Guest AuthorUnfortunately it’s become popular of late to attack U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio for his efforts on immigration reform, and the far-right has been particularly vitriolic.
Yet, if we consider that any piece of legislation is going to be complex and altered through the political process, then instead of criticizing our junior senator we should be congratulating him for his fortitude.
Let’s be honest. Sen. Rubio knew going in that this was going to be extremely controversial and that the final product was not going to satisfy everyone.
The fact that he took this on says something special about this young leader and his willingness to tackle the tough ones.
Look, it’s easy to criticize a politician, especially when he’s doing something that we don’t agree with. But the status quo is not the answer. Having about 12 million illegal residents in our country is a serious problem that must be addressed, the sooner the better.
In my simple mind, a porous border with Mexico is clearly unjustified. Whatever it takes to cut off the stream of illegals is important if for no other reason than the fact that terrorists might use the same routes to funnel weapons of mass destruction into our country.
I’m certainly no expert, but it seems to me that we can find a solution if we want to and not use it instead to score political points.
So, I readily agree with conservatives that border security has to be resolved first, especially since we’ve been promised many times before that it would be solved.
Next, we need to be sure that we have the ability to track individuals once they enter our country. If that’s a national ID card, I really don’t care.
What’s paramount is that we know when people enter the country and when they are supposed to leave.
If they’re here for college, we must ensure they remain enrolled; if they work here on a temporary work visa then both employers and employees need to abide by an E-verify system that is foolproof; if they are visiting, then we need to know where they are and make sure they leave when the visa expires.
For illegals here already, deporting them is not possible. Where would they go? To the Mexican side of the border? What would happen to the American economy when the apartments and homes they occupy are left empty? Who would pick our fruits and vegetables, clean our hotel rooms, dig our ditches? Few Americans are willing to do that kind of work.
Obviously we need to weed out violent criminals. On the other extreme, those who got here illegally but are working and paying their taxes should be put at the back of a list, pay a fine, learn English and be assimilated. For those in between, we will have to do something reasonable.
I for one appreciate the willingness of Sen. Rubio to tackle this issue. I don’t believe that he needs to be on an “apology tour,” as some in the media have characterized it, because he tried his best to help solve a thorny issue.
That’s what a “leader” is supposed to do and that’s why I voted for him.
John Kennedy authored “Profiles in Courage” about elected officials who didn’t always vote as their constituents wanted. Instead they supported what they thought was in the national interests. This is what I’m looking for and I bet most Americans want this too.
As for Congress, quit fighting among yourselves lest our experiment in democracy ends in failure. Americans compromise regularly in our daily lives, so why shouldn’t our leaders?
And Mr. President, don’t think for a moment that I have forgotten about your utter failure as a “change” agent. Your unwillingness to work with those of other political stripes will doom your legacy.
Sen. Rubio, I urge you to continue to be a voice of America’s exceptionalism. Because you articulate it so well, many around the globe aspire to come here. We need to remember what binds us and reject what divides us.
Our Founding Fathers vehemently disagreed on how to fashion a model for democracy and even they had to compromise in order to get it right. Compromise isn’t a dirty word if you remember what your values and principles are and keep it all in proper perspective.
