Cutting back to preserve our security and culture
We need to control immigration to secure our borders and protect our unity. September 11th showed how our immigration policies have failed to keep criminals and terrorists out of the country. Millions of people have evaded our immigration laws and the government has no idea whether any of them pose a threat to us. In addition, the recent wave of immigration has brought increasing pressure to accommodate immigrants by accepting bilingualism. We should honor diversity, but not at the cost of breaking the bonds of cohesion: common ideals, a common language, and common political institutions that hold the nation together.
What Should be Done?
Tighten visa requirements. Increase funding to improve border security, upgrade computers and hire immigration agents. Sharply reduce legal immigration, including student and work visas. Accept only as many immigrants as can be checked out by authorities. Reform bilingual education and require immigrant students to learn English as quickly as possible. Deport immigrants who commit crimes in the U.S. and pursue illegal immigrants more aggressively.
Arguments For This Approach
In an age of terrorism, we cannot allow lax immigration policy that allows terrorists to enter the country unchallenged. We can't keep allowing more immigrants in than the authorities can check out, or more than we can integrate into society. Most countries insist that immigrants enter the cultural mainstream by learning their language. If trends continue, English will no longer be our common language. Without a common language, the U.S. will fracture into separate cultures.
Arguments Against This Approach
Historically, there have always been dire predictions that immigrants are too different and won't integrate into society. They were wrong before and they're wrong now. Experience shows that while some first generation immigrants don't master English, the second generation is almost always fluent and Americanized. This favors white Europeans and excludes the rest of the world. This punishes the vast majority of immigrants, who only want a better life, out of fear of a few radicals and terrorists.
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