Illegal Immigration Column One

I must admit to being taken by Saturday's festivities surrounding coach Ron Prince and his K-State football team. It wasn't so much the 31,875 people who attended the game, I expected that. But by comparison, the paltry 15 or so who showed-up earlier in the week when U.S. Representative Jim Ryun visited Manhattan.

How is it that we put such high priority on sports but so little on politics?

Ryun was a guest of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce public affairs committee. He touched on a number of subjects including his view that federal budget "earmarks" are okay if disclosed and used for good purpose; that a presidential line item veto was probably not wise; and that a balanced budget amendment would be a good thing.

The question and answer session that followed, however, quickly turned to illegal immigration. A Manhattan businessman said he recently hired and trained immigrants only to later find they were not here legally. When he fired them they went to work for his competitor. To that, Ryun offered no solutions saying only that we are a nation of laws, and 12 million immigrants are here illegally.

Senator Pat Roberts has suggested in other forums that it might be better to fix our borders before dealing with the aliens already here. He believes sorting through both issues at the same time is a daunting task. As many Americans simply want to see the borders closed before addressing the broader issues. Roberts' point has merit.

In a related matter, I recently spoke to the K-State Republican Club, and a student mentioned that he came to KSU as a soldier from Ft. Riley. He's paying out-of-state tuition, because he has not lived in Kansas long enough to qualify for in-state rates. Isn't it absurd that we charge our soldiers higher tuition than children of undocumented workers? Goofy but fact: in-state illegal immigrant children enjoy higher status than out-of-state Ft. Riley soldiers when it comes to tuition costs at our state universities.

Illegal immigration is a problem we need to answer and pronto. It is a multi-billion dollar commercial issue with huge implications for agriculture, to say nothing for the ethical, moral and citizenship dilemma it poses. I'm sure our legislators Brownback, Roberts and Ryun would appreciate receiving your views on the matter. Isn't immigration at least as important as the spring game? Sure it is. Take a moment today and write them a note.

First published in the Manhattan Free Press, April 27, 2006.

Illegal Immigration Column Two

We walked down the LAX concourse Friday afternoon and the first new image for me - I've visited many times - was a welcome from Antonio R. Villaraigosa. I found later that he began his public life as a volunteer with farm workers, served as an organizer with the teachers union, and was president of both the ACLU and the American Federation of Government Employees before seeking elective office. The welcome attracted my attention because his Hispanic surname was followed by the title "Mayor of Los Angeles."

And so it was this past weekend in LA. We went for a family wedding, but left with a picture of the changing face of America and wondered what lies ahead.

Los Angeles County has almost 10 million citizens. Well actually, I'm not sure if that's citizens or residents, but whatever the case, about 5 million are Latinos according to the U.S. Census. Areas of the city I visited just 10 years earlier have changed completely taking-on a character closer to San Antonio, Texas than what I remembered as LA. And good old boys like me are now clearly in the minority.

Sunday morning's talking heads debated illegal immigration non-stop. The sheriff pleaded for blacks and Hispanics to stop warring. Conservative radio lamented the social and economic costs. Restaurants and shops were full of Spanish speaking folks buying and selling goods and services. It was clear LA's culture had changed dramatically.

Oh, I supposed it may be possible to roundup the 60 thousand or so illegal immigrants now living here in Kansas and send them home. But I'm telling you folks, there will be a civil war brewing if we try that in "The City of Angels." Think about it, there are almost twice as many Hispanics living in LA as the total population of Kansas. And remember, the mayor's name is not Rudy, it is Antonio.

Thankfully, Hispanics tend to have strong family ties. And they are not afraid of work. Those two characteristics are fundamental attributes in the American culture. But how we deal with 12 million illegal immigrants is indeed a daunting task.

In my view, we must somehow first close the borders before we can logically address how best to handle those already here. There is after all a question of American sovereignty. But closure cannot be our only policy debate. We must remember that although America is a nation of laws, we are also a nation of justice. So what is right in a just society? This is the seminal question before us. We face it as a nation of immigrants. And it is high time we get on to the answer.

First published in the Manhattan Free Press, May 26, 2006.