I wasn’t going to write about immigration tonight.  I’ve changed my mind.

I’ve been cutting out newspaper articles for years—ever since I graduated from college.  Usually, I store them in a box or boxes and then eventually get rid of them when the task of going through them seems overwhelming.  I still have newspapers set aside from a year ago May, when I was in Arizona for a couple of weeks, that I haven’t yet cut up.  But, I’ve been going through the articles I’ve cut out and trying to organize them.  I found a couple of interesting statements that are relevant to the present problem of immigration reform.


If I counted correctly (and I may not have) there where 190 recognized nations in 2003.  To be on the safe side, let’s say that there are at least 150 nations in the world today.  If the nations were ranked from richest to poorest according to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures, where do you think Mexico would fit?  Did you guess—50th?   How about 100th?  Try another way.  Would Mexico be in the top third, middle third, or lower third?  My hunch is that most of you would not guess correctly.  At least, I was surprised when I saw where they were ranked.


This is the ranking of countries “… based on World Bank Gross Domestic Product figures from 2004.


United States
Japan
Germany
Britain
France
Italy
China
Spain
Canada
India                  
____________top ten (my addition)


South Korea
Mexico (Note that not one Middle East country is in the top 12.)
Australia
Brazil
Russia
Netherlands
Switzerland
Belgium
Sweden
Turkey” (Peoria Journal Star, July 3, 2005, page A9)

____________nations ranked 11 through 20 (my addition)


Are you surprised?  Mexico had the 12th highest GDP of all the nations of the world in 2004.  I thought Mexico would be lower.  


Why should the United States allow this flood of illegal immigration which is primarily from Mexico into our country?  Shouldn’t the Mexican government be providing for their own citizens instead of encouraging their citizens to illegally enter and work in the United States?  Why does the Senate want to aid and abet this illegal activity?


“Congressional researchers have given new ammunition to advocates of criminalizing illegal immigration.


In a study for House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R.-Wis., the Library of Congress says that Brazil, Egypt, Japan, Mexico (my underline), Sweden and Switzerland have laws criminalizing illegal aliens.  Japan and Switzerland are the most effective in using their laws to curb illegal immigration.  


Mexico (my underline) has the toughest penalties for immigration fraud.  Prison sentences for violating that country’s immigration laws range from two years for first offenders to 10 years for repeat offenders.” (Peoria Journal Star, May 7, 2006, page A8)


Mexico will imprison illegal immigrants for two years for the first offense and the Senate wants to grant American citizenship to illegal immigrants!!!  What is terribly wrong with our Senators?  A U.S. citizen illegally immigrates to Mexico and he can go to prison for two years.  A Mexican citizen illegally immigrates to the United States and the Senate wants to give him United States citizenship.  Does the Senate live in a world of the absurd???    


CONGRESS: GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT REWARD ILLEGAL ACTS!  DO NOT PROVIDE A PATH TO CITIZENSHIP TO THOSE WHO DELIBERATELY AND KNOWINGLY VIOLATED OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS!!!!!