Of all the current national policy issues, the one on which I find myself most at odds with the President is immigration, and I believe that those who dismiss the sentiments embodied by the “Minutemen” on the Arizona border do so at their political peril. The issue is often expressed in terms of its implications for national security, but to me it’s about much more—it’s about the credibility of the rule of law in a society that preaches it consistently to emerging democracies but looks away as it is snubbed with impunity by those in this country who hire illegal labor; it’s about fundamental fairness to law-abiding legal immigrants; it’s about the unreasonable burden on our taxpayers of the welfare and education of illegal immigrants; it’s about whether a nation can practice one of the most basic acts of sovereignty—the control of its borders; and it’s about preserving our culture in the face of its undermining by the ravages of multiculturalism. And I agree with Congressman J. D. Hayworth—enough is enough, Mexico! His message to President Vicente Fox: If you want to work constructively for immigration reform in general and a guest worker system in particular, you must start by becoming a partner in securing our border instead of being an accomplice in overrunning it. And I would add to that: you must transform your monopoly-based slow growth economy so that you can wean yourself off the black market in annual remittances from those who are in this country illegally.
