Immigrants

As one who came to America from a socialist country at the age of 18, I find it terrifying that elected officials would challenge the legitimacy of rights granted by our Constitution. When I moved here those many years ago, I was promised my freedom by a Bill of Rights unlike any document ever written previously. It was a liberating experience. Yet today, I once again feel threatened and intimidated by my government. I implore our elected officials to put emotion aside and ponder the consequences of restricting people's right to own guns.

I was born in 1946, just when the boomer wave began. Bill Clinton was born that year, too. So was George W. Bush, as was Laura Bush. And then the next year, Hillary Rodham. And soon Newt Gingrich (known as "Newty" as a boy). And, also in 1946, Cher. (Every time I begin feeling old, I remind myself she's slightly older.) Why did so many of us begin coming into the world in 1946? Demographers have given this a great deal of attention, but it's not that complicated. My father, for example, was in World War II -- as were the fathers of many other early boomers.

Any plan that provides a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants will not be complete unless it includes a repayment plan for all the benefits provided to them by American taxpayers ("Migrant worker plan in works," Feb. 22). This includes food stamps, Medicaid and especially our public school systems. Maryland spends an average of $11,000 per pupil per school year, which is funded by taxpayers whether or not they have children. The only group in America that is exempt from contributing to school funding is illegal immigrants.

Congressional leaders have done very little in the past 70 years to prevent illegal entrance via the United States' southern border. The rationale is fairly simple: Documented or undocumented individuals provide cheap labor for businesses both large and small. The Reagan administration's amnesty plan failed mainly because of the open border that allows easy access to anyone who was willing to work for minimum wages. Perhaps one of the biggest legislative mistakes was to give citizenship to any child born in the United States, whether or not a parent was a citizen.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security now incarcerates, via immigration detention, more people per year than any other state or federal agency. In 2012, the DHS detained over 429,000 noncitizens awaiting immigration hearings or deportation, at a $2 billion cost to taxpayers. Yet the DHS' new risk assessment technology, which comprehensively and individually assesses immigrant detainees and collects valuable data, makes it possible for Congress to improve detention practices while reforming broader U.S. immigration laws.

Last week's column chronicled a dire set of circumstances regarding our economy and culture at the onset of Obama II. This status quo is complicated by an aggressive liberal establishment attempting to take advantage of the president's post-election momentum and an always compliant mainstream media. And then there's the necessity of offering an inviting conservative message, attractive to the all-important swing voter - a vital constituency that supported the president by a significant margin in 2012.

I realize the point of your recent article on the Michelangelo's pizza shop in Towson was to demonstrate the effect of the Super Bowl on local businesses ("Pizzerias expect a boost from Super Bowl watchers," Feb. 3). However, it also illustrated another important story: How an immigrant in our wonderful country can play by the rules and become a success. Shop owner Khawar Ghafoor has worked hard and done all the right things to become a true asset to the U.S. He could have sneaked in and sponged off the system like so many others, but he didn't.

President Obama no longer has to worry about re-election, so now he is free to pursue his so-called "comprehensive immigration reform" - in other words, amnesty for illegal immigrants ("Granting legal status for undocumented immigrants will increase competition in workforce," Jan. 29). Congress must stop any proposal by this administration to give amnesty to illegal immigrants. It must not ignore the plight of the American worker, and we should beware of the administration's lame excuses for rewarding illegal immigrants with American jobs.

Immigration reform advocates, including a leading voice from Maryland, pressed President Obama on Tuesday for a pathway to citizenship for the nation's estimated 11 million illegal immigrants, calling a bipartisan proposal under consideration in the U.S. Senate "unfair and not acceptable. " A group of eight senators -- including four Republicans and four Democrats -- unveiled the broad outlines of a plan last month that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain permanent residency and eventual citizenship only after tougher border restrictions are in place, a requirement for many Republicans.

Since the beginning of the republic, there has been a dynamic tension between constantly expanding diversity driven by immigration and the relentless homogenizing force of common American culture. And there's nothing like a long drive on an interstate highway to remind a person of that reality. Last week, I traveled 600 miles on I-5 cutting through the center of California, from Redding to Los Angeles. The force of homogenization was apparent at every major exit and interchange. I was hungry, but I was hoping to find something beyond McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, Wendy's, Arby's or Taco Bell.