All So-Called Immigrants Are Not Equal

I have written about the issue of the politicization of immigration and use of deceptive language where immigration is concerned many times. However, these issues are important to contemplate – especially as the campaigns for the 2016 presidential election ramp up. It is important to know where we have been to understand how we have come to be where we are.

Jimmy Carter was the first politician to engage in “Immigration Orwellian Newspeak” by referring to illegal aliens as “Undocumented Immigrants.” Carter intentionally created the misleading perception that all foreign nationals should be given equal standing through misuse of the term “immigrant.”

 

This is as false as referring to burglars as “residents” of a home they have broken into and devalues the lawful system by which aliens are lawfully admitted into the United States. Simply stated, this is anarchistic. Use of such language also devalues lawful immigrant status as well as United States citizenship.

 

Carter also mandated that during the census that Immigration and Naturalization Service agents not arrest illegal aliens until and unless they got clearance from the chain of command that stretched all the way to Washington. Essentially, enforcement operations were all but suspended during the census. No other law enforcement agencies were similarly encumbered and the motivation behind this is significant. The obvious goal was to make certain that illegal aliens were counted during the census which is conducted every decade to determine the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives and consequently, in the Electoral College. This not only impacts control of the House of Representatives but the Presidency as well.

 

At the time most illegal aliens were concentrated in major population centers which tended to vote for Democratic candidates. If more Congressional seats and more electoral votes could be shifted to those population centers, the Democratic Party would pick up seats in the House of Representatives and votes in the Electoral College. Simply stated, immigration was being used as a gerrymandering tactic.

 

While non-citizens are not supposed to vote, aliens – including aliens illegally present in the United States gained political representation through those orders given by Carter to have INS agents “stand down.” States that attracted more illegal aliens would have a louder voice in congress.

Certainly no one should be surprised that a politician would “play politics” with any issue. However, it must be remembered that America’s immigration laws are among our most significant and fundamental laws. They were enacted to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who have no inherent right to enter the United States or remain in the United States and whose presence would be harmful or even dangerous to the country.

 

Carter placed politics above his oath of office and the safety and security of the United States and the well-being of Americans and others present in the United States.

 

Carter’s wrong-headed tactic set a precedent that has impacted immigration policies established by every subsequent administration. Of course the current administration has amped up Carter’s principles, or more accurately, unprincipled tactics to unparalleled levels.

 

Ronald Reagan, following on the heels of the Carter administration, enacted the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) which, for the first time created a spectrum of penalties for employers who knowingly hired illegal aliens but never [hired] enough INS agents to deter employers from hiring illegal aliens that the employer sanctions provisions of the law were supposed to achieve.

Now honest discussions about immigration have become all but impossible because of the deceptive tactics employed by the “Immigration Anarchists” and the politicians who do their bidding to get their legalized bribes known as “campaign contributions.” Anyone who expresses the desire to secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws is quickly branded “anti-immigrant” or worse, when in fact they are simply taking a “pro-enforcement” position. Our immigration laws enable more than one million aliens each year to legally immigrate the United States and provide more than one half-million lawful immigrants with citizenship. It is a contradiction in terms to declare advocacy for those very same laws, by which aliens legally immigrate to be “anti-immigrant.”

 

Politicians also voice concern about “ethnic votes.” On July 2, 2015 FrontPage Magazine published my commentary, “Immigration and Political Racial ‘Profiling’ – The stereotyping of ‘Latino voters’ and what it distracts us from.” The focus of my article was how this form of profiling ignores the fact that there are millions of illegal aliens present in the United States who did not run our borders and who are not of Latino ethnicity. This lunacy about mythical “Latino Voters” is insulting to many millions of American citizens who are of Latino ethnicity and may well oppose the anarchy of the administration immigration policies. In point of fact, our immigration laws make no distinction about race, religion or ethnicity. It may also cause folks to potentially look askance at their fellow Americans leading to wrong-headed misconceptions and prejudice...

[Sanctuary city] policies are illegal and violate Title 8 USC § 1324 – Bringing in and harboring certain aliens, a section of law that is comprehended within the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), that deems it is a felony to aid, abet, encourage or induce aliens to enter our country illegally or remain in our country illegally.

 

Our immigration laws are supposed to protect national security, public safety and the lives and livelihoods of American workers. These issues are not about “left” or “right” but about right or wrong. It is time for commonsense and integrity to prevail, especially in these challenging and perilous times. American lives matter!

 

 

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Michael W. Cutler is a former Special Agent with the INS, where his career spanned nearly 30 years. Mr. Cutler has provided expert witness testimony at more than a dozen Congressional hearings. He has testified before the 9/11 Commission and regularly provides expert testimony at state legislative hearings and in trials where immigration is at issue. Michael Cutler can be reached through his website, that contains his commentaries, Congressional testimony and links to his appearances on national television news programs and other public venues.