In the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s, many immigrants came to America from Europe looking for a better life than the life they were living in their home country. Once here, they willingly stood in long lines at Ellis Island in New York while being documented as they entered. They knew that in making this commitment to come to America, they were pledging to uphold the laws of the United States, they were pledging to learn the language of their new home and they were pledging to support their new country as their own. They came here filled with a pride so overwhelming that, once ashore, many would actually get down on their hands and knees, thank God, and kiss the ground of their new home.

As immigrants, they arrived with a great optimism for their future and a great hope of giving their children a new and better life. Once here, they did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into their new culture. They knew it would not be easy and all they wanted was an opportunity to utilize their skills to make a better life for themselves and their families. They wanted an chance to succeed and knew that America would provide them with the opportunity. These proud immigrants were thankful to be here and had hope that they too could achieve the American Dream.

Sadly, the American dream of immigration has now turned into more of an American nightmare than a dream. We are now dealing with a new kind of immigrant. We are now dealing with immigrants who are not really immigrants at all, but illegal aliens. We are now dealing with immigrants who have no respect for our laws, rules or customs. We are now dealing with immigrants who expect to be treated as American citizens, rather than someone who broke our laws by entering this country illegally.

Strangely, some come here with nothing and expect to be welcomed; some come here homeless and expect to be sheltered; some come here hungry and expect to be fed; some come here naked and expect to be clothed; some come here sick and expect medical care; and then when they are here and get caught, they expect to stay. That is not fair to those who have come to this country legally and it is not fair to expect Americans to support them through the taxes we pay.

This is not to say that most of the people who enter this country illegally are not, for the most part, good hard working people because they probably are. What it means is that if you enter this country illegally, then you are not really an immigrant at all. It means if you entered this country illegally, you are not entitled to benefits that American citizens are entitled to. It means if you entered this country illegally, you will be arrested and sent back to your home country when caught. It means if you want to come to America then you should come here legally.

To make the illegal immigration crisis even worse, we now have a President, a Democratic Congress and an administration that will do nothing about this problem because they see illegal aliens as a potential voter base for the Democratic Party. Under this administration, we have a Federal Government that lacks the fortitude, integrity and will to enforce its own immigration laws, which is why Arizona felt obligated to pass its own law in order to protect its citizens. The entire Obama administration, along with the people who have entered this country illegally, are not only making a mockery of our laws and our entire immigration system, they are making a mockery of every single immigrant who ever entered this country legally, including those that arrived on Ellis Island all those years ago.

Contrary to what liberals and this administration would have you believe; this is not a racial issue, but a legal issue. The immigration laws in this country were enacted for a reason. The lack of security of our southern borders makes it too easy for criminals to enter this country; it makes it too easy for terrorists to enter this country; and it makes it too easy for those who deal in the drug and human trafficking trade to smuggle people and drugs into this country. This is a dangerous situation and must be stopped. It is the responsibility of our Federal government to do something about this problem and if it refuses to do so, then it is the responsibility of each individual State to act, which is why the majority of Americans support the Arizona immigration law.

Understandably, many Hispanics coming into this country illegally along our southern borders are coming here out of desperation because of the poor economic conditions in their own country. This does not make it right and it would not be tolerated by their government if the situation were reversed. It is unfair to expect Americans to carry this financial burden and it is unfair for the Federal government to ignore this problem. The government is supposed to listen to the will of the people, not the other way around. America is supposed to be a government of the people, by the people and for the people; not a people of the government, by the government and for the government.

America is a land made up of immigrants from around the world. Immigrants have always been, and will always be, welcome in America. The only thing Americans ask in return is for immigrants to come here legally, abide by our laws, abide by our customs and speak our language. I don't believe this is asking too much and expecting it does not make you a racist, it makes you a concerned citizen.