I had a great debate about the immigration issues with a friend today. He is knowledgeable about history and the law.
When I asked him about what we need to do as a country. He responded that we had to begin by being truthful about what the problems are?
He also said that we have to understand well the difference between policy and law, and we have to understand the law. He noted that when a President does not follow the law, it is a dictatorship, and fortunately in the past when a President has abused his power, the courts have held that President in check.
He noted that some support open borders, but noted that he, at this time, does not support this because he feels it would challenge stability at this time. So, as a supporter of immigration laws, he noted that, as a people, we have to understand the laws well, and mentioned that these are very complex laws. Immigration is a complex, worldwide issue, and if we are going to follow the law, we have to make sure that the laws represent what we believe and then uphold those laws.
He said, in many ways, current responses to immigrants are similar to what happened in the past, but clearly noted there were some differences too.
As my friend continued, he spoke of the historic roots of inequity and the ways that many countries contributed to the demise of other countries by exploiting their resources, people, and governments. This demise, in part, is one reason why people leave the countries of their birth. He noted the ancient Greek democracy that led with the notion that shared power leads to a shared economy. This kind of share leads to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." He further noted that our laws are what keep our country strong.
He cited that its often countries with abundant natural resources that have the luxury to elevate the standard of living within those countries.
He said that of course we are sympathetic with regard to all immigrants as it is a grave issue, but he mentioned that when we get mired in our sympathy rather than learning the law and working to uphold or change the laws, we do no one any service.
Further he wondered about how many of our privileged class support illegal immigration by paying illegals low wages, not following policy to give those illegal immigrants a greater chance to be part of the fabric of the United States as processes do exist to make this happen, and not upholding the laws. He noted that behaviors like this create a caste system--the kind of system that was left behind, in part, during the period of enlightenment.
This friend has been talking about these issues for years. He helped me to see clearly that some of the issues we are dealing with as a country and a people. As he noted, we are closely intertwined as a global society. It's imperative that we learn as much as we can and reason in order to uphold the laws or create new ones to forward the best that we can be for ourselves and each other.
He felt that Trump, at times, acts the way he does because he hasn't had the experience of working with so many principled people, people who stand up for what's right and good rather than what someone tells them to do or what is ego driven.
There's a lot to understand in our world today, and the only way we are going to reach any kind of understanding is to dig deep, read, learn, converse, and contribute.
I welcome your commentary, additions, and thoughts related to this discussion.