“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Penned by Emma Lazarus in 1883, this is perhaps the most famous part of her small sonnet, originally simply a donation read at the opening of a fundraiser for construction of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty and then quickly forgotten.  Through the efforts of a friend, in 1903 it was inscribed on a plaque and mounted inside the Statue of Liberty.  It was these words that then turned the original symbol of the Republic into a beacon of hope for countless immigrants when they passed by Lady Liberty as they sailed through New York Harbor.

Legal immigrants.  Those like my grandfathers, and maybe even yours, who came here hoping to create a better life; knowing no one and unable to speak the language yet determined to become one with their adopted country.  Who worked hard and with pride, fought for the United States during the Great Wars; they took no handouts from anyone and were grateful right ’til the day they died for the opportunity provided to them by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, for they had seen with their own eyes the evil that walks upright, the evil that lures with progressive dreams designed only to hide its real intent – the enslaving of the people in a fascist regime.

As I write this piece there are some 22+ million illegal immigrants in the United States.  Ninety-eight percent of them from Mexico.  Yes, 98% of them.  And some 11+ million of them are working in skilled trades, thereby displacing American citizens.  Some 1 million of them are either incarcerated or considered fugitives – ironic when you consider that their illegal status already made them criminals.

The Democrats, now even more encouraged by President Obama and his administration, are looking once again at amnesty for illegal immigrants.  They are looking at how to grant citizenship to criminals who are growing more and more bold in their organizing and seeking out the bleeding hearts with sympathetic ears – not to ask, mind you, but to demand health care, welfare and other services, all the while waving the Mexican flag.

What is wrong with this picture?

They broke the law the moment they crossed the border.  Simply being here doesn’t make them American citizens, even if they choose to pay taxes (using someone else’s Social Security number).  Nor are their children American citizens, even if they are born on U.S. soil.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand the intent of the 14th Amendment:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the State wherein they reside.

No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

An illegal immigrant is NOT subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to any extent beyond humane treatment as provided by the Geneva Conventions while being ushered out of the country. They remain citizens of their native country and therefore under the legal jurisdiction of their native country.  Their children, too, remain under the legal jurisdiction of their native country.

In United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 (1898), the Supreme Court addressed the 14th Amended as it applied to someone born in the United States – but what most are not aware of or do not want to know is that his parents were considered to be here legally.  It is only those who see an opportunity to expand their base of possible votes by giving away the hard-earned tax dollars of America’s legal citizens who could think any child born on American soil is automatically a United States citizen and encourage this misconception within our society.  Yet for the same reason – potential votes – they would be the first to argue that the children of Americans born abroad inherit their parents’ citizenship, but the truth is that you can’t have it both ways.

It can also be argued that granting amnesty to illegals both abridges and deprives legal Americans the fruits (property) of their labors since the  tax dollars of legal Americans go to support those who pay nothing towards those things that were intended to benefit the collective.

If we can send men to the Moon, we can send illegal immigrants back home.  Especially those entering from Mexico, so round ’em all up now.  If they have come here legally and overstayed their welcome, consider amnesty ONLY if they have proof of having paid taxes during their time here, are currently employed, and have no criminal record.  Otherwise, all of them – including the children – go back over the border.  If they don’t like what is going on in their own country, then let them take their outrage over their “victim” status and unite against the mistreatments and inequalities there.  Their flag can fly equally well in protest in their own country, and they won’t have to press any extra buttons on their telephones to speak to someone in Spanish.