Three Reasons Why President Obama is Right on Immigration
I have to admit, there's painfully little I agree with our current president on. And time and time again, I have wished that he and the first lady would extend their concern for children to the most vulnerable and innocent children among us – the unborn. Tonight, in his speech on immigration, the president referred to "the legacy we must leave for those who are yet to come." I couldn't help but wish he would indeed take steps to protect those who are yet to come into our nation – those who are still inside their mothers' wombs.
Returning to immigration, though, I have to agree with his basic contentions. While I'm not convinced President Obama has quite as much power and authority as he thinks he does to take action alone, I do believe that some of his proposed plans are solid.
Here are three simple reasons why the president is right on immigration:
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1) Scripture Supports Good Treatment of Immigrants
President Obama said: "Scripture tells us that we shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger – we were strangers once, too."
The Scripture he is likely referring to is Exodus 22:21: ""Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt." And while we are neither Israelites nor bound to all the commands specifically designed for the nation of Israel, there is clearly Biblical wisdom to be found in this passage and others like it.
Certainly, we must have a balance between national security, the interests of our own people, and the interests of the immigrants who enter. But, whatever course of action we choose in dealing with illegal immigrants, we must deliberately treat them well. This also means we must stop talking about them like they're not equal and valuable people.
2) Deporting All Illegal Immigrants Will Needlessly Break Apart Families
I think I began looking at illegal immigration through new eyes in law school, when a professor of mine talked about a family who was to be separated if the father's deportation was carried out. I still remember the pain and compassion with which he spoke, and it's still etched on my heart all these years later.
Since we allow every child born here to automatically become an American citizen, we cannot just leave it at that. That's basically what we've been doing, and it's a legal nightmare. What, exactly, did we plan to do with the parents who are here illegally with their school age, citizen children?
President Obama's plan would allow many of these parents to stay in the U.S. safely, without fear of deportation, while the details are worked out. I believe that, as conservatives, we must support a secure and protected family unit whenever possible. And we ought to deeply consider our support of a system or rule of law that needlessly breaks apart good families.
3) We Must Be Reasonable
As conservatives, we're known for the hard lines we draw in the sand. And on many issues, we must not waver. Abortion is the cruel and violent murder of innocent helpless children, and it must end. America must be educated on the horrors of abortion, the science that proves the humanity of the unborn, and the evil of Planned Parenthood.
The gay agenda will not end with marriage rights, and we've already seen this in the current push to force pastors and Christian business owners to comply with homosexual demands. We've already seen the dangers presented to our school children when either Planned Parenthood or the homosexual rights movement are the ones teaching.
Religious freedom, our nation's Christian heritage, and the right to conscience are other issues well worth standing our ground on.
But please, we must be reasonable. There are issues on which we must be willing to compromise and take a balanced approach. And it is very possible to protect our citizens and our nation while still having a reasonable and changed policy on immigration.
President Obama is proposing that illegal immigrants must pay taxes. And it's high time this happened. They use the services of our great nation; they support their families in our great nation; and they must contribute monetarily to our great nation. This is a reasonable proposal.
The president is also not proposing an immediate path to citizenship. This is also reasonable, since many illegal immigrants who came in the back door likely prevented other worthy immigrants from coming here legally. However, we must also recognize that the majority of people who have come here – even illegally – are fleeing dangerous regimes, poverty-stricken nations, or gang and drug lord ruled areas. They have come seeking refuge, protection, and a better life for their children.
In conclusion, just because we disagree with liberals on most moral issues does not mean we have to disagree with them here. Despite the issue of power overreach, the president's solution is a reasonable and balanced one, and conservatives would do well to support it.
At the same time, conservatives should also push for a more detailed solution for finding and deporting illegal immigrants who are felons, criminals, and gang leaders. We cannot wait for them to come to us and reveal themselves. Instead, for the sake of national security and for the sake of protecting our own families, conservatives must present a viable solution – or press the president for one – that roots out and deports these dangerous people.
