Common sense on illegal immigration.

Paul GleiserCommon sense on illegal immigration.

Former president Donald Trump is pledging to deport millions of illegal aliens if he is elected. That sounds great to a whole lot of voters.

The simple fact is illegal immigration has long ago quit being a border state issue. There are few places in the country in which the negative fiscal and social consequences of having allowed 10+ million unvetted, mostly poor, mostly uneducated, and often criminally inclined people into the country aren’t being felt.

So, Trump’s pledge to begin deporting them is getting a sympathetic hearing in many quarters. Polling suggests that upward of 70 percent of Americans are in favor of mass deportation of illegal migrants.

But missing from Trump’s pledge is any detail as to how such a mass deportation might happen. We’re talking something north of 10 million people. Rounding up and deporting that many human beings presents logistical and political challenges on a cosmic scale.

One such challenge is the optics of it all. The images of armed federal officers descending upon “immigrant communities” and forcibly putting “good people who just want a better life” into vans and busses to be shipped out of the country will not play well. The Trump-hating media will have a field day.

The inevitable video of a frightened and crying little girl clutching her stuffed animal as she is stared down upon by a rifle wielding ICE officer will tear at the hearts of even the hardest of secure border hardliners.

But that doesn’t mean that we can or should avoid the clear necessity of drastically reducing the population of people living in the United States illegally. No nation that wishes to call itself sovereign can live with what is going on now.

So, let’s be smart about it. Start with rounding up gang bangers and criminals. That roundup won’t evoke much sympathy (except from the lefty-loon ‘defund the police’ crowd).

But forcibly gathering millions of non-criminals and deporting them is a logistical nightmare. Fortunately, there’s self-deportation. Those millions came in one by one, and they can leave one by one. And there’s a very simple and legal way to bring that about.

Cut off the goodies.

No more free cell phones. No more EBT debit cards for free groceries. No more driver licenses. No more free housing in hotels.

Also, to further weaken the magnet that is attracting so many illegal migrants, put real teeth in the enforcement of existing laws regarding employment eligibility. Severely punish a few employers and other employers will take notice.

Do these things and the illegal migrant population in the U.S. will begin to shrink.

The Left will call it xenophobic and (wait for it) racist.

But for some clarity, take a look at the Brits. It says plain as day on the stamp they put in your passport when you enter their country, “Employment and Recourse to Public Funds Prohibited.”

Are the Brits xenophobic and racist?

Or is it perhaps that one nation’s xenophobia and racism is a more discerning nation’s common sense?

Paul Gleiser

Paul L. Gleiser is president of ATW Media, LLC, licensee of radio stations KTBB 97.5 FM/AM600, 92.1 The TEAM FM in Tyler-Longview, Texas.

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6 Responses

  1. Rilla Anderson says:

    Couldn’t agree more. As a legal immigrant (and a proud citizen since 1984) I am angry that so many come here and get more free things than our vets do, and my husband and I worked our butts off to get what we’ve got. It’s insane. “Cut off the goodies,” as you say, is the best way to start. But I just wonder if that will make illegals even more desperate, resulting in more crime. Call me a racist, xenophobe, whatever, I can take it because it’s not true. We need to do SOMETHING.

  2. Clifton says:

    If someone who has agreed to show up in court for a hearing and doesn’t show up an arrest warrant should go out and be enforced. That’s how you get started on getting that many illegals out of the country.

  3. Jean Bammel says:

    Mr. Gleiser, you and I usually agree, but I have problem with your idea of letting many illegals stay because it would be emotionally hard to send a little girl dragging her ragdoll and mother back to the country they came from. While agree fully with deporting the bad guys first, but the US has got to show the world that people cannot come into our country illegally and expect to stay, period!

  4. Curtis L. Wilson says:

    Paul, how dare anyone suggest such a commonsense process in dealing with illegal aliens? And from East Texas, of all places? Back in T. Jefferson’s day, you would have been immediately drafted to serve in the House of Representatives, if not the US Senate. How is it that so many good people get elected to serve in Washington D.C. become absolutely braindead upon arrival? How is it that the electorate remains so blind and stupid (beyond ignorant and uninformed) to keep individuals who need to find a real vocation in a place where definitions get turned on their heads: i.e., “public servant” becomes “regional dictator” (see: Nancy Pelosi). As usual, Paul, your insight is impeccable. Keep up the good work.

  5. Linda E. Montrose says:

    Let’s look at this way…Let’s say that someone drops off a dog at your place. You feel sorry for it and begin to feed it. You have no idea WHERE or HOW this dog was treated for someone to just abandon it at YOUR door step, yet you feel sorry for it and begin to feed it. One day the dog exhibits aggressive behavior. You didn’t do anything to the dog but be kind and feed it so why would it act this way? Then one day the dog bites you and you have to call animal control to come get it. So what does animal control say to you? Did you feed it? Try to pet it or why would it bite you? Then the animal control says you should have never started feeding it and maybe it would have gone on it’s way somewhere else.
    These people who came in OUR COUNTRY UNINVITED and UNWANTED suddenly start to get more than OUR OWN people and Vets, so what do we get from the left? They are just looking for a better life. But what is done? They FEED, HOUSE and PAY these people and what do they do? They start to exhibit aggressive behavior…even rape and kill people. What does the left do…NOTHING. Mean while OUR people are looked over and DISPLACED to accommodate these freeloaders. Why bite the hand that feeds you? Because you never should have allowed it to start with.

  6. Mike says:

    Bottom Line, IF we are supposed to be a Nation of Laws, then the law MUST be enforced. Otherwise, we are not said Nation.
    As I have said before, what part of illegal is legal?
    According to the Democommies, legal is a term to be defined as it fits with their narrative. But we are a Constitutional Republic, which means we follow the Laws of The Constitution. Apparently, a whole bunch of arrogant elitists choose to ignore that fact.
    Vote People, vote for the Republic.

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