Immigration. My Opinion. Part Two
Learning to Shut the Door
Good-looking Mormons came into our neighborhood a couple times every month. I was often outside in the garden when they came. I stopped working, sat on the ground and listened to them. They were fulfilling an obligation to their group and they were courteous, All-American type kids, like the Osmonds. I gave them ice water while they talked, and I took a little work break. I never argued with them, but when they left I told them I would pray for them. The neighbors shook their heads at me behind curtains where they hid whenever the cult showed up. One day it started to rain. I headed inside; I invited them in. When they entered the foyer they passed our family altar and a crucifix on the wall. One of the group had some things to say about that. The girl tried to shush him, but to no avail. He was rude and disrespectful. I asked them to leave; he got belligerent. I never allowed any onto my property again, inside or outside.
There is a time when lack-of-hospitality is appropriate. When our personal safety or the safety of our family or home is at risk, when our faith is attacked, we have a right, a duty, and a responsibility to shut the door against the perpetrators.
All Americans are at risk now, partly due to our country’s extreme hospitality. The U.S. has been Dolly Madison to the world. But now it’s time to shut the door. Not forever. But, until we have a better system of knowing who is in our homeland and why, it’s necessary for health and safety. That’s true for other countries in the free world, as well. I remember my first trip to London; how I loved that city. The next time I went, London was filthy. The city streets were littered with chicken bones. Greasy chicken bones were everywhere, food and grease on the sidewalks, packaging collecting in the gutter. Apparently in some eastern countries this is acceptable behavior, and there were now a significant number of immigrants from those countries residing in London, enjoying the Londoners’ hospitality. Instead of adjusting to their host’s standards of health and aesthetics, they demanded their own standards, which involved eating while walking and dropping the garbage, as well as disrespecting London’s women. Time to close the door, London! Germany, known for clean, safe cities, now deals with graffiti, rape, and murder as a way of life, in thanks for their hospitality. Abuse of the country and the laws of that country, bringing hate and distrust, committing crimes and murder, and no wish to assimilate into the host country’s culture, means it’s time to shut the door.
For centuries immigrants have come into our country searching for a better life, looking for freedom and safety. They brought wondrous gifts of diversity to our country. With great pride they became part of the melting pot and were grateful for U.S. citizenship. There are still some of those immigrants wanting in. They are the ones who respect our immigration laws and wait in line, sometimes many years, while trying to learn our language and culture. Those who enter illegally disrespect the law of our land before they even move in! To be sure they get to stay, they do something illegal, like shop lift, or beat up their girlfriend, steal hubcaps, and be sure to get caught. Now, they are in the legal system, awaiting due process. They will stay, because our current system rewards illegals who break the law. I’ve been in the immigration courtroom and observed deportation hearings. I’ve seen how this works. Once they are here, we are too charitable to remove them. It’s time to shut the door.
Illegal immigrants take money and resources that are needed to take care of our own citizens and to help legal immigrants get started. And add to that, today many illegals enter our country with the sole purpose of doing harm. They have no intention of becoming an American or even respecting the laws or flag or people of America. While we are angsting over the inhumanity of deporting illegals, we do nothing to prevent them from entering! This is wrong-headed charity. We are aiding and abetting lawlessness! It’s time to shut the door.
Christians who practice charity take their directive from scripture; we can continue doing that. There will always be need of our charity. But, our President takes his directive from the Constitution. And his #1 directive is to keep our country safe. To do that, he must enforce our laws, deport all illegals, and prevent entry of illegals. We must help those who wish to be law-abiding American citizens. To do that, we must shut the door and know exactly who is coming in. That’s not uncharitable. It’s not anti-Christian. It’s responsible. Every American and legal immigrant has a right to that protection. When this citizen says it’s time to shut the door it’s not because I’m a racist, bigot, phobic, or a hater. It’s common sense. It’s American.