Opportunity better than vigilantes for immigration

Every country has to answer basic questions about goals, values and who is allowed to help further those objectives. Throughout its history, the United States has incurred long-term benefits and short-term strains from the inclusion of new residents, and immigration to the United States has been a controversial topic for almost every generation. The political aspects of illegal immigration continue this debate.\nMost recently, a group of citizen volunteers in southern Arizona has started patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border for illegal immigrants. After some initial success, the group, called the Minuteman Project, is considering expanding its operations and further complicating the immigration issue.\nThe Minuteman Project began the first week of April and is centered on a 23-mile stretch of the San Pedro Valley where group members look for immigrants entering the country illegally and report their sightings to the Border Patrol. They are under strict orders not to contact or apprehend any suspects. Supporters of the group have compared the project to a neighborhood watch program and say it serves as a form of protest to encourage enforcement of immigration laws. \nThe group has received harsh criticism from many public officials, including Mexican President Vicente Fox, who condemned the group, calling them "immigrant hunters." President Bush himself has classified them as "vigilantes," but California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the group Thursday and said he "would not oppose" their plans to expand patrols into his state.\nMany others have called the project racist, saying it will lead to potentially dangerous situations for both the potential immigrants and members in the Minuteman group. \nApproximately 10 percent of the Minuteman Project's members, almost entirely white males, carry firearms with them on patrols. So far no major incidents have been reported in the month since the program began. However, a member was expelled from the group after allegedly forcing a man to be photographed holding a T-shirt making light of his capture -- though the man involved claimed that he also gave the migrant food, water and money. The group also expelled another member for posting messages on a white supremacist message board. \nMembers of the Minuteman Project have claimed success both as a protest and as a deterrent to illegal immigration. The area has seen a decrease in the number of potential immigrants since the group began, though U.S. border patrol has attributed this to military patrol efforts by Mexico.\nFrom a policy standpoint, leaders should be very cautious about endorsing such programs. It is unwise to create the possibility of untrained civilians contacting immigrants. It is the function of the Border Patrol to enforce the law; they are trained to do so, and even though the civilians intend to avoid contact, the potential for a very serious altercation exists. \nOn a more general level, the country needs to re-evaluate its immigration policy. It is very difficult to gain citizenship and permission to legally enter this country. Instead, the United States should do more to encourage education and advancement for immigrants, legal or illegal. For example, Kansas passed a law a year ago allowing non-citizens who are residents of the state to receive in-state college tuition if they applied for citizenship within a year. \nMeasures like this are helpful to impede the spreading mentality that immigrants come to this country to merely "take the jobs Americans don't want." We should expect ambition from all people, and we should recognize that significant contributions to many aspects of American life will continue to be made by immigrants. The government will never be able to completely prevent illegal immigration, and while there are limits to how many people the U.S. can take in, the nation should do everything in its power to provide opportunities to all people living within its borders.