Half of my family is Mexican, so after reading comments by Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell about Mexicans, I could reflexively don the “I’m offended” badge and hammer away. But that would be a waste of effort. I don’t know what’s really in the heart of Bizzell, who has now apologized for his statements, which appeared in a News & Observer story about his efforts to deal with illegal immigrants in Johnston County. Only Bizzell knows.
What I do know is this: The failure of federal immigration policy has ramifications beyond the obvious problems of border insecurity, identify theft, and strains on social services. Our policy has been broken for so long — this has been an issue in my home state of Arizona for 20 years — that the frustrations with immigration policy have soaked deep into local communities, where they now percolate. Sheriff Bizzell’s comments are a reflection of years of failed policy. We shouldn’t be surprised.
This country must deal decisively with securing our borders and implementing a much-needed guest worker program — yes, there really are jobs American won’t take, and thankfully don’t have to take due to massive investments in education and training programs and the myriad opportunities Americans enjoy. A guest worker program would match employers with willing workers, and ensure that we know who is entering the country temporarily and that they have returned to their home country per their agreement. Until this happens, incidents like the one with Bizzell will continue to occur.
