Where does this data come from that's constantly inferred in the recitation of an apparently understood truism - that "most of these illegal immigrants are good, hard-working people".
I'm not saying it's not possible. I'm not even saying it's not probable. But where's the data that permits us to accept this automatically? How can this "statistical truth" constantly be used without statistics; as if it's a certainty or common knowledge? It simply isn't. No one can say with any certainty whatsoever about what percentage of the illegal immigrants are decent, or hard-working, or lazy, or pretty, or ugly, or hungry, or criminal, or insane, or brilliant, or psychopathic.
If it's safe to say that many are hard-working and decent, it's also safe to say that many are comfortable with illegal activity. Hell, that's a given, by definition. It is safe to say, that a certain percentage are hard-core criminals. By virtue of the factual paper trails left behind by illegal immigrants who become entangled in prosecution of crime, there are more concrete numbers describing criminal activity than there even CAN be concerning the law abiding polarity of this population. It is a shame, of course; because we would all benefit from more concrete statistics to give us a solid, informed overview of our shared predicament.
But inescapably, there is real data showing illegal immigrants are involved in the operations of crystal meth labs and kitchens. Not only is this child-abuse if children are present, but this criminal activity generates toxic waste, and infiltrates society with one of the most dangerous drugs of our time. Even environmentalists should be bothered with this.
Beyond that, how many illegal aliens sell pot? Do we KNOW? How many rob banks? How many are involved in gangs? I ask again, how many are involved in gangs?! Gangs are a extremely bad thing if anyone needs the truth. I invite anyone to try to contest that argument in a conversation that isn't madness.
How many illegals are carrying guns - would these be unregistered guns? How many of these guns are used in crimes?
How many of these illegals are involved in shoplifting? How many are involved in insurance fraud? What about the unfortunately frequent auto insurance fraud where the car stops short in front of you? Not only is that insurance fraud, it risks the life of innocents who are targeted. How many illegal immigrants are involved in hit-and-run driving? How many illegal immigrants are engaged in welfare fraud?
You might say, "well, probably not many, because these are mostly hard working, law-abiding..." - OOPS!! You just don't know that! You CAN'T know that! Because these are undocumented citizens! There's little documentation - That is the point! (Unless - the point is that they're illegal).
Who is going to honestly state that a somewhat common follow-up to the initial crime does not occur regularly; the crime of identity theft. Can anyone reasonably state that this is not common? How can you possibly know? In the case of identity theft, an innocent law-abiding individual can suffer enormously, over years and years. Is this an uncommon occurrence? Frequently it is the result of rather organized criminal behavior.
This is not an essay intending to generate fear and demonize the masses of illegal immigrants; this is a call to stop the repetition of a phrase that is not based on facts or knowledge, but rather a very politically-correct SAFE tenderness used to escape accusations of racism. It is critical we not try to evade the question of the criminal percentage or lawless behavior in the illegal immigrant analysis. It is dishonest to do so. It is vital we allow ourselves to analyze (with any uncomfortable honesty) the makeup of our uninvited guests. With either FACTS, or ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the UNKNOWN. Perhaps by honestly confronting the criminal potential of this class in our society, we can generate a sane course of action which comes down mercilessly on the undesirable criminal element, and REWARDS - perhaps EMBRACES the portion who can be defined as good, hard-working individuals. Perhaps that would be relatively fair to everyone. But lets not make law and policy which pretends we KNOW that theses are almost ALL good, hard-working people, and consequently treat them all equally. Some do not deserve it.
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©2008 king david caul