By Steve Levy
Donald Trump took office promising the mass deportation of the millions of people allowed to flow in illegally by his predecessor. People were behind him, so said the polls.
It was certainly stressed that illegals here who had committed crimes would be a top priority for removal. However, it was never said that those not committing crimes would be shielded from deportation.
Nor should it be.
It is essential that we stop sending a message to the world that you can come into the United States illegally, keep your nose clean and be immune from deportation. But that is what the legacy media and the Democratic Party are proposing.
This was the Democrats’ master plan from the start when they began Biden’s mass invasion over the southern border. They knew if they could import millions of new people, they could eventually get millions of new Democratic voters who would cast ballots thanking those helping facilitate their arrival.
Democrats also knew that illegals would be counted in the census when drawing congressional district lines, helping save numerous Democratic seats around the country.
Democratic leaders knew they would take a beating by opening up a border so irresponsibly. But Biden, Schumer and the Democrats wagered that while they’d lose short-term battles, they’d win the long-term war. They correctly believed that Americans would become squeamish when the time came to deport dishwashers, gardeners and grocery store workers. Once it became personalized, they believed even hardline Republicans would back down. The American middle would go soft.
In fact, that’s what seems to be happening.
You can deport that gangbanger, but not Sally, who’s been working in the bagel store for years.
Here is the problem with that line of thinking:
1)…IT’S UNFAIR
Sally knew what she was doing when she came here illegally, and understood there were consequences, including having to live in the shadows and always looking over her shoulder. And that’s the way it should be, because she cut in front of Eddie, who had been waiting patiently in another country for five years to gain entry into the United States.
2)…IT SENDS A HORRIBLE MESSAGE
When it comes to illegal immigration, messaging matters more than anything else. Biden sent a message that all were welcome, so they came. The border shutdown on Trump’s watch was mostly the result of him changing the message. We will make it hard for you, so they stopped.
When people around the world hear that deportation only pertains to criminals, they’ll be all the more encouraged to make the trip, knowing that they could stay forever as long as they don’t murder or rape someone.
3)… AMNESTY WOULD DESTROY THE SOCIAL CONTRACT
One of the biggest reasons for keeping the possibility open to deport any illegal alien is that to do otherwise would destroy the social contract that implicitly exists between those who are governed and those who govern.
The populace is willing to sacrifice some of its freedoms and play by the rules so long as those who govern them agree to provide a sense of order, fairness and security.
When a government treats some people of the same class differently, then the social contract is eviscerated. How many in our city government have looked away as the turnstile jumpers in the subway system play for suckers those who pay the fare?
After a while, the honest folks feel there’s no longer a reason for them to continue making payment. Their government is rewarding those who cheat, so why play by the rules. This type of mentality has the ability to tear apart the social fabric.
4)…IT’S THE RISK ILLEGALS TAKE
With tens of millions of illegal aliens already here, it is almost impossible that any administration would be able to deport all of them. So it is indeed wise to start with the most disorderly. We probably don’t have the resources to conduct business warehouse raids on an everyday basis. But as the criminal undocumented are rounded up, we cannot simply look the other way to others caught in the wake and say “move on, you haven’t committed a crime after arriving, so you’re free to stay forever.”
If you are unfortunate enough to be caught up in that wake, that comes with the territory. That is the risk you had taken.
It doesn’t mean every illegal alien will be deported, but it will keep every illegal alien continuing to think that it may happen one day.
No legal American owes you any sanctuary.
This, more than anything else, would be an impetus for more self deportations.
5)…AMERICANS CAN DO THE WORK
For those who say that our farming, hospitality and other industries will fall when the illegal aliens are gone, let’s remember:
A)…There are millions of people on the unemployment line on a daily basis.
B)…There are 7 million able-bodied men in our country collecting food, stamps and Medicaid, and not working.
C)…There are 4 million people outside of this country waiting to come in the correct way.
For every one illegal alien we send back, there are millions of other Americans and legal aliens who can take their place.
If this substitution in the workforce leads to a slight increase in prices,so be it. Illegal immigration has been a boom to the elites who have suppressed the wages of working-class Americans. We know that to be a fact after seeing wages skyrocket by the highest percentage increase in the last sixty years in the last few months after a million illegal immigrants self deported.
So let’s continue to prioritize the criminals for deportation, but stop short of saying that everyone else is able to stay here forever. That’s what the Democrats were banking on when they opened up the border. They figured the American people would fold and their bloc of millions of new voters would be in the bag.
Anyone who says that people can come here illegally and stay forever if they don’t commit crimes, is, in essence, advocating for open borders.
Steve Levy is President of Common Sense Strategies, a political consulting firm. He served as Suffolk County Executive, as a NYS Assemblyman, and host of “The Steve Levy Radio Show.” He is the author of “Solutions to America’s Problems” and “Bias in the Media.” www.SteveLevy.info, Twitter @SteveLevyNY, steve@commonsensestrategies.com