The Immigration Debate

An article caught my eye today on CBC.ca 

“Politician Likens Illegal Immigrants to Feral Hogs”

Representative Virgil Peck said Tuesday that his remarks during a Monday meeting of the house appropriations committee were "regrettable." The committee was debating whether to try to control the wild hog population by using gunmen in helicopters. Peck said, "if shooting these immigrating feral hogs works, maybe we have found a solution to our illegal immigration problem." The remark drew gasps from the audience and other legislators. Peck later said he was joking and told the Lawrence Journal-World after the hearing that his constituents are upset with illegal immigration.

This is something I think about a lot as a Canadian watching the ‘Immigrant Debate’ in the U.S. I was there last year when Arizona enacted their immigration bill and I remember being incredulous, and disgusted, and saddened. And embarrassed! The entire community that we stay in is maintained, cultivated, and kept absolutely spotless and beautiful by the Mexicans who work there. They are quick, and efficient, and friendly. And just like anybody else, want a good life for themselves and their family. They don’t even presume to expect an honest wage for an honest day’s work. My heart went out to them. And let’s just get this straight before we move on – they are not stealing American jobs. They don’t sneak across the border and become teachers or dental hygenists. They are doing the jobs that nobody else wants to do.


When have Americans gotten it in their heads that only Americans can pursue the American dream? The words on their beloved Statue of Liberty read:  

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door"

When did this become no longer true? The population is made up of the children and grand-children and great-great-grand-children of immigrants. When was it decided that the country now belongs to them alone and they to get to prevent other immigrants and refugees from “taking over the country”???


But the most ridiculous thing is this fence. The  $49 BILLION fence that stretches a whole 700 miles (out of a 1,969 mile-long border). If a person really wants to cross the border to pursue a better life for themselves or their family, they are going to cross the border, half-ass fence in the way or not.


My thinking is, why not spend that $49 billion on immigration, integration, or citizenship programs? Now, Lizzie, you say, you live in Canada not the U.S. This is not our problem. But the problem is, I hear the same kind of ignorant and bigoted thinking coming out of mouths of CANADIANS!! And we need to nip that in the bud right now. People say they will take our jobs and take our space (take up housing/land, drain our resources etc). This kind of talk really should not be tossed around in Canada. Let’s put this into perspective. Canada is what – the 2^nd largest country in the world? 30 million people live in Canada. 30 million people live in just New York City alone. I think we have the space/resources to help a neighbour out.


I realize this was a really long post and I apologize. But the ‘Immigrant Debate’ really grinds my gears!