I am part of a discussion group here in Houston, and a few people, apparently upset about President Bush’s stance on illegal immigration yesterday, posted some responses to his plan. This made me upset because they didn’t seem to see or understand the fact that illegal immigrants, while just trying to provide more for their “starving” families, are still here and working in the United States illegally. Here’s what I wrote to them:

I can’t stand it when people claim that we’re disenfranchising illegal workers by forcing them to go back home. They’re here ILLEGALLY. If you ILLEGALLY speed, you will be fined. If you ILLEGALLY take drugs, you will be fined and spend time in jail. If you ILLEGALLY murder someone, you will spend time in jail. Why is it ok that when people ILLEGALLY come into our country and take our jobs (that other Americans supposedly are too good for [in that case, are you saying we’re better than illegal immigrants?])? Stop making excuses for ILLEGAL behavior.
Yes, there are a lot of people coming over here and working ILLEGALLY just to bring some money back home for their “starving” families. The problem is that when you let them get away with their ILLEGAL actions, you’re also allowing the bad ILLEGAL immigrants. There are murderers, thieves, and thugs ILLEGALLY crossing our borders on a constant basis, and I don’t believe that there is a reason to sacrifice the SAFETY of my family for the ILLEGAL jobs of ILLEGAL immigrants.
We need to shut the borders down, send all of the ILLEGAL immigrants home, and streamline the immigration process so that those that need jobs can get them and be regulated in their activities during their visit to our country. My great-great-grandfather was a stowaway on a ship from Germany, but when he arrived here in the great United States of America, he registered and became a legal citizen.
Those that want to take advantage of our great country should do so. My only requirement, is that they do so LEGALLY.
Please realize that they are breaking the law, and if you let them slide on that law, you’re probably going to start letting other lawbreakers slide as well.

I wish that every American (blue, red, & in between) can get it through their thick skulls that there IS a procedure to immigrate to America legally, and we shouldn’t just give them a free pass because the procedure is “too hard” to follow.