It has been said that the United States is a nation of immigrants. I agree with that. Unless you are of Native American ancestry, your forefathers came to these shores from some other part of the world. We have a rich history of ethic diversity and cultural influences. It is one of the things that has made us unique in the world. However, it is important to separate those who immigrate here from other countries through legal channels from those who attempt to by-pass our laws and sneak in illegally. We are a nation of laws and illegal/criminal activity runs contrary to that principle.
Mass illegal immigration is also bad for our country because it puts a burden on our resources and public services, such as law enforcement, medical, educational and social services. Right now, our nation is struggling with weakened economic conditions, with some states actually facing the possibility of bankruptcy because of uncontrolled spending. As a nation, we cannot continue supporting mass groups of non-citizens with U.S. citizens’ taxpayer money.
Adding to this danger are attempts by some lawmakers to grant amnesty and give “legal” status to illegal immigrants, complete with all attendant rights American citizens now have, including the right to vote. It is not reasonable that a person should enter our country illegally and then be given the right to participate in elections to select the very people who will decide high-level policies, such as immigration. This cannot be allowed to happen.
Also, we should never underestimate the importance of border security to the safety and stability of our nation. It is estimated that there are between 11 to 20 million illegal aliens in this country. The unrestrained flow of illegal traffic across our borders has a direct impact on national security and the ramifications of allowing it to continue go well beyond Bradley County. International crime syndicates and violent street gangs such as MS13 are well-positioned to take advantage of countries that fail to secure their borders, and they are doing so. Open borders also allow easy access to any terrorist or terrorist group wishing to sneak biological and/or small tactical nuclear weapons or other radiation devices into the country. National security demands that we must do a better job of securing our borders.
We here at the BCSO take a proactive approach in identifying and confronting criminal activity in our community, including those who are here illegally. Whenever a person is arrested for a crime in Bradley County and their identity is suspect, they are checked against our Criminal Alien Program (CAP) to determine citizenship or legal status. Anyone who is found to be here illegally, is turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation, upon completion of their sentence or disposition of their court case.
America has always welcomed people from other countries, but having people cross our borders illegally cannot, and should not, be allowed. It is a direct threat to our national sovereignty and places an even heavier burden on future generations.
To learn more about the BCSO, visit our website www.bradleysheriff.com. Or write to us at 2290 Blythe Avenue, Cleveland, TN 37311. You can email Sheriff Gobble at: comments@bradleysheriff.com.