Recently, illegal aliens have been entering the United States at an alarming rate. For the most part, this issue has been addressed by ignoring the law. This approach has failed, while public officials are helpless to arrive at any alternative solution. The purpose of this article is not to cover every conceivable aspect of this complex issue, but to provide a brief overview and to point to the ultimate solution.

In the early 1990s, government policies were established that were to have far-reaching effects on immigration trends. At that time, the Clinton administration recognized the political benefits of enticing illegal aliens to apply for citizenship. As their numbers swelled to over seven million during the course of the 1990s, they became a formidable political force in their own right. Now, this floodgate has been left open because, for instance, no politician dares to curtail or offend the mushrooming numbers of Latino voting blocs.

Beginning in the late 1980s, bureaucrats began to revamp the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in a radical departure from its intended purpose—the enforcement of federal law. The agency’s new direction became the administering of benefits for illegal immigrants. The INS now specialized in the offering of assistance in procuring permanent residency, citizenship and work permits. The depleted segment of the INS devoted to law enforcement became quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of backlogged cases. As illegal aliens grew over fivefold in the 1990s, ironically, the enforcement capability of the INS was significantly curtailed.

The Plight of Major Cities

Unfortunately, local law enforcement in the major cities with the largest illegal immigrant populations had become just as paralyzed and unwilling as the federal government to act in any decisive way. New York, Chicago, Los Angles, San Diego, Austin and Houston have led the way in adopting policies to protect illegal aliens from being reported to the INS. In spite of a number of weak excuses, the truth of the matter is simple: Large city officials fear any hint of action that would be offensive to the mushrooming numbers of immigrants. “The immigrant population has grown so large that public officials are terrified of alienating it, even at the expense of ignoring the law and tolerating violence” (Heather MacDonald, “The Illegal Alien Crime Wave,” City Journal (NYC), Winter 2004).

Various sanctuary policies adopted by major cities are quite similar—they all attempt to shield their local illegal aliens from the INS. This is primarily done out of fear of backlash by powerful ethnic lobbyists. These very sanctuary laws unwittingly served to facilitate the anonymity of the terrorists involved in the 9/11 attack. Even in the wake of 9/11, rare is the call for repeal of such laws.

Consider the current impact of illegal aliens upon major cities. A case in point: 95 percent of all outstanding warrants for homicide (up to 1,500 warrants) are attributed to illegal aliens in Los Angeles. In addition, about 65 percent of all fugitive felony warrants are for illegal aliens—that is over 11,000 of the outstanding 17,000 warrants!

In spite of such statistics, the Los Angeles sanctuary law “Special Order 40” prohibits police from seeking to discover the alien status of anyone. Only after filing criminal charges are the police even allowed to ask about one’s status. Even then, the police are prohibited from notifying the INS. This impassible barrier between local law enforcement and any immigration authorities creates a de facto safe haven for such criminals (Ibid.).

The Mexican mafia and other organized crime rings from Central and South America flourish under this sanctuary umbrella. Yet, the previously established population of legal immigrants from the same countries have been victimized by their illegal counterparts, as much as any other population segment. Many of these have been successful business owners. These independent-minded, self-supporting immigrants are ignored by big-city, liberal politicians who much prefer people who vote in blocs, dependant on government and ever-willing to trade votes for favors.

So scarce are the resources of the INS, that a three-pronged strategy had been adopted in deciding where to direct their limited capability to intercept only the most desperate alien criminals: “Criminal aliens also interpret the triage as indifference. John Mullaly, a former NYPD homicide detective, estimates that 70 percent of the drug dealers and other criminals in Manhattan’s Washington Heights were illegal. Were Mullaly to threaten an illegal-alien thug in custody that his next stop would be El Salvador unless he cooperated, the criminal would just laugh, knowing that the INS would never show up. The message could not be clearer: This is a culture that can’t enforce its most basic law of entry. If policing’s broken-windows theory is correct, the failure to enforce one set of rules breeds overall contempt for the law” (Ibid.).

An interesting example is the status of the INS in New York City where 15 officers in the early 1990s were in charge of the deportation of 85,000 illegal aliens: “The agency’s actual response to final orders of removal [deportation] was what is known as a ‘run letter’—a notice asking the deportable alien kindly to show up in a month or two to be deported, when the agency might be able to process him. Results: in 2001, 87 percent of deportable aliens who received run letters disappeared, a number that was even higher—94 percent—if they were from terror-sponsoring countries” (Ibid.).

It is known that well over 100,000 illegal aliens from the Middle East currently reside in the U.S. Immigration specialists insist that the illegal alien issue has to be addressed objectively across the board without favoring any one culture while scrutinizing for potential terrorists. One spokesman for a Washington-based think tank on immigration stated this so succinctly and simply: “We can’t protect ourselves from terrorism without dealing with illegal immigration” (Steven A. Camarota, Director of Research, The Center for Immigrations Studies).

Lawyers and Laborers

Another complicating factor is the immigration bar association, whose interest is not necessarily in sync with the public. The goal of these attorneys has been to establish as many due-process channels as possible for criminal aliens fighting deportation. They have won a substantial set of due-process rights in order to keep criminal aliens in the country indefinitely. As the saying goes among criminal aliens, “A regular immigration attorney can keep you in the country for three years, a high-priced one for ten [years].” When immigration officials do manage to deport a criminal alien, the reality, says a former federal gang prosecutor, is that “they all come back” (“The Illegal Alien Crime Wave,” City Journal, Winter 2004, MacDonald).

Day laborers, who theoretically constitute the majority of illegals, have little fear of being apprehended. Many express no anxiety of even being questioned about their illegal status: “‘There is no chance of getting caught,’ cheerfully explained Rafael, an Ecuadorian. Like the dozen Ecuadorians and Mexicans on his particular corner, Rafael is hoping that an SUV seeking carpenters for $100 a day will show up soon. ‘We don’t worry, because we’re not doing anything wrong. I know it’s illegal; I need the papers, but here, nobody asks you for papers’” (Ibid.).

One irony concerning migrant laborers and farm workers is that their services are depended upon by many sectors of the economy. The nature of the work often involves vigorous labor, which many American citizens shun. The work ethic of the more recent generations of Americans is sadly lacking, while the migrant workers are conditioned to hard labor as a means of survival!

Border Patrol Vs. the Lure of Benefits

Besides taking positive steps to help restore some capability to the INS, the Bush administration has also doubled the size of its border patrol. Yet, better patrol of the Mexican border amounts to little more than an inconvenience to those determined to pass through. The odds are decidedly in favor of the illegal aliens who decide to come north. When only five officers try to apprehend twenty aliens, only five are usually apprehended. Of course, they are soon freed to try again. They eventually succeed. Professional border crossers (known as “coyotes”), who sneak their clients across the border for a fee, are quite successful at their business. The higher their fee, the better the chances of safe passage and remaining undetected.

But even increased border patrols have not addressed the primary appeal to illegal aliens—jobs. According to the Associated Press, in 2001, only 124 agents were used across the entire nation to prosecute hundreds of thousands of employers who hired millions of illegals. These employers simply disregard law. Even worse, the federal and local governments have not adequately enforced immigration laws.

Incentives for illegals to come to America are quite appealing: “Everywhere, illegal aliens receive free public education and free medical care at taxpayer expense; 13 states offer them drivers licenses. States everywhere have been pushed to grant illegal aliens college scholarships and reduced in-state tuition. One hundred banks, over 800 law-enforcement agencies, and dozens of cities accept an identification card created by Mexico to credentialize illegal Mexican aliens in the U.S. The Bush administration has given its blessing to this matricula consular card, over the strong protest of the FBI, which warns that the gaping security loopholes that the card creates makes it a boon to money launderers, immigrant smugglers, and terrorists. Border authorities have already caught an Iranian man sneaking across the border this year, Mexican matricula card in hand” (Ibid.).

Some insist that the solution is an impenetrable militarized border. Yet, as long as the job magnet, combined with government benefits, continues to remain, migrant workers and criminals will find a way to reach them. The problems reside at all levels of government. The liberal mindset that elevates inclusiveness and tolerance would have to be recognized as impractical and utterly unworkable! Amnesty for all illegal aliens has never been the answer. It must be recognized that the real solution is unattainable in this age, given the reluctance of public officials to take any measures that could generate protest.

As the floodgates remain open, the flow continues to build momentum. At the current rate of illegal immigration, the Hispanic population in the U.S. will surpass the number of white Americans by the year 2050. The Hispanic population has already surpassed the black population, which, until the late 1990s, was the largest minority group in the U.S.

The liberal mentality, which has tended to dominate the political landscape for the past few decades, fails to make the connection between cause and effect—especially while cashing in on the windfall of political opportunity. Having capitalized on the Hispanic vote for nearly two decades, they have been content to tolerate some of the social turbulence that has accompanied this influx of immigrants. However, at this point, any attempt to “put the genie back in the bottle” would certainly prove futile.

The Rule of Law: Upheld or Ignored?

If government leaders have no respect for law, how can the citizens be expected to have higher standards? The first impression that immigrants are given about U.S. laws is that the authorities do not enforce them! This mindset has existed for nearly two decades, and few have the courage to acknowledge that our politically correct course is a recipe for escalating crime, lawlessness and terrorism!

Under the direction of mankind, government is fast approaching a critical threshold. The immigration policies of the U.S. are quite similar to that of other western nations, especially the English-speaking nations who have been recipients of the birthright of Israel. Biblical prophecies were written millennia ago concerning the fate of the nations of modern Israel. God charged the inheritors of this birthright, “If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase…” (Lev. 26:3-4). God later stated, “But if you will not hearken unto Me, and will not do all these commandments…” (vs. 14), showing a series of curses that will beset these peoples for disobedience, stating, “And I will break the pride of your power…” (vs. 19).

When the leaders of any nation are afraid to enforce its laws, the pride of that nation’s power is close to being broken. Not only do modern politicians reject the laws of God, they also appear to reject any law, viewing it as a restriction to freedom. God also shows further curses for disobedience to His laws, eventually leading to the military invasion and slavery of modern-day nations descended from ancient Israel. Notice: “You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities” (Amos 3:2). This is followed by another amazing passage: “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but [until] He reveals His secret unto His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

During the millennium, God’s laws will be held in great esteem by the people dwelling on earth. Israel will be an instrument used by God in serving all mankind. Only then, under the government of God, will the many social fiascoes of man be corrected. No one will seek to return to this time of chaos and confusion, but will rejoice in the way of life that is far more fulfilling.

How wonderful and exciting that the dawn of this new age of harmonious abundance is only a short time away!