How Eisenhower solved illegal border crossings from Mexico | csmonitor.com — If you read this whole thing Ike saw illegal immigration as large scale corruption that was bad for America. Times changed. We are now officially a corrupt society.
Fifty-three years ago, when newly elected Dwight Eisenhower moved into the White House, Americas southern frontier was as porous as a spaghetti sieve. As many as 3 million illegal migrants had walked and waded northward over a period of several years for jobs in California, Arizona, Texas, and points beyond.
President Eisenhower cut off this illegal traffic. He did it quickly and decisively with only 1,075 United States Border Patrol agents – less than one-tenth of todays force. The operation is still highly praised among veterans of the Border Patrol.
Although there is little to no record of this operation in Ikes official papers, one piece of historic evidence indicates how he felt. In 1951, Ike wrote a letter to Sen. William Fulbright D of Arkansas. The senator had just proposed that a special commission be created by Congress to examine unethical conduct by government officials who accepted gifts and favors in exchange for special treatment of private individuals.
What part of the word “illegal” in “illegal immigration” people don’t get when even starting arguing about it. It is illegal. Period. Finito. End of discussion. If you want to discuss if immigration is good or bad, discuss changing the law to allow more of it or not. Illegal immigration is illegal, it means the law does not allow it. Period.
Though I don’t live in the States, we have the same argument here in Europe and I just don’t get it. If we reach the conclusion that we need more immigrants, let’s allow them in by law, not condon illegal immigration. How the hell can this even be a matter of discussion??
#32 – I think the US should wake up and open its borders by reinstituting centralized points of immigration. Search them as they come in, evaluate them for diseases, channel them into finding jobs (if possible – haven’t worked that one out in my head yet). The drug problem becomes easier to work with, as the drug runners will be among the few trying to sneak in across open desert and jumping the Rio Grande; everyone else will be going to the checkpoint.
#31 – For the record, “In God We Trust” first appeared on the 1864 two-cent coin.
To Pedro: Honestly, I feel for you, man. If, for some reason, you do decide to come to the US (and possibly North Carolina where the tech industry is still pretty hot), let me know. I’ll see what I can do for you (find you a nice safe place to live, show you around, buy you a beer or three).
First off I would like to thank and congratulate you for finally putting a non tech story that doesn’t bash Republicans and that has the idea right
What part of illegal dont these people understand I have no , none absolutely nada problems with legal immigration (its how we all got here ) and I actually prefer to do business with them ( they really get the American way and chance at a better life ) I am sitting in a business owned by an Indian immigrant getting my cracked windshield replaced and he has better customer service than any place Ive been today .
With that said the immigration problem is easy to solve remove the jobs (crack down hard on those who employ illegals ) The meat packing plants in Nebraska that had a crack down a few months ago had that town cleared of illegals in a day or so with only a few hundred arrests ( they went home when there was no work ) ( and had legal Americans lined up for the jobs )also on the flip side the minimum wage problem could be solved because the businesses who hire illegals would have to pay a market wage to the Americans to get them to work (capitalism at its best) so in a simple move we can fix 2 problems with out a high cost
Why cant the worlds only superpower act like one and quit kowtowing to tin horn corrupt governments like Mexico and just tell them this is how it is going to be like it or lump it
It is extremely difficult for people to get into this country legally, regardless if you’re a computer programmer, doctor, or plumber. Even to get a tourist visa has salary requirements that are above and beyond what the average foreigner earns, making it difficult for them to come visit the country they often dream about – the USA.
Agreed. But the solution is not to look the other way while people break the law – the solution is to make the law more reasonable.
And it’s wrong for one country or just a few countries to dominate immigration, at the expense of all other countries, simply because they are adjacent to the US and their people can slip across the border easily.
36. That offer extends to me too, get out of Venezuela pedro. (at least I think thats where you are).
Pedro, if you swing through the frozen tundra so many call Minnesota, I will buy you a shot of anything they got. Can’t help much with the work though. I keep biting my nails every time we have a lay off (I work as a machinest). Nice to see the parts I used to make are now stamped “Made in China”.
Geeze, I agree with so many of the usual right wingers. Maybe there is hope for ALL of us yet.
My solutions,
Fix the border.
Build a fence.
Fine any employer using illegal labor
Have the Social Security Administration / INS / IRS have a rapid response for SS number verification.
Confiscate any property accumulated by illegals. Sell that property to pay for their incarceration and deportation.
Hold all undocumented people until they are deported. Or, at a minimum, make them bond out and report periodically.
Then allow “guest workers” in to pick the fruit.
40, those are actually good plans, and I agree with them. Though I would also say increase our importation of Legal Immigrants, you know those who are willing to obey the law, and do the right thing in order to come to this country, and not just rape us until we are of no further use to them.
The aspect of the article I find most interesting, which no one seems to have commented on yet, is how Eisenhower attempted to disrupt the “Good Old Boy” system. I really have no strong opinions one way or the other regarding illegal immigration, but I am all for eliminating government corruption and the favors system. I wish more politicians today would commit to upholding that kind of integrity.
23, But I am a humanist, and I can certainly see why the US is a sparkling gem compared to the countries where these people are coming from.
Absolutely. There’s a lot wrong with the USA but it’s *still* the best place in the world.
24, “Hell, go to Mexico illegaly and see what kind of welcome you get.”
Nailed it. Wouldn’t want to try it.
Thanks, guys !
#11 “yeah, poor defenseless latin american countries. Boo-hoo. Keep believing in fairy tales.”
Apart from naive; ignorant.
Go back to bashing an OS that you haven’t had a hands on experience.
44 C’mon Angel, lighten up. If people can’t whine and rage about The Other Guy’s operating system, what’s the point of having a computer?
Anyhow the real cost of illegal immigration is the tragedy of lost jobs. To see a heart-rending example from the Onion News Network (“The only news you need™”) see http://tinyurl.com/2rjnwt
#25, “Actually, it’s a LOT easier for an American to go visit another country than vice-versa. They love our money.”
Yup, it is a lot easier for Americans to VISIT other countries, but it’s a damn lot harder to become a legal resident over there than it is here.
And you bet they love our money. That’s what drives illegal immigration. Freedom? Liberty? Make the communities a better place? Pfft! They’re here for the money, period.
For the record, my father was a LEGAL immigrant and I’m married to a LEGAL immigrant. Based on my experience, I would suggest that those who go through the process LEGALLY are more likely to be assets to this country, since they’re ASKING for entry and are dedicated enough to go through the process. ILLEGALS on the other hand are essentially breaking and entering.
#50, Pedro,
You have hinted at this before, but now you have openly declared how much you prefer to live under a fascist military dictatorship. Most people wouldn’t. As Angel pointed out, it is no fun to be carted off in the middle of the night just because of your political views.
It is explicit American support and training that keeps the right wing military and death squads going in Columbia and kept them going in the rest of the area. They provided the basis for the drug smuggling empire’s armies. How many have died in all of Latin America because of American involvement over the past 50 years?
Your “Kuzco” may not be a great guy. Most Americans think he is a little crazy. He has not killed or had others killed simply because their politics disagreed with his. Allende? Oh ya, that was a real bad ass dude. Geeze, he must have killed, aahh, how many was that, … NO ONE !!! Why was he elected? Maybe because he wanted to stop the enslavement of his people by the large American companies.
Pedro, you can complain about your President. I guarantee he is not as bad to live under as any of the military fascists that you so admire.
BTW, how many physicians has America sent to help care for the sick poor people in Venezuela?
#47, Angel, I sincerely hope things are better in Honduras today. Especially for you, your family, and loved ones.
pedro – the result of your own beliefs, I hesitate to call them an ideology, is eventually you end up right where you are, now.
It was Cold Warriors who said it was OK to overthrow a democratically-elected government in Chile and murder Allende – what has that gained the US over time?
It was Cold Warriors who said it was OK to overthrow a democratically-elected government in Iran and put the Shah back in power – what has that gained the US [or any other Western nation] over time?
If you support the politics of imperial governments that say it’s OK to remove governments that disagree with us by force you’re going to end up holding the same trick bag all imperial powers have, from Rome to England.