Our View: Acts to curb illegal aliens aren’t racism

Talk about it

Is it racist to simply want federal laws enacted properly and in accordance with their original intent?

Ask the folks down in Fremont, Neb., who on Monday went to the polls to decide whether or not to ban the hiring of illegal immigrants or to rent property to illegals. As of the writing of this piece, we did not know the outcome of the vote, which was controversial and causing no little discomfort among the people of Fremont, located in eastern Nebraska.

Certainly, the proposed law in Fremont is not a standing federal law. But it is just one more reactionary measure proposed or created out of frustration with the federal government for not enforcing its own existing immigration laws.

In Fremont, residents there have noted a surge in the Hispanic population, largely recruited to work for packing plants located in the city. Residents fear jobs are going to illegal immigrants who could drain community resources.

In Arizona, a new law enacted this year intends to crack down on illegal immigrants in that state. The law allows law enforcement officers to check the paperwork of people, provided there is a “reasonable suspicion” they are in the United States illegally.

The Arizona law has been met with much controversy and some have called for boycotts of that state and its resources — even its professional sports teams.

Meanwhile, as protesters spend their days picketing and boycotting this or that, illegal immigration continues to be a big problem in America, where 10 million to 20 million people live illegally.

Some say those illegal residents fill a void, working jobs that otherwise would go unfilled. They work cheap, too.

We argue that illegal residents can cause spikes in crime and create financial hardships on public entities, especially in the form of indigent medical funds.

Plus, unemployment is high in the United States. Jobs should not be going to people who are living here illegally.

We do not feel the residents of Fremont, Neb., and the state of Arizona are racist. They are simply coming up with their own methods to curb a rise in foreigners living and working illegally in our country.

People of all colors, nationality and religious background are welcome to live and work here in the United States, in South Dakota and in Mitchell.

Is it too much to ask, though, that they be here legally, and in accordance with the laws set by the federal government?

Tags: our view, opinion