A citizen of the United States is a native-born, foreign-born, or naturalized person who owes allegiance to the United States and who is entitled to its protection.
– U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

America has been invaded by an army of illegal aliens. Just last week in Arizona, an American was forced to surrender his land to illegal aliens who claimed he had assaulted them. The two criminals were caught trespassing on his property after crossing the border in violation of federal law. Unfortunately, this is part of a larger trend, one that grants more rights to illegal immigrants than American citizens.

Illegal immigration costs American taxpayers billions of dollars each year. In California alone the cost is $10.5 billion annually. The price tag for the rest of the country, especially border states, is incomprehensible. Illegal immigration is also a public safety risk because aliens do not undergo a medical screening before entering the United States. As a result, diseases once eradicated or virtually eradicated have resurfaced in America. Where is the so-called protection we’re entitled to as American citizens?

According to the 2000 Census, an estimated eight million illegal aliens were living in the U.S., and they continue to flood across the border at the rate of one million per year. Mexican citizens are required to have either a non-immigration visa or Border Crossing Card to enter the country, and no immigrant is to be admitted unless he has suitable and valid travel documentation. In violation of federal law, millions of foreigners don’t possess these documents. They are outlaws.

Detractors will ask, “Do you really expect the government to round up each illegal alien and kick him out?” In a word, yes. The money spent educating, imprisoning and providing health care to criminal aliens should be diverted to reinforcing the borders and enforcing immigration law.

But the federal government seems uninterested in enforcing the law. As a result, local governments are illegally using public funds to alleviate the damage caused by the invasion. On August 16, 2005, the Herndon Town Council in Herndon, Virginia, voted 5-2 to approve a plan to build an illegal gathering spot for “day laborers” so they can wait for lawbreaking employers to illegally hire them. More outlaws.

One group is trying to do what the U.S. government refuses to do. Judicial Watch, a group dedicated to protecting citizens from the government, will file a lawsuit against Herndon. “[N]o public official has any inherent power to authorize or facilitate unlawful acts using taxpayer funds….Law enforcement is in order, not taxpayer subsidies,” said Tom Fitton, president of  Judicial Watch.

Because the federal government is indifferent to its problem, the Town of Herndon was essentially forced to break the law. I asked Council Member Dennis Husch, who voted against the plan, whether Herndon law enforcement officials were allowed to ask so-called day laborers about their citizenship status. “[Immigration Customs and Enforcement] has refused to enforce immigration laws in Herndon and has refused to allow Herndon police to enforce federal immigration laws,” he said. I called Herndon’s mayor for comment, but the call was not returned.

I wanted to know what Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had to say about the day labor center. So I spoke with Jamie Zuiebach, a spokesperson for ICE, who told me I’d have to speak to a “local official in Herndon,” on the matter. Continued...