From the May 2006 Idaho Observer:

Illegal immigration: Cause v. effect

How times have changed

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith, becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming, in every facet, an American and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American People."

~President Theodore Roosevelt, 1907

See "Invasion of the Campesinos" for a look at the root "cause" of the illegal immigration problem. Now look left then look right to see how people are aligning themselves with the effects of the problem. Note that neither the left nor the right acknowledges the political decisions that have compelled some people to illegally immigrate, while forcing others to defend against illegal immigration.

To the left is a satire that describes what, to the American mind, should be obvious: "Of course you cannot come into our country illegally and of course you should not be allowed to qualify for government entitlement programs if you are not a citizen."

To the right are two signs that describe a "manifest destiny" for Hispanic people: "Our right to be here eclipses your laws and we do not recognize your imaginary lines on maps."

As you can see, the viewpoints expressed here are irreconcilable between Americans and Hispanics and a violent confrontation over the effects of illegal immigration/manifest destiny is inevitable.

The key frustration for Americans is how their own government has actively promoted illegal immigration by providing illegals with government benefits while the Mexican government is encouraging the exodus of its own people. It is the cooperative relationship between the U.S./Mexican governments that is causing the problem, criminalizing the American people’s attempts to protect their families, their property, their way of life and their country from illegals; it is the same unified U.S./Mexico government policies that are strengthening the position of Hispanics who believe that their historic right to live in the U.S., particularly in the southwest, is greater than the right of the American people to enforce its laws with regard to residency, citizenship and illegal entry. In one of the most blatant examples of Hegelian dialectics we have ever seen, President Bush has announced his plan to solve the illegal immigration problem.

Border Patrol alerting Mexican government to Minuteman whereabouts

The Associated Press reported May 9, 2006, that, "The U.S. Border Patrol is alerting the Mexican government to the locations of civilian border patrol groups when the organizations help detain suspected illegal immigrants."

The groups to which the AP article referred are part of the Minuteman Project that has been organizing neighborhood watches to protect people and property from illegal border region entries and posting sentries to help U.S. Border Patrol agents capture illegals upon entry. Project co-founder Chris Simcox of Tombstone, AZ, was shocked to find that the Bush administration has been aiding and abetting the flood of undocumented aliens coming into the U.S. "Now we know why it seemed like Mexican officials knew where we were all the time," said Simcox.

The AP quoted U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Mario Martinez as stating that the policy is meant to assure the Mexican government that migrants’ rights are being observed. Simcox believes that the "intelligence" is immediately communicated by the Mexican government to the organized criminals who traffick in humans and drugs, placing the lives of his volunteers in jeopardy.

Since the Minuteman Project launched April 1, 2005, there have been no reports of Minuteman personnel violating anyone’s "rights." In fact, the organization has been continually credited for its noble and compassionate treatment of illegals while protecting private property and national security.

Border agents to Americans: "You have been invaded"

A working relationship based upon mutual trust and respect has evolved between Minuteman Project volunteers and U.S. Border Patrol agents. But efforts to stem the tide of illegal crossings are frustrated by U.S. Border Patrol management—which gets its orders from the White House.

In an April 30, 2006 article for www.NewsWithViews.com, National Association of Chiefs of Police Vice-President Jim Kouri stated, "You have been invaded, America. There are reportedly 20 million illegal aliens in this country now, and the number could be much higher."

In advance of the May Day protest, Kouri interviewed officials from Local 2544 which represents Border Patrol agents in Arizona. They claim that, while Congress and the Bush administration claim they are beefing up border security, the men and women on the frontlines know the sad truth: "There is no way to call for backup. It’s inexcusable. Our vehicle fleet is falling apart, with many patrol vehicles in excess of 100,000 or 200,000 very hard miles. We are constantly told there is ‘no funding’ for new vehicles, so we continue to drive unreliable junk year after year after year...Don’t listen to the smooth-talking pinheads who tell you otherwise."

Evidence supporting these claims is overwhelming. The present severity of the illegal immigration issue is a direct result of Bush administration policy as facilitated by a compliant Congress. Thousands of illegals cross the border every day. U.S. immigration law recognizes that an undocumented border crossing is an illegal act, but law enforcers are not provided with sufficient resources to prevent the criminal activity. "Our president, George W. Bush, is doing nothing more than winking at them [illegals] and promising them a huge amnesty program," Local 2544 officials said.

"We try every day to stem this massive wave of illegal immigration, but we are overwhelmed, ill-equipped, underfunded, and sold out by politicians. We lost this battle years ago," the officials said in a press release.

It is estimated that 40 percent of the people still in Mexico say they want to come here. "Take it from the troops on the front lines, America—the borders of this country are completely out of control," Kouri concluded.

Immigration stats from The LA Times:

1. 40% of all workers in L.A. County (L.A. County has 10 million people) are working for cash and not paying taxes. This is because they are predominantly illegal immigrants, working without a green card.

2. 95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.

3. 75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.

4. Over 2/3's of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal whose births were paid for by taxpayers.

5. Nearly 25% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally.

6. Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages.

7. The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most likely illegal aliens from south of the border.

8. Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.

9. 21 radio stations in L.A. are Spanish speaking.

10. In L.A.County 5.1 million people speak English. 3.9 million Speak Spanish (10 million people in L.A.County).

Additional figures:

1. Less than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops but 29% are on welfare.

~http://www.cis.org

2. Over 70% of the United States annual population growth (and over 90% of California, Florida, and New York) results from immigration.

3. The cost of immigration to the American taxpayer in 1997 was a NET (after subtracting taxes immigrants pay) $70 BILLION a year, [Professor Donald Huddle, Rice University].

4. The lifetime fiscal impact (taxes paid minus services used) for the average adult Mexican immigrant is a NEGATIVE.

5. 29% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens.