Enforcement Only?

Critics are calling the last-minute border fence bill passed by Congress an "enforcement only" measure. With the problem continuing and a recess looming, however, lawmakers couldn't reach a compromise on the other elements of legislation, so rather than do nothing they went with "enforcement first". Good.

Precisely what else do opponents of the bill want? At a border that no one is supposed to cross except at controlled points, what's so bad about a fence? This isn't the Berlin Wall, dividing a long-unified city; it's more like the giant concrete barrier set up by Saudi Arabia to stop weapon-smuggling-homing-mules. Yeah. All legitimate trade can continue, and honest people won't be affected (except in positive ways for farmers near the border).

Immigration is one of the best things about America, and I think we need more of it. But that should come through a liberalization of laws, not through breaking them. And it should be equally applied to all in the world who have the American Dream: Africans, Asians, and Europeans who want to build a better life shouldn't be held at a disadvantage. In the long run, this is good for Mexican-Americans and other latino immigrants: if they are the only poor immigrants (as opposed to the scientists and engineers coming from India and China), they will find themselves as a distinct underclass facing an ugly glass ceiling. But by accepting the tired and poor from all nations, the U.S. will continue to stir the melting pot and allow second and third generations to be Americans, no hyphen necessary.