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This Speakout has not been edited.

By Mike Heiny

I recently wrote a letter supporting “birthright citizenship,” even for the children of illegal immigrants, that stirred some debate. It seems that a lot of people are strongly opposed to illegal immigration. Some of the arguments against illegal immigrants are that they don’t pay taxes but use government services, that they drive without licenses or insurance, that they speak foreign languages and won’t assimilate, and that they take jobs from decent, legal Americans.

Many people make the argument that “I don’t mind immigrants, I just don’t like illegal immigrants.” But the illegals didn’t risk their lives in the Arizona desert or in the back of a coyote’s 18-wheeler because they were too lazy to fill out the paperwork or because they thought that would be more fun than entering legally. They came here illegally because they couldn’t come here legally.

The US government has limits on how many can enter legally, and these limits are far below the number that would like to enter.

I think the real reason people don’t like illegal immigrants is because they are mainly Hispanic. But assuming that’s not the case, I have a proposal that will eliminate the illegal immigrant problem overnight: grant a general amnesty to those already here and allow legal entry for essentially all who apply in the future.

I’m completely serious. I’m not saying we should make them automatic citizens with the right to vote, and I’d want to screen out serious criminals, but I’d give pretty much anyone the right to come here legally and make their best in this land of opportunity. Let them get drivers’ licenses and pay taxes and be subject to all the laws of US citizens. They can then apply for citizenship through established channels.

The only reason I’m a US citizen is that I was lucky enough to be born here. That’s probably the case for the vast majority of the people reading this.

Unless you are a real Native American, you have immigrants in your family tree. My mother is a US citizen, but she’s Hungarian by birth. Her family left everything behind and fled the Russian “liberation” after WWII when she was barely a teenager.

They were lucky enough to be granted entry into the US. All four of my children are US citizens, although two of them are Chinese by birth. By sheer luck they were adopted by my wife and me.

My kids range from in age from three to ten. Two are obviously my biological offspring and two are obviously Chinese. When we are out as a family we elicit second glances and many positive comments. Most people seem to think we’ve done something wonderful by bringing these two girls from a life of likely drudgery and poverty to this land of opportunity and riches. But why should anyone feel differently about my adopted daughters than they do about a 25-year-old Mexican laborer? Or than my biological children? Or than my mother for that matter? They are all using our resources and our government services. They are all (well, maybe not Mom) going to compete for jobs, the Mexican immediately and the kids in 10 or 15 years. They’re all polluting and consuming and adding to traffic and taking places in the ski lift lines. The only differences are race, age, and country of birth.

If, by happenstance, I had been born into desperate poverty in Central America and my best chance to improve my family’s situation was by coming to the United States to work, I’d do it, legally or illegally if necessary. I’ll bet most of you would, too.

And I don’t blame anyone else for taking that chance.
If you don’t like the fact that immigrants (legal or not) are receiving government handouts, then your real complaint should be against government handouts, not against immigrants. I’m solidly against government handouts. If you don’t like the competition for jobs, then you shouldn’t like any newcomers, whether they’re American newborns or adult immigrants, legal or illegal. If you don’t like their languages or culture or don’t think they “act American", I think that’s just xenophobia.

Let them all in legally. This sounds somewhat radical, I know, but if your only objection to illegal immigrants is the fact that they came here illegally, this would solve that problem. If you’re anti-Hispanic, that’s a whole different problem.

Mike Heiny is a resident of Colorado Springs.

READER COMMENTS

What a load of crap.
If you come to this country illegally, you have already broken our laws.
You should be put in jail and sent back to the country you came from.
But that will never happen as long as bush is in office.
He has not enforced one law on the books regarding illegal's since he has been in office, and he never will.
What ever hap-pened to his blustering speech about 6 monnths ago of continuing to build the 700 mile fence along the boarder.
To date, this lying moron has only built 12 miles of the fence.
What ever happened to his blustering speech about 3 months ago about getting tougher along our boarders and who comes into this country.
To date, nothing has been done regarding what he was blustering and blathering about.
Everytime this guy opens his mouth, nothing but lies come out of it.
Nothing will ever be done while he is in office.
Whatever happened to the stepped up ICE raids he promised congress?
Nothing has been done about that either.
bush doesn't care about the security and safety of America, the only thing he is interested in is leaving a legacy that will make the lying moron look good and the almighty quest for the oil in Iraq.

The answer is sterilization and deportation.

The front door to the USA is only 16 lanes wide.

First let me start this by saying that, I do not support birth-right citizenship. I believe that if your parents are legal citizens, then any children born to them are legal citizens. If the parents are illegal immigrants, then any children born to them are illegal. I don't give a damn where they were born.

Second, as a 19 year veteran of the US Air Force, I took an oath to " support and defend the constitution " against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I cannot support and defend people who break our laws. Whether young or old, male or female, whatever race, religion, etc..., regardless of the circumstance.

The writer tries to justify that because they risked their lives in the hot Arizona desert, or in the back of an 18-wheeler, that means we should be sympathetic to them for what they endured. I say nonsense. They should be arrested and immediately deported. There is a reason we did not let them in.

Create a new branch of the military, that has a seven hundred mile fence along the perimeter of the installation, and do what is done at all military installations. Authorize the use of deadly force if those perimeters are breached. That would solve that problem.

I know that sounds barbaric, drastic and harsh, but as an American, I don't care who gets hurt, or worse if you breach my border in a criminal way.
I suppose that the writer would be glad to leave his back door to his home open, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, let enormous numbers of people come into his home, eat his food, sleep in his bed, take his possessions, then demand to be treated fairly, and given assistance on his dollar. Then if he complains to police, he is told to let them be and stop being a racist.

I'll give you three guesses to what I would do if that situation happened at my home.. Oh wait a minute this is my home!!!!!

First let me start this by saying that, I do not support birth-right citizenship. I believe that if your parents are legal citizens, then any children born to them are legal citizens. If the parents are illegal immigrants, then any children born to them are illegal. I don't give a damn where they were born.

Second, as a 19 year veteran of the US Air Force, I took an oath to " support and defend the constitution " against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I cannot support and defend people who break our laws. Whether young or old, male or female, whatever race, religion, etc..., regardless of the circumstance.

The writer tries to justify that because they risked their lives in the hot Arizona desert, or in the back of an 18-wheeler, that means we should be sympathetic to them for what they endured. I say nonsense. They should be arrested and immediately deported. There is a reason we did not let them in.

Create a new branch of the military, that has a seven hundred mile fence along the perimeter of the installation, and do what is done at all military installations. Authorize the use of deadly force if those perimeters are breached. That would solve that problem.

I know that sounds barbaric, drastic and harsh, but as an American, I don't care who gets hurt, or worse if you breach my border in a criminal way.
I suppose that the writer would be glad to leave his back door to his home open, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, let enormous numbers of people come into his home, eat his food, sleep in his bed, take his possessions, then demand to be treated fairly, and given assistance on his dollar. Then if he complains to police, he is told to let them be and stop being a racist.

I'll give you three guesses to what I would do if that situation happened at my home.. Oh wait a minute this is my home!!!!!

I read up to four paragraphs...and HELL NO!
No compromise..No Amnesty..!! Then start with the genealogy... I am like CONSTANCE
and it's not because they are Hispanic..I'm Hispanic/Spaniard. If they were purple people eaters...and illegal..breaking laws,we'd feel the same. Why should anyone be rewarded for breaking the law? The American Citizen goes to jail/prison for breaking laws.!

The author writes,

"They came here illegally because they couldn’t come here legally.

The US government has limits on how many can enter legally, and these limits are far below the number that would like to enter."

The bank has limits on how much money I can remove legally. It is far below the amount I want and feel I deserve. Should I just take what I want and justify it because those limits are the result of the "luck" enjoyed by those who did earn the money.

Illegal immigration is testament to the fact that we can't open our borders if we want to remain a nation.

When our ancestors came to America, most of them broke no laws. There was no social service program to provide food or shelter. Medical care was available upon condition of payment.

This entire article is nothing but liberal gibberish attempting to substitute for thought.

If people broke into your home, took your food and money then demanded the right to not only stay but have a right to half of your equity, would you merely nod your head and agree?

Illegal immigrants have shown they consider themselves more important than the law. Or maybe they just expect us to continue ignoring the laws we have on the subject.

No longer. It is articles like this that will show the mush headed thought that threatens us and our way of life. It will do much to convince the majority of Americans who want the laws strongly enforced to take action and make certain the politicians suffer the by being voted out of office
We must also use our right to bring forward initiatives to place laws in force in Colorado that will encourage self-deportation. Look at Oklahoma for some great ideas.

I am of Hispanic ancestry - my ancestors were conquistadors who came from Spain in the early 1600's. I don't hate Hispanics. I don't hate Indigenous people from the South American continent either. I welcome LEGAL immigrants to this wonderful country.

I do dislike lawbreakers and people who invade my country, no matter where they come from.

Viva EEUU!

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