Illegal Immigration: a fact-based cost/benefit analysis

[fushigi]

Then too.. the entire argument is illogical.. like saying Al Capone helped the economy.. he generated $100 million/year for himself alone..

Wrong. He was a criminal. He acquired his money through criminal activities. Not all illegals are criminals. The overwhelming majority work in legal industries.

[Zeebadee]

There are many laws on the books that go unenforced because they're either inapplicable to the current situation ........

Gee, how exactly do you enforce a law when it's inapplicable??

[fushigi]

You don't. That's why it's not enforced. There's no need to enforce a law for something that doesn't ever occur.

[tinybear]

Wrong. He was a criminal. He acquired his money through criminal activities. Not all illegals are criminals. The overwhelming majority work in legal industries.

An illegal immigrant is, by definition, a criminal.

[tinybear]

If the statement that failing to enforce one section of the undermines the entire rule of law, then our lack of enforcement of sodomy laws does the same thing.
Its rare you hear someone clamoring for the enforcement of sodomy laws because they fear we're undermining the rule of law by not enforcing it.

It's not only the lack of enforcement of the law. It's also the blatant flouting of the law and the highly publicized neglect in the enforcement of the law which undermines the rule of law.

Show me one other country in the world which houses nearly 20 million illegal immigrants.

[fushigi]

An illegal immigrant is, by definition, a criminal.

Again, derailing the thread. Either prove that non-enforcement of illegal immigration laws is "undermining the rule of law" (as you said) to a significant degree AS TO OUTWEIGH THE OTHER BENEFITS of illegal immigration or take it to a different thread.

[fushigi]

It's not only the lack of enforcement of the law. It's also the blatant flouting of the law and the highly publicized neglect in the enforcement of the law which undermines the rule of law.

Can you please tell me, how do you measure the "undermining of the rule of law"?

Please give me a metric, a way to evaluate that. A way you could test your theory.

If you were really serious about your argument, you'd do that yourself without me having to ask you.

[brien]

Sorry for the double post See below.

[brien]

But does not enforcing one section of the law - on illegal immigration - really mean undermining the ENTIRE rule of law?

Absoulutely. Otherwise, why have the rule of law? Selective enforcement of the law leads discrimination and can be considered the first step toward anarchy.

trust police chiefs where sanctuary laws are being enforced to decide for their constituencies what's best for them

This is simply ludicrous. Think about the ramifications of this statement. First, the police are not charged with interpreting the law, they are charged with law enforcement. What if a police chief wakes up today and decides he isn't going to enforce traffic laws, or drug laws, or robbery and larceny laws? Or freedom of speech laws, or 1st, 2nd, or 4th Amendment laws? Where does it end?

[tinybear]

Again, derailing the thread. Either prove that non-enforcement of illegal immigration laws is "undermining the rule of law" (as you said) to a significant degree AS TO OUTWEIGH THE OTHER BENEFITS of illegal immigration or take it to a different thread.

One indication of the rule of law being undermined is people beginning to take the law into their own hands because they see that the government isn't enforcing it.

Does the word 'minutemen' ring a bell?

Such 'vigilantism' is bound to lead to chaos and anarchy once it spreads.

[Century 25]

Wrong. He was a criminal. He acquired his money through criminal activities. Not all illegals are criminals. The overwhelming majority work in legal industries.

Illegal: Unlawful; illegitimate; illicit; unlicensed. Illegal, unlawful, illegitimate, illicit, criminal can all describe actions not in accord with law.

The favored term of the illegal alien activist/advocate is "undocumented immigrant" - quite a euphemism..

What part of illegal alien is not criminal..? To enter this (or any other) country without permission.. is in itself.. illegal.. a crime.. Did you enter Beijing without proper authorization.. I think not.. China would not be amused by the euphemism "undocumented" lol.. or try to get an "undocumented" bank loan...

Thus.. an illegal alien is committing a crime against all of us in America.. and makes folly of the blood sweat & tears of all who came here by the book.. worked hard and attained citizenship legally..

That is a fact.. and I still need the monetary data on jobs.. careers.. lost due to the illegal aliens overrunning our country.. uninvited.. illegal..

[fushigi]

First, the police are not charged with interpreting the law, they are charged with law enforcement. What if a police chief wakes up today and decides he isn't going to enforce traffic laws, or drug laws, or robbery and larceny laws? Or freedom of speech laws, or 1st, 2nd, or 4th Amendment laws? Where does it end?

Slippery slope.

The police chiefs aren't making the laws - the city officials are.

They consider the advice of LEO when making laws. In that sense, they have some input into the lawmaking process, but don't control it.

It's about triage - responding to and enforcing the worst crimes first. LEO simply don't have the time to give a full response to every crime that's committed. So yes, they have to prioritize.

But no, they don't make the laws.