Published: September 05, 2008 04:05 pm         

Immigration group on the right track

Laws are being broken, and a group of Goshen-area residents wants action taken.

The Citizens for Immigration Law Enforcement has been meeting since June. Its mission is apparent in the name.

Immigration is a hot topic in Elkhart County, and CILE isn’t afraid to jump into the fire. The Goshen News supports CILE’s stated goals, but urges that its efforts be narrowly focused.

Let’s dispense with political correctness: There’s no sidestepping the “illegal” in illegal immigration. A country with no check on the influx of immigrants is headed for problems.

Illegal immigration has taxed schools, social services, health care providers and law enforcement. With the economy in a downturn, U.S. citizens in the labor force can be forgiven for not wanting to compete with undocumented workers for jobs.

The News especially lauds CILE’s focus on employers. This point is crucial: America has a problem with illegal immigration because American businesses are willing to hire illegal immigrants. Several states have enacted legislation cracking down on the practice, and CILE wants Indiana to join them. We support that stance.

We also hope CILE and its supporters don’t succumb to nostalgia.

Elkhart County circa 2008 isn’t the same area it was 50 years ago. Efforts to combat the supposed ills of “multiculturalism” are wrong-headed. History is a forward march.

Take a moment, please, to look at the issue from the vantage point of illegal aliens. By and large, they want the same thing immigrants have sought throughout American history — a better life in a better place. Ill-will directed at illegal immigrants should be tempered by compassion.

Call us idealistic, but The News favors a two-pronged approach: 1.) tightened borders first and foremost, and 2.) a none-too-easy path to citizenship for the illegal immigrants currently within our borders. Don’t believe the naysayers — it can be done.

Give CILE its due. There’s nothing bigoted about calling for respect of the rule of law. Give CILE’s critics their due for facing up to reality and recognizing there’s no such thing as an “illegal” human being.