Are illegal immigrants the “backbone” of America?
Rep. Lou Correa thinks so.
In a press release last month, Correa joined Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other radical progressives in demanding the U.S. Senate amend the Build Back Better bill to include amnesty and a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States.
“Undocumented immigrants have been the backbone of our country—from growing our crops, processing our food, taking care of our children, and looking after our elderly. Yet, they have seen their dreams of becoming citizens shattered again. Through our continued advocacy efforts, we are saying the time is now,” declares Rep. Correa.
Correa is wrong. Americans are the backbone of America – not illegal immigrants. Correa is usually considered a moderate Democrat – a reputation stemming largely from his resistance to the democratic socialist policies such as Medicare For All.
When it comes to immigration, however, Rep. Correa generally stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the more radical elements of his party – and his claim that illegal immigrants are the backbone of America places him on the fringes of public opinion.
Border control and immigration are top voter concerns. Nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of how President Biden’s progressive immigration policies that have produced a surge in illegal border crossings. This isn’t a strictly Republican concern – 63% of independent voters in a recent poll registered opposition to the Biden Administration’s permissive immigration policies.
One wonders if Correa has fully thought out the implications of his declaration. If illegal immigrants are indeed the backbone of this Republic, then it stands to reason we should admit more of them (that certainly seems to be the de facto policy of the Biden Administration). The stronger our national backbone, the better – right? By casting illegal immigration as a positive good, Correa is essentially arguing for open borders.
And in advocating for bestowing citizenship on millions of people who have entered this country illegally, Correa is debasing the value of American citizenship. The United States is a republic of laws. Correa, Ocasio-Cortez and other immigration radicals set that aside by pushing for mass amnesty and citizenship.
The vast majority of Americans believe legal immigration is good for this country. After all, America would not be America absent robust immigration.
And reasonable people can differ on the issue of immigration – including how to address our large illegal immigrant population. We can differ on how many immigrants we should admit annually and the criteria for that admission. And we should make those judgments on the basis of what is best for our country.
Reasonable people also agree that the United States, like any sovereign nation, has the right to control its borders and enforce its immigration laws. Correa’s romanticization of illegal immigration stands in opposition to that belief, and puts him far outside the mainstream of public opinion.
Illegal border crossings are at record levels. Our border is largely, for all intents and purposes, open. If the immigration policies that Correa and AOC are pushing become law, the message to would-be illegal entrants is clear: get across the border by hook or crook , and at some point, if you wait it out long enough, you will be offered American citizenship.
Recent historical experience demonstrates that offering amnesty and a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants while failing to secure control of our southern border is an invitation to more illegal immigration.
The Correa/AOC proposal boils down to an ideological claim that is unconnected to the reality of the situation at the border.
