obviously we want legal immigration. Obviously we have a countless many immigrants here illegally but what will we do with them now?
Today's Crisis
The Biden Administration, following Obama Admin's example, made a huge mess at our borders. It almost could not be worse. The crisis on our hands can not be overstated and mostly the state-governments and local governments are stuck dealing with the mess. I can not say more emphatically how I support what the President and his Border Governor, Tom Holman, are preparing to do. Morale throughout our nation has plummeted because of this Progressive-inspired crisis.
It is clear that Holman intends to go after the worst of the worst first: those with terrorism on their resumes, cartel-affiliated immigrants, gang-members, criminals, etc. But then what to do about the larger portion of the illegal-immigrants, some tens of millions of people living throughout America?
Cooler Heads Prevail
I can tell you all literally countless stories of the wonderful (mostly Spanish-speaking) immigrants I have had the good fortune to know throughout my life. I can tell you about Bryan in Vegas - a very honest and sincere young man whose father left their family, but now Bryan, after graduating from UNLV, got a great job in Computer Sciences and supports his mother, younger brother and others throughout his community. Last conversation we had Bryan had invested in a small construction company and was expanding his talents into small business start ups.
I can tell you about Jazz, the Vice President of a company I founded in Los Angeles 2002. Jazz (from Mexico) was fluent in three languages, had a bachelors degree, had an extremely impressive international resume, had built a successful marriage and family, was by far the most hard working man on our team and exuded good character and integrity throughout his tenure with me. I can talk about Emilio (from Guatemala), Ruben (from Argentina), Ricardo (whose parents were from El Salvador), Frankie, Alfred, etc. I can tell you about Roberto (from Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico) who joined the US Military, started a small business and contributed wonderfully, serving this nation throughout his life. Roberto just founded a church with several of his friends from DR and PR.
I know African immigrants who have done wonderfully in our nation. I was very close with two Lebanese families in California that I would quickly vouch for as great advantages for our Unites States. I have preached at nearly ten Slavic, mostly Russian and Ukrainian churches throughout my life - and these are some of my favorite American Immigrants!! A Russian man in Hawaii became one of my closest friends for a season of life. A Ukrainian pastor in California is one of my favorite pastors in the whole world.
I have known personally Indian's, South Korean's, Filipino's, Canadian's, European's, Israeli's, Iranian's, Armenian's, Japanese, Taiwanese, Jordanian's - all who came to America, started great families, participated with our American ideals (for the most part) and contributed to the advancement of our nation!
The Hope of America
It seems to me people escape their broken, impoverished and often lawless nations throughout the world and arrive at what they perceive as the 21st Century, Promised Land - and they find Hope. It's amazing what hope and also hopelessness can do to a person. I would love to do a paper on Palestinians with regards to this topic. I knew several Palestinians in California throughout my life, maybe a dozen!? Never, not once were they violent-extremists or radical rage-machines seemingly capable of doing what happened in Israel, October 7th. It's amazing what hope but also hopelessness can do to a person.
It seems to me immigrants come here and find Hope! They leave that world of hopelessness, despair and often war behind, they come to find American Hope and they shine, they do wonderfully with their lives and they create something of a beautiful and blessed life. Do the math yourselves - how many of them end up on welfare programs? How many of them end up taking from our society and never giving back? The answer is very very few.
(Do the math for yourselves. Our social and welfare programs by in large are going to Americans who have been here for generations and have been taught to live off of other peoples efforts, for generations. Instead of using these welfare programs as a hand up they instead learn to illegally navigate these systems, often turning to crime to make more money off the books, while keeping their tax-payer vouchers, food-stamps and government checks rolling in. Immigrants by in large are not the huge drain on American Society.)
But this is About Politics
I find it very very rare for any politician to simple speak the truth. They mostly put a (political) spin on everything so as to keep their base rallied and their people angry at "the other side" (whoever "the other side" might be). This strategy, while it might help to win elections, is very short-sided and ruinous.
What if no one speaks the Truth ever in Politics, but uses every policy issue as a means to demonize the other side and provoke their base to fear and rage!? What a heartless and dystopian nation we would become, in merely a generation or even a decade!? Aren't we more spirit, soul and heart than we are flesh? This flesh will pass but yet we will live on. Our souls will live on. At some point in time our rulers, our leaders, our politicians and even clergy need to wake up to the reality of what they are doing: saving a nation by destroying its soul? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
In Closing
We have this large problem on our hands. Are we going to create a much more terrible problem by wreaking havoc on countless, innocent families and lives? Or are we going to put politics aside and seek, what Americans have so often sought throughout our history: Truth, Righteousness and Justice!? I'm going to hold on to the hope that we, Americans, still want to be Light in this dark world - and do what is Good.
I trust President Trump. I worry about some of those pressuring him, but I trust President Trump's intentions. I think he is well aware of what I am saying, as he was a business man and American citizen for his whole life before he waded into the political poop-storm. I believe his good heart and pure soul will shine thru after all the dust settles from the negotiations. Let's support him. MAGA, Conservatives, Republicans, etc. lets rally behind justice and the goodness that is so often found throughout the history of our nation, even for these immigrants and lets do the right(eous) thing!
I believe we will.
We must have borders. We must have legal and lawful immigration. We must not allow illegal immigration. To me all these things are so obvious I shouldnt even need to write them down. But just in case a few people reading this need to hear it loud and clear. I am extremely conservative and lawful throughout all my policy positions - AND - what will we do with these families and real people thrust upon us against our will?
I believe we will do the right thing. The "right thing" which includes shutting down our borders, fixing our immigration system and actually upholding our laws and our Constitution.
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