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Here of late there’s been talk of what the US should do with the influx of illegal immigrants. Yes, Congress came to an agreement on who stays and who goes. However, it’s like putting a Band Aid on a gaping wound. Will we ever fix the immigration problem? Probably not any time soon, but think of it this way. The immigration in this country stretches back for hundreds of years.

Why the first documented illegal immigrants to North America starting in the 1500s with the discovery of Mexico. Just think that if the Aztecs had immigration laws, they could have told the Spanish they weren’t welcome there. Of course, this might have done them any good as the Conquistadores were prepared to take the New World by force if necessary.

However, if the Spanish had been turned away, there wouldn’t be any Mexicans to work low-paying, low-skilled jobs. There would be no one to clean your house, cook your dinner, or cut your grass. Hell, I wouldn’t be sitting here late at night typing this blog if that were the case. My ancestors were colonists who were here before the US pushed the border to the Rio Grande. So if any of you bastards wanna tell me to go back to Mexico, I’ll tell you to go back to Europe.

About a hundred years after the Spanish landed, a group of Puritans skipped the island of England and sought out religious freedom. They landed on the east coast of the United States and gave us the foundation for this country. However, if the Native Americans had stopped them and told them to go back, there’s no telling what punishment the Puritans would have faced had they been forced back to England.

So, if it were not for the first wave of illegal immigrants, none of us would be here. And for the continuing wave of immigrants who enter the country illegally every day, this country could not sustain itself. Cheap foreign labor helps keep the cost of living low. If Americans could do the work many illegals are doing for what they’re getting paid, then things might be different.

The biggest issue with immigration is not the immigrants, but the people who need them. In order to keep a low overhead, produce growers and home builders rely on inexpensive foreign workers as a source of their labor. On the flip side, if Americans did the same job, they would naturally be expected to get paid higher wages plus benefits. If this were to happen, home builders and produce growers would be in the same predicament that the nation’s auto makers are in today.

What’s more, many business owners who contribute to candidate campaigns expect to get something in return. For many years, laws on the books clearly state that if an undocumented worker is caught working illegally in the United States, they can be deported, and the business owner would face some legal troubles of their own. The thing is, many politicians have turned a blind eye to the law so that their contributors, not their constituents, are placated.

The nation’s forefathers had the foresight to see a little bit into the future, and set down the foundation for our laws today. The one thing they didn’t take into consideration is the influx of immigrants. Yes, I understand that Achmed or Mohammed could sneak across the border undetected, but they may have already done so, and we never noticed. And the reason for that is because the people at the top fell asleep on the job.

Now, we’re faced with a dilemma. Send everyone back who’s here illegally, or let them stay. Unfortunately, Congress has allowed those who’ve been here longer to stay, and it’s unfair to those who’re here legally. While I don’t think we should necessarily ship them back across the border, the problem should have been addressed sooner. The only reason anyone noticed the immigration problem is because a group of zealous Muslims mercilessly attacked us on our home terrain.

Think of it this way. What if the US were a third-world country with little or no economy? What would we do? Most likely, we’d do just like our ancestors and seek out a better life in some far off country. The United States would be the land of opportunity that it is today if it had not been for illegal immigrants. Eastern Texas would have never been settled if it hadn’t been for white settlers sneaking across the border to escape their problems in the US.

So, the next time you vent your frustrations about immigration, think of this. You would not be here if someone back in your family tree had not immigrated somewhere illegally.