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The immigration debate is perhaps the most polarizing topic in America right now. Far-left democrats routinely call for violence against ICE and the Border Patrol, and have been living up to their words in Minnesota lately. This is nothing new or surprising.
However, in response to the chaos, many Republican lawmakers are proposing that we give in to the left’s demands. Make no mistake, this is exactly what Rep. Mike Lawler’s (R-NY) amnesty proposal would do.
In the New York Times this week, Rep. Lawler called for Congress to change the immigration system to provide any illegal immigrant without an additional criminal record with a path to legal status. This is an astounding claim on its face. Crossing our border illegally is a federal crime, and our federal immigration laws allow for the deportation of anyone who is present in the United States unlawfully.
Lawler claims this plan is not amnesty, when that is exactly what it is. Giving amnesty means choosing not to hold a violator accountable for their actions. In this case, illegals committed the violation of crossing our border without the consent of America’s citizens or government, staying here, utilizing public benefits for themselves or their children, and taking American jobs. Anything less than deportation is, in effect, amnesty.
Lawler is also operating under the delusion that giving amnesty will solve the immigration problem. It will not, and history has proven so. In 1986, President Reagan made the disastrous mistake of allowing mass amnesty for illegals in California under the Immigration Reform and Control Act. Since then, California has turned into a far-left stronghold dominated completely by the left.
Unfortunately, Rep. Lawler is not alone. Many Republicans are now clinging to the very same rhetoric that the Obama administration used to slash interior enforcement: deport “criminal illegal aliens,” let the rest stay.
The largest mass deportation operation in American history was President Trump’s key campaign promise to voters in 2024. Scuttling that now would amount to total surrender to the left and send a clear message: you can bring in millions of illegal aliens in a single presidential term and get away with it.
At Texans for Strong Borders, we totally reject calls for amnesty and call for the Trump administration to increase efforts to deport ALL illegal aliens, not just those convicted of further crimes in the United States.