Blame Congress, Not Illegal Immigrants

[Draggingtree]

American Thinker:

March 2, 2013

Blame Congress, Not Illegal Immigrants

 

By Patrick Osio

In the coming U.S. immigration reform debate, there is a simple solution: the United States must return to the idea that governed through the 19^th century and much of the 20^th. To wit: immigration policy must be based on what is good for the nation, not the immigrant.

This means to stop blaming illegal immigration on the people who illegally cross the border in search of economic opportunities not present in their home countries. The blame lies with political decisions made by past and present members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate -- or their silence on the issue.

As early as 1947, then-President Harry Truman noted that undocumented entries along the southern border of the United States were becoming epidemic, so he asked Congress to pass laws prohibiting such forms of unaccountable hiring. Congress ignored his request, allowing the unrestrained flow and hiring to continue.

Next, President Eisenhower launched Operation Wetback, deporting over one million illegal entrants. He was guided in part by a report in the New York Times, which stated:

[Draggingtree]

How Eisenhower Solved Illegal Border Crossings From Mexico

By John Dillin / July 6, 2006

WASHINGTON

George W. Bush isn't the first Republican president to face a full-blown immigration crisis on the US-Mexican border.

Fifty-three years ago, when newly elected Dwight Eisenhower moved into the White House, America's southern frontier was as porous as a spaghetti sieve. As many as 3 million illegal migrants had walked and waded northward over a period of several years for jobs in California, Arizona, Texas, and points beyond.

President Eisenhower cut off this illegal traffic. He did it quickly and decisively with only 1,075 United States Border Patrol agents – less than one-tenth of today's force. The operation is still highly praised among veterans of the Border Patrol.

Although there is little to no record of this operation in Ike's official papers, one piece of historic evidence indicates how he felt. In 1951, Ike wrote a letter to Sen. William Fulbright (D) of Arkansas. The senator had just proposed that a special commission be created by Congress to examine unethical conduct by government officials who accepted gifts and favors in exchange for special treatment of private individuals.

General Eisenhower, who was gearing up for his run for the presidency, said "Amen" to Senator Fulbright's proposal. He then quoted a report in The New York Times, highlighting one paragraph that said: "The rise in illegal border-crossing by Mexican 'wetbacks' to a current rate of more than 1,000,000 cases a year has been accompanied by a curious relaxation in ethical standards extending all the way from the farmer-exploiters of this contraband labor to the highest levels of the Federal Government."

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0706/p09s01-coop.html