What Are We So Afraid of When It Comes to Immigration?

The George W. Bush Institute journal "The Catalyst" asked a variety of contributors to address the anxiety about the nation's protracted immigration debate. The question, "What are we so afraid of when it comes to immigration?", was intentionally posed to people with differing opinions and backgrounds since it's hard to resolve any debate without knowing the contrasting views. Here's what the contributors said. Illegal immigration is the problemThe question contains somewhat of a false premise. To discuss the issue, you have to distinguish between legal and illegal immigration. Realistically, only a small portion of the U.S. population is afraid of issues related to legal immigration. What many Americans are actually concerned about is illegal immigration. There are some who are against illegal immigration for dishonorable reasons but, by and large, the overwhelming majority of people who are against illegal immigration are against it for sensible, intelligent reasons. People believe laws matter. We are a nation of laws. If immigration laws are ignored, then what other laws are we free to ignore? If ignoring laws is acceptable, and there is no real punishment for breaking them, I'd wager to guess millions of people would avoid paying all income taxes. Another reason people are against illegal immigration is the costs imposed on local schools, hospitals and social services. Simply put, people don't like their tax money spent on government programs and services for people who aren't in the country legally.Legal immigration, administered in a way that meets our country's needs, strengthens our economy and improves our nation on the whole, and it finds enormous support in every corner of the country. Unfortunately, the issue has become so politicized that common sense has been thrown out the window. The matter is now strictly viewed through partisan lenses, leaving us with California-style sanctuary city/state laws, making us less safe.Tim O'Hare, chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party, is the former mayor of Farmers Branch.  Continue reading...