If I’d told you 2 years ago journalists would scramble to “report” on the allegation President Donald Trump wanted to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller seven months ago like it A) just happened, and B) actually happened (as in he was fired), you would’ve thought I was lying to you. But it’s all too real, and someone will likely win a journalism award for it.
But in an age of frantic reporting over rumors, lies, and non-stories, the pearl-clutching class chose a faux-scandal over some real news – that the White House is open to selling out on immigration. Oh, they mentioned it, but it wasn’t nearly as important as the alleged prospect of the President wanting to fire someone he has every Constitutional right to fire.
It deserves more than a mention.
The White House announced their end of a deal on the so-called “DREAMers,” the people the media constantly remind everyone are in the country illegally “through no fault of their own,” and it’s bad.
First off, can we just say that the country owes these adults (because they’re all adults now) nothing. Their parents broke the law, knowingly and willingly. The idea that granting them citizenship is the only “moral” option because they’re here “through no fault of their own” is ridiculous. There are millions of Americans with parents in prison, should their parents be released because leaving someone without their parent is a situation they’re in “through no fault of their own”? If someone embezzled millions of dollars and spoiled their kids with the money, should the kids get to keep the house and all their gifts purchased with stolen money because they’d obtained them from stolen money “through no fault of their own”? Hell no.
So why should children of illegal aliens simply be given the greatest thing the United States has to offer because they weren’t caught earlier? There is no statute of limitations on violating immigration law – every day someone is in the country illegally they are breaking the law. It’s a continual violation. You can’t trespass on someone’s property, but hide in their treehouse or garage for a week and the trespassing expires, then get to move into the house.
Worse is President Trump’s plan grants amnesty to 1.8 million illegal alien DREAMers, not the 700-800 thousand who’ve actually registered for the program. Why? It doesn’t matter why. A case can be made for those who did register being granted something, including the ability to stay in the country legally (though not citizenship), but what is the rationale for extending it to people who didn’t bother to comply with then-President Barack Obama’s DACA program? None.
You can argue, and liberals do, that many people who qualified for DACA didn’t register because they were afraid the government would use that information to find them and deport them. Who cares? They were offered a chance to get right with the law and they passed – game over. If they’re so paranoid that they think the feds are going to hunt them down, that this was all a trick to “get” them, the odds of them being productive members of society are slim to none.
If these DREAMers want to be angry at someone it should be their parents, not the government. Their parents screwed them over, and it’s not our responsibility to make it right.
The President wants a deal so badly he’s willing to give Democrats what they want right now in exchange for it. But, as is always the case with Democrats, some of what they want is never good enough. Chuck Schumer has rejected Trump’s offer of 1.8 million new Democratic Party voters in exchange for a wall and a few other reforms, and activist groups immediately denounced it as racist because, well, they denounce everything as racist.
What gives me hope that there won’t be a deal is that last bit – that liberals don’t really want one. If there’s a deal the issue goes away. Democrats can’t run on “protecting the DREAMers” and activists have one less issue to fundraise off of. At least until the next group of illegal alien children start demanding the same special treatment.
And that’s the real problem – it rewards people for something they shouldn’t be rewarded for. If you needed a new laptop and a generous friend gave you one, you’d be happy. But if your friend stole it, when the police found your friend you’d have to give it back, even though you didn’t steal it or know it was stolen. American citizenship, even 12 years down the road, shouldn’t be awarded to someone who broke the law, whether they were in on it or not.
The rest of the President’s offer isn’t so terrible, though I don’t think it goes far enough. There should be an end to birthright citizenship too. But the only offer he should have made is permanent resident status with no path to citizenship for DREAMers. If they want citizenship they have to go through the process like everyone else, and even a DUI gets them the boot. Each, at a minimum, should be judged as individuals, evaluated one at a time. Trump supports merit-based immigration reform, the DREAMers are a good of a place as any to start with that.
Am I heartless? Probably. But I really don’t care. When, as happened again this week, I see illegal aliens taking to the streets to DEMAND our government appease their demands, up to and including allowing their parents be allowed to stay too, I lose all sympathy. I realize they’re the fringe, just like every other obnoxious left-wing group, and there are many more who are fine people, but I don’t care. Our college campuses are already full of self-entitled leftists demanding special treatment who are natural born citizens, we don’t need to import more.
This opening offer from the White House has me worrying that the President’s desire for a deal of any kind will end up with him signing a bill, any bill, just to check that box. Compassion is the worst rationale for legislation, it never leads anywhere good.