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Citizenship is a Privilege not an Entitlement: Assimilation is a Prerequisite

Dr. Domenick J. Maglio, Ph.D. Neo-Traditionalist

The United States is a nation, not an open international frontier. As a sovereign country we have the right to determine who enters or who is denied entry. We do this by immigration laws that set quotas and categories of people we desire to have legally join our country. There is no shortage of foreigners who want to come to America. Mexico exercises the same right to control its borders. It has militarized its southern border with Guatemala deporting 203,128 illegal immigrants in 2004. The ability of a country to protect its territory is a prime function of its government. Secure borders are necessary for national stability.

The overwhelming number of illegal Mexicans and other nationals arriving illegally in America are honest, hardworking people. They want the same thing as any other immigrant of the past: the American Dream. The American Dream is not a guaranteed entitlement. A person has to earn it.

My father came to America from southern Italy as a child. He earned his citizenship in the navy during World War II, where he received five Bronze Stars and a victory medal. My maternal grandfather came to America from Sicily at 14 years old. He told me many times he did not want to return to Sicily because America was the greatest country on earth. When asked, I would take his Green Card renewal application to the post office. He remained a legal alien paying his dues and taxes for 89 years, dying at 103 years of age. His fear of not speaking English well enough kept him from taking the test for citizenship. Although he did not comply with the rigors of becoming a citizen, no one could love his adopted country more.

Immigration has been and still is not an easy process. There are quotas, fees, paperwork and often long waiting periods to legally enter this country. The problem of people taking a short cut by illegal entry is they have no rights. No mass marches, waving the Mexican flag, claiming our western states as stolen from Mexico or threats from Mexican president, Vincente Fox, that the U.S. will be begging Mexico for workers in 10 years, will intimidate us to relinquish our right as a nation to determine citizenship.

In the U.S., local and national officials and the business community have turned a blind eye to the immigration laws of the land for over 20 years. According to our government officials, there are between 11 and 12 million illegal immigrants presently in our country. There is no reason to fear the loss of these "illegals" returning to their mother country as there is no shortage of people wanting to enter America legally.

We are somewhat responsible for this immigration dilemma. Our government's neglect as well as the illegal's actions are to blame for this immigrant invasion. This is the reality we have to resolve. We need to do certain things to clean up the mess while not punishing unnecessarily the hard working, law abiding people who may have entered the country illegally, while ridding our county of other illegal parasites and securing our borders. Here's what should be done:

  1. We must face the fact there are millions of illegal immigrants in our country and select the ones we want to be citizens and deport those we do not.
  2. Terrorists, drug pushers and petty criminals whenever apprehended should be deported. We have enough of our own. Deportation has been an acceptable practice throughout our history. Regardless of all the marches no illegals have a right to remain in the U.S. They can only remain through the good graces of the American people.
  3. A specific set of requirements must be established for illegals to remain in the United States and another set of requirements to become citizens. Anything less than proven assimilation and allegiance to our country would be national suicide. This means that English language fluency, as required in the past, must be mandated before citizenship is granted.
  4. We need to put a stop to illegal entries by enforcing the immigration laws. All options including more enforcement officials, a wall or if necessary the militarization of our borders as did Mexico should be considered.
  5. We must have an open debate on immigration policy to determine the desires of our nation. We can choose to diversify by having more skilled workers or laborers come from various nations. This should depend on our society's needs rather than on the needs of foreign countries to stay economically or politically afloat. Totally open borders would lead to the diluting if not the elimination of our national identity.
  6. Employers should be punished for employing illegal immigrants. Anything less would be a sham as it encourages illegal immigrants to come here.

America has a right to determine its destiny by selectively choosing those who are accepted as citizens. We are a nation of immigrants who have been required to pay our dues. This has made for a dedicated and committed population that believes in the core values of the American way. All citizens have a responsibility to learn English, to become assimilated and support and love the traditional values that have made America great. This is necessary for the future of our nation.