For the record, the 18 are U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
They all signed a letter urging the Biden Administration “to take all available actions to streamline pathways to lawful status for undocumented immigrants.” “Undocumented immigrants” are illegal immigrants, and that is all you need to know to assess the unethical and irresponsible nature of the letter, as well as all the signatories to it, which is pretty much a Rogues Gallery of the most radical and destructive Senators in the upper House, with a few surprising exceptions.
The full letter is here, but take away all of the rationalizations and standard arguments about all the “estimated” value illegals bring to the U.S. economy, and that still leaves the fact that these people have violated U.S. law, should not be here, should not be allowed to stay here (which is a different issue than whether it is practical to make all or most of them leave), and that what these Senators are proposing is to reward those who defy our immigration laws and law enforcement, thus incentivizing more of the same. “Streamlining pathways for undocumented immigrants with no criminal history and deep ties to the United States to obtain parole or a lawful immigration status would provide stability to their families,” the letter argues in part. This is the intellectually dishonest and rule of law-defying non-logic of these illegal immigration enablers and advocates. Our immigration laws should be unique: one can defy them with no adverse consequences as long as the perpetrator doesn’t violate a second law.
Two problems exist with this formula (there are others). It is difficult to know what the criminal activities of the illegal immigrant were before they entered the country, and once they have killed someone, raped someone, robbed, assaulted or committed another serious crime, the damage has been done.
Naturally, the mainstream Democratic propaganda news sources are fully behind this proposed gift to those who do not respect our borders and laws. Ponder CNN’s slanted reporting on Georgia’s HB 1105, a bill passed by Georgia’s House and Senate that would require local and state officials to verify the immigration status of those over the age of 18 who have been arrested as well as those detained or those whom an “officer has probable cause to believe” have committed a crime. CNN spins, “Republicans have argued that stricter border and immigration enforcement policies will protect Americans, often drawing ties between crime and undocumented immigrants — though research has found no connection.” That’s doubletalk: there is an undeniable connection, because illegal immigrants who commit crimes are harming U.S. citizens who would not be harmed if those individuals weren’t here. The percentage of illegal immigrants who commit crimes is irrelevant. 100% of the illegal immigrants who do commit crimes should not have been in a position to do so in the U.S., and preventing illegal aliens from being able to stay in the U.S. will protect the citizens who would have been harmed by the criminals in the group.
Ethics Alarms 
For a long time, my thinking has been that if we could implement security for the border, so that illegal immigrants were kept to a minimum — once that was accomplished we could talk about doing something for the ones already here.
Absent an actual armed invasion or insurrection (can you use that term if the insurrectionists are non-citizens?), we are simply not going to deport 15 or 25 million people. Not, at least, without the United States already having been destroyed as a moral and law abiding country. That’s even assuming it could be done, legally and physically, which I doubt.
But the Democrats continue to block any real border security measures and doing something about a pathway to permanent residence while the deluge continues is just lunacy.
At least with Social Security you can point to a defined event — the ‘trust fund’ becoming depleted — and say that at that point the government will have to do something. There’s no such definitive event here until our society is simply overwhelmed. It’s depressing.
The armed people who assaulted the Texas National Guard in El Paso to get into the country have been freed. The judge ruled that the DA needed to hold individual detention hearing on each of the 100’s of participants within 48 hours and since he was not able to, they are released without bail. So, armed invasion is already here.
That’s rich, since as you point out, 100% of those people entering the country illegally have already broken the laws of the land and are therefore criminals.
It’s not that Democrats can’t see this. They do see it. They know it. They allow criminal activity at the border every day, they allow it in grocery stores, Apple stores, clothing stores, CVS pharmacies, and other places too numerous to mention all across this country. And not only do they allow it…they support it.
If I obstruct the police by simply harboring a known criminal and lying about his/her whereabouts, I can be arrested and charged with a crime…multiple crimes, actually. I’m of the opinion that politicians like Durbin and Warren and Menendez and Sanders should be charged as accessories to every crime committed by the illegals for whom they provide cover.
“[P]eople entering the country illegally have already broken the laws of the land and are therefore criminals.”
Except that immigration law does not make illegal entry a felony; it is a misdemeanor under federal law. So, an illegal alien or undocumented alien or undocumented immigrant or “these people are better than you” has not committed a felony under current federal law. Once deported, though, that person is barred from re-entry absent some reason under federal immigration law (read that as “parole”) allowing for re-entry.
Our immigration system is antiquated, the last real change occurred in 1987. More importantly, the court system is absolutely unable to handle the sheer volume of departing 15 to 25 million people, even assuming there is a political will to do so.
Perhaps a “solution”* to this problem might involve granting some kind of temporary legal status with restrictions: Those qualifying would never be granted permanent residency and would never qualify for citizenship. Or, those qualifying would be able to adjust after 15 years of residency with no felony convictions or any kind (presently, bars to adjustment include crimes involving moral turpitude, which is open to interpretation) and could not qualify for citizenship for 10 years after that.
Chris Marschner is correct that illegal aliens assist census counts in Democrat jurisdictions to skew the numbers toward Democrat representation in Congress and other programs.
jvb
*I use “solution” loosely, recognizing that the current problem is overwhelming, there is no political will to deport illegal aliens, and offering some legal status is more rationalization that rewards people breaking/violating US sovereignty and laws.
This is all about increasing census counts in Democrat heavy areas in order to get districts split into 2 Democrat heavy districts.
All that needs to be done is to subtract the undocumented illegal aliens and non citizens from the census counts that are used to calculate the number of representatives in the House. The census can still count all persons for revenue sharing programs which is the argument used to promote their count. Any pushback would put a bright light on the political rationale.
In a sense, what is being advocated for is that districts with high concentrations of non-citizens have disproportionately higher voting power in Congress. That is the real threat to democracy
Agreed. That would be a wonderful way to shine the light on Democrat policies supporting illegal immigration.
jvb
I have a possible solution to this democrat encouraged invasion in illegals. While I believe such laws are already on the books, enhance these laws regarding employing or harboring anyone in this country illegally to mandate significant penalties such as heavy fines, confiscation of property and jail time. Also, mandate that every organization or person has an obligation to report anyone they know to be in this country illegally. My thinking is that when illegals have no place to stay and no way to make any money, they’ll be more receptive to turning themselves in for deportation or leaving of their own accord. And fewer will come.