There was a day I was so, so opposed to our border policy. What, I cried, we create an entire police force just to go after people without paperwork? We post a sign at the border in New York City, saying, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," but make it so hard for them to come, so hard to get the paperwork to stay, that it can easily take a decade?
I say, Bless the immigrant. Let him stay. Just give him his paperwork right at the border and tell him he is welcome here.
Yes, I once said that. And, still do.
I've added another leg to my stand, though. I say we should -- definitely should -- secure our border with Mexico. No, that isn't a contradiction. Our problem at the border, our most significant problem, is drug importation. It is a huge problem, a massive problem, and we need to fight it.
And, I worry we are so busy chasing so-called illegals right back to Mexico, and back to other Latin American countries, that we often overlook chasing the criminals.
What an oversight, fighting crime at the border even as you are all worked up about how much crime there is at the border. Oh, we fight it, but not enough. We are too busy fighting . . .
Best as I can tell, when we find someone coming across illegally, we don't (at least as a practice and maybe not at all) run a criminal background check on them. No, I don't mean a U.S. background; I mean a background from Mexico or from whatever Latin American country they are coming from. Why ever -- if we are concerned about crime and criminals coming across -- would we not contact Mexican authorities and ask them if the person has a criminal record? Isn't that about the first step in police work? When an officer has stopped a person, and has reason to do so, the officer immediately runs a background on him.
Standard police procedure. And yet at the border, where one of our largest crime problems exists, we aren't even doing that? It makes me wonder if we are so busy chasing those coming across without paperwork, and perceiving that therefore our duty is to escort them back to Mexico and simply let them go, that we forget this is an opportunity to fight crime.
True, it is, that many of those bringing drugs across the borders had their arms twisted to do so. They are forced to be the human pack mules bringing the drugs, not wanting to do so, but being so threatened that they have no choice but to do so. So, let's make it legal for them to come. If they are coming legally, they will be checking in at the border stations, and therefore likely to not be forced to bring drugs with them.
Those smuggling drugs don't march up to the border stations; they sneak through the breaches between the stations. Welcome those who are straight up and clean to come on in, and you might reduce the drug peddling right with no more said.
As for securing our border, I am not against better fencing. A double fence has been suggested. If that's what it takes, do it. If it takes more border officers, do it. If it takes changing the mandate and job description of a border agent, let's do it.
Now, yes, granting citizenship is a federal right, given by the Constitution. But, Utah can grant right-to-work passes, guest-worker cards giving bearers right to enter the Union and head for Utah to work here for a limited amount of time.
If this cuts down on the percentage of people being forced to be human pack mules, then Utah will have fought crime at the border even though it is not a border state.
Yes, it will also mean Utah will have an even larger share of people coming from Latin America than it already does. That is fine. They are as fine of people as we are.
There is one more suggestion that hasn't fit into what I've written so far. Those who obtain false IDs are committing severe crimes, and should be punished. When a person shows up at the DLD to get a license, and his ID is obviously fraudulent, he shouldn't be told to go home and get some real ID, he should be taken to jail.
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