President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation (EP), which we all know freed the slaves. However, a couple of pieces of it don’t get mentioned as often. The first is that EP only applied to slaves held in bondage in areas where the Union soldiers were not in control. The second is that it took an amendment (13th) to the Constitution to end slavery — one that was put in place by Congress and ratified by the states. I am sure that people who were part of the confederacy disagreed, but because it was Congress and not just the president, people accepted the reality.
When President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1965, it was because Congress had written the laws. He didn’t “act alone.” Because it was in conjunction with Congress, and not just the president, people accepted the reality.
So to hear POTUS Obama state that he is going to act alone without Congress on illegal immigration is not only troubling, it may have backlashes that he and his insular cronies haven’t taken into consideration. The job of the president is not to make law. It is his job to enforce the law. So if he attempts to act alone on illegal immigration, he is setting a precedent that will one day come back to haunt the country. Because his actions won’t be one that Congress approves, will the rest of the country go lockstep with his decision or revolt against it?
One story that hasn’t been at the forefront regarding illegal immigration is the recent murder of border agent Javier Vega, who was fishing with his father when two illegal aliens came upon them and, while trying to rob them, shot both Javier Vega and his father. Javier died and his father was wounded. The two illegal aliens were offered shelter by a black woman who subsequently learned they were wanted for the murder. She turned them in but now fears for her life as one of the two suspects has been deported six times. All one has to do is search the Internet for the criminal activities of the Mexican drug cartels to understand the woman’s fears. They have no problem killing and beheading law enforcement officials in Mexico. And with the death of Javier Vega, it is obvious that the criminal element out of Mexico living in this country illegally has no problem killing Americans here.
There was a time when the killing of a border agent would have made nationwide headline news. Television stations and newspapers would have inundated us with news stories. But the current agenda is to continue to portray illegal immigration with positive spin and ignore the negative aspects of it.
If the president does as is expected and waits for Congress to go on its summer recess to then take action on illegal immigration, it will be an absolute insult to the founders of this country. The president took an oath to uphold the laws of this country and not to act as if he were elected to make laws. One way to let him and Congress know is to make this coming November 2014 midterm elections an absolute priority. Learn who the candidates are and then vote for the ones that put your needs as a priority.
And even before the election, if you think it would be wrong of Obama to “go it alone” on illegal immigration, then pick up the phone and let the White House know. The number is 202-456-1111.
