The point of immigration is to immigrate legally to a country and become a legal citizen. This, however, is not what is going on when someone crosses the border illegally. The only issue that matters here is that people, of whatever race, are coming across the border illegally.
It’s wrong to call the illegal immigrants “immigrants” because immigrants are people who come to a country and then assimilate themselves into that society and culture. People who come here for the sole purpose of getting a better job so that they can retire in their homeland are not immigrants – they’re opportunists. They are willing to exploit the good will of the American people to simply make a few extra bucks. Their illegal entry into the United States only helps the corrupt Mexican government (in particular), which is unwilling to fix the problems of its own nation.
The Mexican economy receives billions annually in remittances sent via illegals to their families, and at the same time relieves its population pressure by sending poor uneducated workers to the United States to be used as the equivalent of indentured servants.
The United States is a society based on laws, and people should not have the right to pick and choose the laws they are willing to obey. These “honest people” have no respect for the laws of this nation; if they did, they would wait in line just like the people who want to become legal U.S. citizens. Breaking the law should not be rewarded, no matter how bad you feel seeing people get deported. They took the risk of coming here illegally and now they should be ready to receive the consequences for their actions.
Giving illegal immigrants amnesty as Republican Sen. Arlen Specter’s bill would do will not solve our immigration problem. It simply gives other illegal immigrants a thumbs-up and says that they too might become a citizen if they can avoid the INS for long enough. When the police and government agencies that are responsible for enforcing the laws are prevented from doing so because they are afraid of being called racist, that is a sad day.
So if the Senate bill passes and we legalize these illegals, what about all the people waiting in line to become citizens? Is that fair to them? Those who are waiting actually respect our laws and really want to become citizens because they believe in the idea of America and the American dream. In essences we are saying to them, “Too bad for you; we care more about a Mexican’s skin color than the intentions of your heart.” Is that not the pinnacle of racism?
Immigration is an essential part of a healthy U.S. economy, but so is following the laws of the land.
Without both of these maxims working in concert we get either limited economic growth or ageneration that does not respect the rule of law, or worst, both. Viva la Migra, Viva Los Estados Unidos.

Nathan Winegardner is a political science and Spanish major at the University.