Month: March 2006

A Profound Sense of Unease

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Jonathan has a thoughtful post about the problems that should be discussed in the immigration debate. It is worth your time to read the whole thing. However, I’d like to discuss the 2nd paragraph.

“You also have to add likely enforcement costs into the equation. These include grand abuses of civil liberties, national ID cards (which will be completely ineffective for their ostensible purpose), rampant criminal extortion of employers, etc. How does anyone propose to track down all of those illegals — house-to-house searches?”

Any discussion of enforcement must, by necessity, take in to account the application of force. This is an issue that everyone seems to be ignoring, willfully or otherwise. The reason why is probably because our border guards are already outgunned and certain to lose if there is a confrontation.

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Illegal Immigration: What To Do?

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I think Jim Bennett is on the right track. Most of his commenters are engaging in wishful thinking to think that mass-deportation and sanctions on employers would be effective. I think the fence advocates are a bit wishful, or at least overly optimistic, themselves. If we seal the southern border, and I’ll believe it when I see it, illegals will enter by sea or through Canada. For what some of them are probably paying smugglers now it would be cost-effective to do so.

You also have to add likely enforcement costs into the equation. These include grand abuses of civil liberties, national ID cards (which will be completely ineffective for their ostensible purpose), rampant criminal extortion of employers, etc. How does anyone propose to track down all of those illegals — house-to-house searches? I think deportation is a non-starter. And employer sanctions have failed completely since 1986.

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Guillermo Fariñas

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Speaking of free speech, Cuban journalist Guillermo Fariñas is on a hunger strike. The proximate cause is denial of Internet access, but the real cause is the beastly repressiveness of the Cuban regime. Worldwide publicity about the plight of Mr. Fariñas — and there are many others like him — is the best response. Tyrants, like vampires, fear light.

More: Here