Illegal Immigration and the Drug War

The United States of America has always been considered as a nation of freedom where free people live. Sadly, it also came to a point where that freedom is abused and illegal aliens suddenly came into the picture. Illegal immigration has been a major problem for years. With much of the US-Mexico border still left unsecured, the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. will continue to surge. It was just recently when several U.S. states have intensified their efforts to protect the border and prevent illegal aliens from entering U.S. territory.

What makes illegal immigration so bad is fact that it deprives the very right and freedom of natural citizens and immigrants who undergone legal process. Imagine if you’re an immigrant who worked so hard in order to get the necessary legal papers in order to be accepted in the U.S. while illegal immigrants only need to sneak in without getting noticed. Also, at this time of recession where jobs are scarce and government funds for social programs are running low, illegal immigrants may compete with natural citizens for a share of those social programs of the government.

But perhaps the most reasonable reason why illegal immigration is such a scum to society is the illegal importation of drugs or the drug trade. We all know that illegal drugs are harmful to one’s health. It is also a threat to peace and order as it stimulates murder and other crimes. In Mexico, there is an ongoing drug war between the government and the drug cartels. It is horrifying to mention that much of the drugs in Mexico are also smuggled inside the U.S. through the border. There is an ongoing pressure on the Obama administration and U.S. states to implement measures to further secure the border.

Last Monday, U.S. authorities confirmed that U.S. border patrol agents fired gunshots into Mexico after a half-ton drug bust involving a truck chase along the Rio Grande Border. It was reported that the U.S. border patrol agents were under attack when chase started although no one was hurt. It is interesting to note that just last June, a border patrol agent fatally shot a 15 year old Mexican boy after a group illegally entered Texas and threw rocks at officers near downtown El Paso.

This event is a clear indication of the ongoing drug war in Mexico which is also threatening the mainland U.S. as well. The U.S. government has been allocating billions of dollars for national security fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq while not realizing that the biggest threat to security is just along the border. Until today, thousands of immigrants are still illegally entering the U.S. without facing any resistance which the government promised a long time ago. The challenge is to effectively secure the border and eliminate illegal immigration before it devours America.