Ruth Sheehan’s column in The N&O today might well be titled “Lawbreakers worried law will be enforced.” She frets that Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison’s program to identify illegal aliens in the county lockup and deport them will put the fear of God in others who are here illegally. I think that’s the idea. Law enforcement announcements of stepped-up enforcement on anything are designed to scare offenders into getting straight. It’s just that in this case the only way to “get straight” is to go back home. And whose fault is that? Not Donnie Harrison’s.
She compares efforts like Harrison’s to Philadelphia, Miss., circa 1964, when civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner and James Chaney were killed and dumped under a dam on a farm. Oh, she doesn’t mention their names or the crimes, but she does reference the movie “Mississippi Burning,” one of several films that depict the horrible events. Her point, I guess, is that Harrison and anyone else interested in stopping illegal immigration are spiritually connected to the likes of Cecil Price, the deputy sheriff in Neshoba County who spent time in prison for his connection to the case. Pretty sleazy.
Sheehan thinks the job of dealing with illegal immigrants is just too nuanced and complicated for even specially trained sheriff’s deputies. I guess social workers would be better, and it would cost more, so that’s a plus.
A few hours later I stumbled on this column on the Web. It’s titled “What part of illegal don’t I understand?” It’s a good antidote to Sheenan’s piece. Here’s an excerpt:
What to do? The easiest and most obvious strategy is to root out and identify those who are in our midst illegitimately, license those who contribute positively to our common weal, open a path toward eventual citizenship for those who qualify and deport the rest.
If that means we’ll all have to carry ID cards, it’s a small price to pay for restoration of order to a situation bordering on chaos. The tougher chore is finding politicians in either of the major parties who are willing to belly up to the pressure groups and voting blocs supporting a vast and growing subculture of lawlessness.
You can add to that list newspaper columnists who feel anecdotal sob stories from a few illegals make efforts to enforce immigration laws illegitimate.
