Gard focuses on Illegal Immigration in TV Ads

The next generation of attack ads are now flooding the airwaves and - surprise, surprise - Gard has shifted debate onto Illegal Immigration. In it his claws come out as he berates Kagen for his position calling it Amnesty. How original. Apparently, anyone who doesn't share Gard's extreme views supports Amnesty by default. The truth is, Kagen recognizes that 10 million illegals are in the country, like it or not, therefore it's now our responsibility to integrate them into society. This does not, in Kagen's words, mean "cutting in line" ahead of those who are here legally, it does mean he would implement the most practical option available to us.

Gard, on the other hand, clings to the party line. His position, as stated on his website, calls for the immediate deployment of 10,000-15,000 troops and the erection of a barrier along our southern border. For those who are curious the cost of the fence alone would be $2.2 Billion, however, this estimate is still on the low side.

He also opposes Amnesty in any form. The logical question which then arises is: if you resist the assimilation of Illegals through a controlled Amnesty program what, then, do you propose we do with those already in the US? Of course, this is assuming his idea of a heavily guarded southern border prevents illegal immigrants from crossing over.

First, Gard could offer legislation which would elevate illegal aliens to the status of felons and imprison them one and all; with the over-crowding in our prison system it's hard to see any law added to the books which would make this actionable. Second, initiate a mass deportation effort. Again, the sheer scope of this event would cost everyone much more than allowing the illegals to stay. The estimated cost of mass deportation of all undocumented aliens over five years would amount to $206 billion (approximately $41.2 billion per year). As is, the cost to the government is $10 billion, even if that number tripled it would still be cheaper than deporting all of them.

As much as Republicans don't want to admit it we have little choice but to back Kagen's method. Everything else would cost too much and there are rarely discussed benefits of keeping illegals. From what I can tell this is a conversation all multi-cultural societies inevitably have, Australia is waging a similar debate. The trick is to maintain our national identity while absorbing the many personalities which determine the patchwork of our culture.