Democrats' Weapon: Immigration Illogic

Arizona's new immigration law has ignited a predictable storm of protest from Mexico to the White House. The heated rhetoric has a familiar ring that threatens to drown out any chance for sensible immigration reform. The blame rests squarely on the Democratic Party, which is spoiling for an issue to reinvigorate its base.

To listen to the vociferous critics of Arizona's law, the measure is unfair. For one thing, it gives police the right to ask about a person's immigration status. The law also makes it a crime to be in the country illegally. People can actually be arrested and fined for breaking that law. Imagine that!

Even before the governor signed the law, special interest groups howled. The Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund vented. The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders Legal Defense Fund protested. Even the Senate in Mexico got into the act, unanimously approving a resolution urging a veto of the new law. Never mind that it was interfering in a sovereign nation's affairs.

Never one to waste a crisis, the President weighed in. He called the bill "misguided" and instructed Attorney General Eric Holder to determine if the new law passes muster with the U.S. Constitution. By his comments, Obama signaled that he wants this issue to be about race and human rights. Immigration reform is just the cover on this sordid chapter of politics as usual.

Lost in all the rancor and hand wringing is an issue of national importance. The tide of illegal--underscore that word illegal--immigration from Mexico is swamping state resources, increasing crime and serving as a channel for smuggling both drugs and humans. In Phoenix alone, police reported 357 extortion-related abuctions in
2007. How long must Arizonans wait for the federal government to address the problem? That is the issue. However, do not expect the Administration or Democrats to mention rising crime, porous borders or wanton disregard for U.S. immigration laws.

The Democrats and their media allies will spin this to be about racism, jingoism, fear and the abuse of poor, hard-working Mexicans. They will obfuscate the facts and turn this into a war against the police state tactics of border states, like Arizona, who are paying for decades of federal government ineptness in dealing with the flood of illegal immigrants. Republicans must re-frame the debate in a way that will force Democrats to deal with the facts, instead of playing politics.

Here is what immigration reform should be about:

1. The U.S. has immigration laws for good reasons, chiefly to protect the country from undesirables and to preserve our security. Through decades of neglect, the federal government looked the other way while millions of Mexican migrants crossed illegally into the country. These illegal aliens were embolden because they had no fear of prosecution. What started as a drip has turned into a tidal wave. The country cannot pretend to have immigration laws that apply to all foreign nationals, except those from Mexico. Now is the time to deal with the issue. There should be a national policy that applies to all immigrants equally and without exception.

2. There are an estimated 10.8 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, the overwhelming majority from Mexico. An estimated 460,000 reside in Arizona alone. The Democrats would like nothing more than to make the debate about the illegals here now. They see the millions as captive voters for a lifetime. Democrats, joined by the churches, will wail about the unwelcoming nature of those who want to keep illegals out of the country. They will raise the spectre of mass deportations. Fear mongering will reach new heights. But these arguments should be non-starters. The fact is that the United States accepts more LEGAL immigrants every year than any country on earth. We were built by immigrants. We are a nation of immigrants. Americans' willingness to welcome others is unquestioned. For example, Mexico's immigration policies are much more restrictive than the United States. If the Democrats want to make this about fairness, then it is only fair for everyone to obey the law.

3. There would be no problem of illegal immigration were it not for the sorry condition of Mexico. Corruption pervades every segment of business, society, unions, the government, the justice system and the police. A few powerful families control most of industry. Opportunity suffers. Is it any wonder its citizens are fleeing? Some have the gall to blame the lure of U.S. jobs as too great for Mexicans to pass up. Apparently, the country on our northern border has no such issue. Canadians are not illegally scrambling across the border to snap up American jobs. This is a Mexico problem that U.S. law enforcement and American taxpayers have inherited. That's why a one-country solution to illegal immigration will not work. Mexico must be forced to do its part.

Expect the immigration debate to rage throughout the summer. It is in the best interests of the President and his party to keep fanning the flames of discontent. They desperately need an issue for the November elections. Right now everything seems stacked against the party, including a tepid economy, persistent unemployment, towering federal deficits, unpopular Health Care reform and a sour public mood. Illegal immigration offers Democrats the political liferaft they need.

However, it is a serious miscalculation on their part. The President's rhetoric, notwithstanding, the issue is a powderkeg that is likely to explode in the faces of the Democratic Party. As demostrations unfurl across the U.S., it will become abundantly clear to many outside the party that Democrats care more about people who have broken the law than they do about those who are forced to live with the consequencies of the government's incompetence.