The Patriot Post® · In Brief: Amnesty Is Unfair to Legal Immigrants
Who are the biggest dupes in America? Legal immigrants. They went through the trouble to do it the right way — the hard way. Bill Wong ought to know. He emigrated from Hong Kong and became a naturalized citizen. He explains:
Lawmakers in Congress are still trying to use their $3.5 trillion spending bill to grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens — even after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that their initial proposal was ineligible for inclusion, due to the complex rules surrounding the filibuster-proof budget “reconciliation” process that Democrats are using to pass their agenda on a strict party-line vote.
Their latest strategy involves updating a registry to allow illegal aliens who arrived after 1972 — the current registry cutoff — to seek green cards. Depending on the new date they set, this change could grant legal status, work permits, and ultimately citizenship to millions of people. And if the parliamentarian also rules against this “Plan B,” senators such as Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) have already promised to try plans “C and D.”
As a naturalized citizen who jumped through the legal immigration system’s many hoops, I find their efforts — and their persistence — deeply offensive. Amnesty would send the wrong message to millions of people trying to immigrate the right way. And it’d also burden our safety-net programs and harm our working class.
I came to America from Hong Kong, which is now, sadly, controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, and lived here for 13 years before beginning the naturalization process. I’m now a proud U.S. citizen, and part of that pride comes from knowing I did it the proper, legal way.
But evidently, it was all unnecessary. If Congress passes this amnesty, people who waltzed across the border would receive the same benefits as legal immigrants like me who patiently followed the rules.
Naturally, Wong says, Democrats’ plan will “only incentivize more illegal immigration,” which will in turn “burden already-strained social programs.” The problem is that Democrats know this and want it to happen.
Wong also argues against the “myth … that illegal aliens do the jobs that nobody else will.” In reality, illegals drive wages down for Americans. Two other key Democrat constituencies, blacks and union workers, should appreciate the danger here.
“It’s disgraceful that Congress is even considering an amnesty,” Wong says.
Letting lawbreakers cut in front of people who are still patiently waiting to immigrate to this great country would incentivize more criminal behavior, harm American workers of all ethnicities and national origins, and tear holes in our social safety net.