Illegal Immigrants: No Round-up Needed Mr. O'Reilly -- They'll Leave On Their Own

“What do you plan to do – ,” asked a recent caller to a Boston radio station. “Round up twelve million illegal immigrants and deport them? It cannot be done!” This sentiment was echoed by substitute radio talk host Emily Rooney on the Jay Severin show.

That same evening, Bill O’Reilly stated the same ridiculous proposition, and remarked that the US had rounded up some 222,000 or so, illegal immigrants this past year. At that rate, he speculated, it would take something like sixty years to deport them all.

You would think that these pundits were talking about canned peas on shelves – not about the ‘people’ equipped with legs.

For those not following this train of thought, I should point out that besides not having legs, there are other differences between canned peas and people.

Canned goods are not effected by outside stimuli unless it’s a can opener. Even then, with a can opener sitting next to it, a can of peas cannot run away. It doesn’t have a concept of self-interest.

A can of peas cannot warn a can of corn, “Watch out, the feds have can openers. They are coming for us – you’d better roll away while there’s still time!”

People, on the other hand, do respond to stimuli. And the first reaction people have to a threat is to guarantee their own self-preservation. We do that through two well-known mechanisms: Fight or Flight. A third mechanism of response to a threat is “Mending our ways.”

Anyway, that brings us to my point for today.

I agree that we probably couldn’t round up all the illegal immigrants. So, I’ll agree that it cannot be done.

However – it does not have to be done. We already know enough about human nature and law enforcement in this country to get them to leave on their own.

First Example:

In the 1960’s and early 70’s, it was not uncommon for kids to smoke marijuana openly on campuses. They would even light a joint with television cameras filming their faces.

Millions upon millions of young people smoked dope at concerts, at protests, in dormitories and on the sidewalk.

“What are you gonna do?” they would taunt the cops. “Arrest us all? You can’t do it!!! We’ll fill the jails to overflowing!!! Ha!!” And guess what? The kids were right. Trying to arrest everyone was impossible.

Hmmmm…’you cannot arrest us all.’ Sounds a bit familiar, doesn’t it?

Anyway, the situation was a law enforcement nightmare. Then ‘Someone’ came up with an idea. Mr. Someone said, “How about we stiffen the drug law penalties and enforce the ones we have? Let’s go after individuals and ignore the thousands at concerts and protests.”

The nation was in awe. Mr. Someone was suddenly a national genius. “Gee,” said the nation, “you mean put some of these people in jail and do it through high-profile court cases?”

“Yes,” said Mr. Someone, “that’s what I mean.”

For those oldsters who smoked too much dope back then and have a cloudy memory of the era, let me remind you of a few facts.

To defy the federal and state laws, there were several cities and towns which were homes to college campuses, that passed laws making public use of marijuana the equivalent of a five dollar parking ticket.

Police in those towns were instructed not to prosecute marijuana cases. The laws were openly flouted. In essence, those college towns declared themselves to be ‘sanctuary cities’ when it came to marijuana law enforcement.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Gradually the society decided that this was not a good idea.

Open disregard for the marijuana laws was not a good idea for two reasons. One of the reasons was stupid. The second reason was valid.

The stupid reason: “Marijuana is dangerous.”

There are many facts that made this a stupid reason. But this article is not about stupid laws – it’s about the stupid people making stupid policy. So – we’ll skip all the myths and lies about marijuana that were used to support the relevant drug laws.

Now the ‘good reason’ that the open violation of marijuana laws was not a bad thing:

“We are a nation of laws. If you flout one law – you may as well openly flout the others. And if that’s allowed – we’re going to end up in legal and cultural hell.”

The public use of marijuana was demoralizing to a society built on a foundation of laws. It created tremendous disrespect for police and for the government. Worse: It created disrespect for law -- and ‘law’ is the very foundation of our country and our culture. Worst of all: The disrespect for law was among the youth of the nation and that was a very poor introduction to adulthood.

So, law enforcement gave up on the crowds which were openly smoking dope. Arrests in those situations led to riots.

Instead, they targeted individuals. With stronger penalties in place, the cops started to target individuals and to make examples of them.

The results have been startling to this aged writer.

In 1970, I was a student at the University of New Hampshire in the bucolic little town of Durham.

No one could take a Saturday stroll down Main Street in that little town without passing students openly smoking joints. They’d openly offer a ‘hit’ to a passer-by if he or she seemed friendly.

That doesn’t happen in downtown Durham today.

Another example: In the late 90’s, I spent two years working in Hollywood. I worked with production crews and actors. I worked as an ‘extra’ on television and film productions.

On one occasion I was working as an extra on an Adam Sandler ‘bomb’ called “Little Nicky.” For three nights, from midnight until five a.m., some one thousand young people – all paid extras – filled a field near the Santa Anita Raceway. Since this was a full blown Hollywood film, there was little of what we would call ‘adult supervision.’

On the second evening someone in the crowd lit a joint. He passed it to the person next to him.

The result was one I had never seen when I was the age of the young people standing before me.

Shouting erupted. Virtually everyone within ‘whiffing’ and viewing distance of the joint started condemning the smokers. “Put that thing out goddammit!!! You wanna get us all in trouble? What the hell are you doing?” You’ll get us arrested!!!” The admonitions came fast and furious. Despite the fact that there were well over a thousand young people in the ‘extras group’ – and despite the fact that you’d need a helicopter and a floodlight to find a policeman – the kids who were shouting were doing so because they were afraid of being arrested!!

And note: Virtually all these ‘extras’ were aspiring actors! Yes! Bohemian types! Descendants of hippies! Yet, they were behaving as if they were the new members of the Carrie Nation ‘Nation.’

Thirty years ago these extras would have been begging to share the joint. Now they collaborated to destroy it.

And why? They DID NOT WANT TO GET ARRESTED!!!

The ‘complainers’ succeeded. The pot smokers – before my very eyes – put out the joint.

That was one of two times during my two years in Hollywood that I even smelled pot. The second time was at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. There, I caught a whiff, but I couldn’t tell who had the pot. It might have come from a passing car for all I know. But it was gone, carried away on a breeze in a matter of seconds.

Again – it is tough for young people today to imagine just how widespread and public was the use of pot in this country just thirty years ago.

And, for me – it’s tough to believe just how effective efforts to enforce the law, coupled with government advertising campaigns have been in virtually eradicating the rampant public use of the drug.

But, believe it I must. I’ve seen the result.

Law enforcement had smartened up. They stopped thinking about the ‘millions’ of pot smokers and just started picking off individuals.

It reminded me of advice I first got years ago when I was a substitute teacher. [This was in the days before there were actual school shootings.] “Jim, if you want to gain control of a classroom – just pick a kid and shoot him – the others will fall in line.”

Metaphorically speaking, that is what happened with the marijuana violators.

I know a retired college professor whose hey-day was the 60’s and early 70’s. He tells young people two things about marijuana: First, it is not dangerous. Second: you’re crazy if you use it because the penalties are too severe. This professor used to ‘grow his own’ and cultivate it.

Today? He doesn’t allow marijuana anywhere near himself for fear of legal repercussions.

Second Example:

We live in a country where taxes are paid based, for the most part, on an honor system. Don’t laugh – it’s true.

Despite the fact that we know that the government couldn’t possibly audit and/or prosecute all tax evaders, most of us who are self-employed keep track of our income and expenses and we tell the government that our calculations are honest and correct.

In this way, the United States of America pays its bills.

Some pay taxes because ‘it is the right thing to do’ -- others do it out of fear.

Since the ‘former’ are paying in order to save their souls, the latter are targeted by an IRS fear campaign. Every year during tax season, the IRS tries to announce indictments of high profile for tax evasion.

Some years ago the IRS prosecution of millionaire real estate mogul Leona Helmsley resulted in her picture on the front page of national magazines. She also ended up in jail for tax evasion.

Most recently we have seen Wesley Snipes appearing in court to explain why he hasn’t paid several million in income taxes.

The message from the IRS is the same as the one I received as a substitute teacher: “Shoot one – the rest will fall in line.”

Despite the common sense knowledge that the risks of an audit are low and the risk of prosecution even lower – the bulk of the American public coughs up its tax returns and makes payments every single year.

Why? They know that though the risk is low – the penalties are very large. And, whether they do it out of respect for law or fear of prosecution, they still do it and they keep the country afloat.

Today we have seen what happens when even the mildest effort is made to punish illegal aliens.

Some towns have made it illegal to rent an apartment to illegals and/or to employ them.

The result? Thousands of illegals have moved away from those towns. Entire apartment buildings have been emptied.

If the federal government made it clear that any illegal alien who is caught will be prosecuted and/or deported, the effect would be the same as with the drug laws and tax laws.

Even though the statistical risk of prosecution would be small, the threat of it would have tremendous consequences.

If every illegal family knew that mom or dad may not come home that night – and in fact – may find himself or herself thousands of miles away within twenty-four hours, the risks for most families would become unbearable.

It is the ‘lightning principle.” Even though we all know that the risks of being struck by lightning are very low – virtually everyone tries to stay inside and avoid open areas during a thunder and lightning storm. Even though the risk is low, the ‘punishment’ for screwing up is death by electrocution.

Even though only one illegal immigrant parent may be arrested and fail to come home during a given day – all illegal families will know that all illegal families are at risk.

Strict enforcement coupled with judgmental public service announcements would have an even greater effect.

Imagine an advertisement that went something like this:

“John and Mary came to America illegally from China. They did so to improve their family’s life. After they arrived, they had two children. John and Mary were arrested and deported on May first of this year. Their children – who are
American citizens – are now living in foster care. John and Mary came here, they say, to improve their family’s life. Now their children live on one continent and they are on another. John and Mary took a terrible gamble with their
family's life and lost. Now their actions and decisions have resulted in tearing apart the family whose life they sought to improve.

“It isn’t worth it,” said John in an interview. “Now my kids don’t have a father or a mother – AND IT’S ALL MY FAULT! Don’t make the mistake I did. Please, protect your family. If you want to come to America – a land that is great due to the rule of law – then start by obeying the first law you encounter: Obey the immigration laws. Apply for a visa.

[One is almost tempted to use a tragic-comic phrase as a tag line: "Like the advertisement says: “The Visa Card – don’t leave home without it. I did, and now my kids are paying the price.”]

Certainly public service adverstiting would re-frame the issue. It would squarely blame the parties who should be blamed for the splitting of families: the parents in those very families.

Such advertising would make illegal immigration the virtual
equivalent of child abuse. And, considering the risks to a family, that’s just what it is: child abuse.

As with the drug and anti-smoking advertising – it would take a while to sink in. But – eventually – the issue would be re-framed correctly.

Such public pressure would counter the effect of morons like Senator Kennedy who actually offer help to illegal immigrants. By mass media advertising we will show a national collective will and purpose that is lacking in media coverage today.

In America there always will be people who, with criminal intent, violate both our drug laws and our tax laws. Most people, however, are not of a criminal bent. Those latter people take the threat of law enforcement seriously and avoid tangling with drug or tax authorities.

I dare say that most illegal immigrants are also not of a criminal bent. Most, I would estimate, are not hard core felons and they do not have the stomach to have their families torn apart nor to have to serve jail time.

When the message gets through to the illegal immigrants that the risks far outweigh the benefits there will be little need to ‘round up twelve or twenty million people.’

Why?

Because most will go home rather than accept the responsibility for, and risk of tearing their families apart by their own hand.

There they will start the immigration process through which millions of law-abiding, full-fledged Americans have gone already.

When they have completed that process, we will welcome them as we ourselves were welcomed – as fellow ‘Americans’ worthy of the name.