So ...Illegal Immigration. What gives?

I haven't brought up the subject much in the past because to be quite honest, I'm rather ambivalent about it. I've lived in Los Angeles where there are quite a few immigrants and different cultures and languages, but I haven't really felt any burning need to "white wash" society because of it.

And make no mistake - that's exactly what the whole underlying fear of "illegal aliens" is all about.

If these immigrants were from Europe or Canada or any other place with a Caucasian face, no one would say diddly squat about it.

That new law in Arizona? You think they're going to be asking for the papers of anyone whose skin is not brown?

There's this underlying paranoia in this country that we have to save our stuff from "them", which is a nice nondescript way of saying "anyone who is different". If they look different, speak different, or have different cultures automatically they become a threat.

And here's the kicker. The people in power recognize this and use it to their advantage.

They no more care about fixing illegal immigration than they care about making abortion illegal. These are talking points and easy voting platforms where they can stir up the worst in humanity to keep your attention away from the people behind the curtain.

Odds are the people speaking the loudest against illegal immigration are also the ones who voted to allow tax loopholes for US corporations to send their jobs overseas for huge tax breaks.

They might also be the ones who employ people under the table to maintain their houses or their lawns to do the "dirty work" for less pay most legal American citizens wouldn't do even on their best day.

Many of these anti-immigration folks are the same ones who have never stepped foot out of this country but maintain it's the "greatest country in the world" - yet somehow it's an exclusive group that no one else can join.

This is especially ironic given the fact most of us of European (*cough*white*cough) descent invaded this country and took it away from the darker skinned natives and forced our government and our dominance over them.

Yet now there's all this fear that those scary "aliens" are going to take what we've rightfully stolen.

"They're gonna take our jobs!"

Eh, not really. In fact there are many economists who believe that immigrants (legal or not) actually stimulate the economy by creating more demand for services and goods, thereby creating more jobs overall.

Not to mention the anger here is completely misguided toward the undocumented worker. If they are "taking American jobs", then why not go after the *Americans* who are hiring them under the table so they can 1.) pay them less and 2.) avoid paying taxes.

Sounds like the real cheats in that equation are the ones we grew right here at home.

"My taxes support them!"

This one always makes me chuckle as it is often someone from a red state that doesn't even make enough money to pay taxes who is complaining about it.

Maybe they've received this interesting email about a Florida mother whose eight "anchor babies" ensure she gets $1500 a month per kid.

Again, not true. Per the Florida Department of Children & Families one needs to be a legal immigrant to even get benefits, and even in that scenario the mother AND all eight kids would get a max of under $700 for the entire family.

There's some livin', right there! Boy oh boy they're just ALL getting rich, aren't they?

"They're causing the crime rate to skyrocket!"

Not according to an FBI report. In Arizona, where such a claim was used to pass through the Anti-Immigrant bill, instances of crime actually had been on the decline.

In fact, some reports show that undocumented workers are less likely to commit crimes than their American counterparts.

"We have to change everything to accommodate their cultures and languages."

This part is probably true. If you want someone's business, you should probably learn their language.

But it's not like they're slipping through to change our laws into a language we don't understand so that they can take our homes and our land.

So as you can see, all the anti-immigrant arguments are basically bunk to hide what the true sentiment really is: "You're different. Therefore I must hate you."

And I can always tell when it's a racist, hate-filled agenda when the opposition uses the term "alien". Generally whoever uses the term is on the "anti" side of the fence. They will use terms like that to strip these immigrants of their humanity so it's a lot easier to hate them.

Ah-merica.

What's especially ironic? A lot of those "alien" hatin' folks on the Right are also those who are most vocally religious.

So what does the Bible have to say about illegal aliens?

Deuteronomy 10:18-19:

18"He executes justice for (A)the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.

19"(B)So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.


Leviticus 19:33-34:

33'(A)When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.

34'The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and (B)you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.

But I guess Leviticus only applies when it's talking against homosexuality.

So what's say we stop the hate and stand up for truly just reform and stop chasing the straw man?