The surveys continue to arrive, even though proponents of nativism succeeded in killing comprehensive immigration reform in Congress months ago.
The surveys usually come addressed to my wife, who handles all the finances in our household.
The surveying groups always bill themselves as “non-partisan, non-profit” entities, some with tax-deductible 501(c) 3 status.
They share something else: A hatred of illegal immigrants so vociferous and distorted that it borders on racism.
And sometimes crosses that border.
Consider this warning in a recent missive from Americans for Immigration Control, Inc. “… if we continue on our current course, the U.S. population will nearly double and we will become what has been described as a `majority-minority’ nation, with `non-Hispanic whites accounting for barely half of all residents.'”
It’s an invasion of colored people. The dark races are on their way to taking over what was once – and ever should be – the white man’s domain.
Be afraid. Be very, very afraid.Tom Fitton’s supposedly non-partisan, non-profit Judicial Watch comes to my wife with exclusively Republican endorsements and a list of six “Recent Victories” that include five actions against Bill or Hillary Clinton.
While he may be upset by what he considers Clintonian corruption, Fitton is fit to be tied by the invasion “of illegal aliens that threaten our freedoms, our way of life and our economy.”
“If you are as angry as I am over our nation being invaded by an army of illegal aliens – including criminals, drug dealers and terrorists – that some politicians want to reward with amnesty and a `path to citizenship,’ then please return your survey along with your most generous contribution to help us.”
Help us what – sew seeds of hate against anyone with dark skin who speaks with an accent?
Fitton wants my wife and me to answer 18 questions. One of them reads, “Do you support giving the children of illegal aliens a free public school education?”
If Fitton is as engaged as he claims in his war against illegal immigrants, he surely knows that the United States Supreme Court has already adjudicated this issue. A majority of justices said children of illegal immigrants are constitutionally entitled to free public school education.
So that’s not just the humane position, the one that helps kids rise above their parents’ station and hopefully contribute more to this country. It is the law.
What part of illegal does somebody who asks this question not understand?
The surveys my wife and I get show more than frustration with a frustrating problem. They show a fear of all foreigners spiced with a suspension of disbelief.
Americans for Immigration Control finally asks for what they really want:
“Would you APPROVE or DISAPPROVE of a temporary `Immigration Moratorium’ which would cease all immigration for a period of 3-5 years to give the current immigrant population time to assimilate and the Border patrol the opportunity to regain control over our borders?”
There it is, the nut paragraph of the nativism argument, an argument that is truly nuts culturally, economically and, most importantly, logistically. The fantasy of 21st century isolationism replaces the reality of 12 million undocumented workers living in America.
“Do you support stationing U.S. troops on the southern border of the country to stop the flood of illegal aliens?” Judicial Watch asks. “Do you support stationing U.S. troops on the northern border with Canada to stop illegal aliens and terrorists from entering?”
Are you still beating your wife?
Push polls are interesting. They word questions to drive a particular conclusion. They cull numbers. For instance, proponents of nativism love to toss around cost estimates for educating children of undocumented immigrants or providing social services for undocumented families. No one says what it will cost to line the borders with troops or to deport 12 million undocumented people from the country’s interior.
The fact that such ruthless efforts will likely fail at any price surely is not discussed.
America needs immigration reform, including a recognition that 12 million people are not going to “self-deport.”
Instead, we get this from Judicial Watch:
“Do you support providing illegal aliens with regular medical treatment at taxpayer expense?”
Even if you hate the so-called “browning” of America, even if all you care about are your tax dollars, the answer is yes.
The people Judicial Watch calls “illegal aliens” are legally entitled to medical treatment in emergency rooms no matter how much you despise them. It costs you a lot more to treat undocumented indigents in the ER than it would in community clinics.
But as the surveys my wife and I keep getting show, when you can whip up a good case of xenophobia with fear and fantasy, why bother with facts?
