POROUS BORDERS: Recently, tens of thousands of kids have crossed the border illegally. To handle the crisis, Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies says we should deport them. But Jacob Hornberger of the Future of Freedom Foundation says the solution is open borders. A debate. I fight with both of them.
WELFARE: Are immigrants a drain on America? Some are. But most contribute enough to the economy to make up for what they take in welfare.
SUCCESSFUL IMMIGRANTS: Ever use eBay, RadioShack, Nordstrom, Sara Lee, or Kraft Foods? These are all companies started by immigrants. Americans benefit from foreign entrepreneurs. Not only do their products improve our lives, but their companies create jobs here. Immigrants gave us Google, cheap Ikea furniture, YouTube, bicycles, blenders, ATMs, blow dryers, basketball, football, the first shopping mall, comfortable jeans, and even the American hot dog (that came from Germany's frankfurter). Immigration enriches our language. Jewish immigrants gave us the word "glitch." "Gee whiz" came from the Irish. The song "God Bless America" was written by an immigrant-the prolific Irving Berlin, born in Russia.
THE DRUG WAR: U.S. drug policy makes it harder to get control of the border situation. These laws don't stop anyone from using drugs and they create horrible, vicious crime.
MY TAKE: America needs immigrants. They are special people with the ambition and guts to leave their home to pursue an American dream. We ought to let more of them in. We should make legal immigration easier, relax the rules, and issue more work permits.
